Day 5
Soo Locks

The old lighthouse at Mackinaw City with the Mackinac Bridge in the background.

The Saint Mary river connects Lake Superior with the Mackinac Straits. The city on the far shore is Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, Canada and on the near shore is Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan. The Soo Locks allow freighters to navigate the river and pass between Lake Superior and Lake Huron or Lake Michigan. Prior to the locks there were rapids blocking the river.

Our campground was just a couple of miles below the locks and right on the St. Mary river, so we could watch freighters passing through from one lake to another. The freighters range up to 1000 feet in length; they are quite a sight to see. The largest freighters have only 2.5 feet of clearance on each side when in the locks. Imagine maneuvering something 1000 feet long with only 2.5 feet of clearance!

We had a dinner cruise on the St. Mary river; our cruise took us upriver through the Canadian locks and then turned around and we came down river through the American locks.

One of the freighters waiting to go through the locks.

We are now entering the Canadian locks. After we entered, the doors behind us closed and water was let in to raise our boat 21 feet.

We have now been raised 21 feet and the gates are opening to allow us to proceed upstream.

The cruise ended with a return trip through the locks, but it was too dark for pictures. The views of the city at night from the river were very nice, however.