No, But I Can See It From Here!

One hundred eighty three miles northeast of Escanaba, Michigan, is the Great Lakes port of Sault Ste Marie (pronounced Soo Saint Marie, they tell me).  This has been one of our bucket list places to visit since we first saw the Great Lakes years ago at a family wedding.  The name just sounds so perfect, reminding us of far away places and strange ships. It is the home of the famous "Soo Locks" that raise and lower ships some twenty one feet, and was a major railroading hub, with the "Soo Line" originating here.

Most of the drive today was on US 2, our friend from Seattle days that runs east and west across the top of the nation.  A Microsoft sky led us through some of the heavily forested areas in the Hiawatha National Forest across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Going through the villages of Gladstone, Rapid River, and Nahma, we hoped to see some fall colors in the hardwood forests, but the first trees are just starting to turn, with the height of the season not expected until October. Sad!

We rolled through Manistique, Naubinway, and Engadine, and stopped at a lovely roadside rest in the town of Epoufette.  You french people out there will know how to pronounce these names, but I'm at a loss!

The wayside looks out over a bay with a small farm below.

The clouds were starting to roll in, and created a spectacular display over the lake.

At Brevort, the GPS shuttled us on to a small side road, which gave us some concern.  But as it seemed to be a good road, we kept going!

Amazingly, we popped out onto I 75 just south of Moran for a quick look at Lake Huron. I say quick because a few miles further, road construction detoured us off the interstate for 13 miles on a narrow surface road.  Imagine interstate traffic squeezed onto a two lane road!  At Rudyard we rejoined the interstate for the run into Sault Ste Marie, and…..here we are!

It doesn't look like much, but yes, you can see Canada from here!

The St. Mary's River at this point is a major shipping route between Lake Huron and Lake Superior, so it's no wonder it is so wide! We're staying in the city owned Aune Osborn Campground, and even though our site (#59) is not one of the premium sites on the water, we do have a view of the river. Just after we arrived, the first "Salty" made its way past the campground. It was raining, so we only took some pictures through the windshield of the motorhome.  What a sight!

And, yes, it is that long!