Sunday, August 12, 2012

On to Sault St. Marie

Our drive from Marquette, MI, along Lake Superior was everything we heard it was…. beautiful. 

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We drove through many small quaint towns right on the lake.

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When we left Marquette diesel was running $4.09, so when we saw the $3.96 we decided it was time to fill up.  This was one of the first times in a long time we saw that diesel was lower than regular gas.

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We arrived in Sault St. Marie late in the afternoon.

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We stopped first at the Soo RV Park, just 1/4 mile from the Elks Lodge, to dump our tanks.  This is one of the necessities of RV’ing and we must do this chore about every 2 weeks.  I guess I have to admit, this is a ‘blue’ job, meaning Tom does it.  This is what we saw when we pulled into the Elks Lodge and parked, our first Long Ship.

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Then another sailed by that was even longer.

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When we walked up to the lodge we discovered they were hosting a wedding.  We met the bride and even offered to give her some tips on maintaining a good marriage; she laughed and congratulated us.  Laughing out loud  We then went to dinner at a local restaurant recommended by the Elks’ bartender.  It was a steak and Mexican restaurant.  Sounded good.  Unfortunately neither of us were very hungry, so it was Queso with flour and corn tortillas, BBQ quesadilla, and a Rubin for Tom.  We did have a toast of our Margueritas. We came back to the RV and watched the sun set, the lights across the water begin to sparkle and disappear when a ship sailed by.

This morning we watched Sunday Morning and the news and I fixed breakfast of leftover quesidillas mixed in scrambled eggs, sour cream and queso sauce on top, refried beans, and toast.  Not bad if I do say so myself.

We drove the very short distance into the cute town of Sault St. Marie.  We went to see the locks up close.  We went first to the visitor center and saw 4 videos on the Great Lakes System managed by the US Corp of Engineers.  These lakes and the St Lawrence Seaway constitute 1/5 of the world’s supply of fresh water.  Sault St. Marie is the 3rd oldest city in the United States following St. Augustine, FL, and Santa Fe, NM, that has been continuously inhabited.  We saw a model of the first lock, The Old State Lock, from 1855.  Since then locks have been added, expanded, and lengthened several times.  Today the locks look like this.

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We walked up onto the viewing platform and watch as this ‘big lady’ very slowly exited the locks. 

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We walked across the street to do a little shopping.  I found this cute jacket with lighthouses that would be perfect for my birthday.  But since I pay all the bills, it kinda seems like I would be buying my own present.  So we decided to take a picture appreciate the memory.  Anyway the “one in one out” rule would mean I would have to get rid of my Monaco or Beaudry jacket.  NOT!

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We finished our shopping walk with a stop at the Ice Cream Shop.  I tested the vanilla and decided it was pretty darn good so I ordered a single dish of vanilla with Macanaw fudge swirls. It was delicious!  Tom had a root beer float; he said you can’t go wrong with a float.

The sum was setting as we returned to DA PAD.

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I guess that’s the end for today.

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Tomorrow we plan to visit the Tower of History and maybe take a boat tour.

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2 comments:

  1. Taking photos of clothes qualifies as a gift like the time Luke asked me if I wanted to go into the Hallmark Store to read birthday cards! It's the thought that counts. Enjoy the locks tour. The coal they are carrying came from those 125+ train cars that loaded up in Gillette, WY. and transfered from rail to lake ships in Des Moines. Luke bought the little book they sell on the tour that details all the ships. Fun to read as they pass by the Lodge.

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  2. Oops, Des Moines should have been Duluth. That is where we saw the lake ships filled from the Gillette coal trains. Geography 101...

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