Catching up Quickly, Part 2, July 15-23, 2011

July 15-20, 2011

We drove north about 50 miles to Sault Ste Marie, Aune-Osborn CG.  This park is along the St Mary’s River, so we saw many freighters traveling upbound and downbound.  Our stay ended up being six nights, although we had to change sites for the last three nights.

One of Bob’s blog readers suggested we take the short drive (abt 20 minutes) to Spectacle Lake, you can also see Lake Huron and then Canada in the distance.

Near this overlook is an Indian Cemetery. 

We often times will see a chair or bench sitting near the grave, not sure if it is for the deceased or the living to come and sit and visit?

 

Sailors from the Myron and their story.

A little further up the road is the Point Iroquois Light House, it was in the process of being repainted so we were unable to climb to the top.

 

 

 

 

 

The night before we changed sites, it RAINED, so Bob had some challenges hooking up our utilities.  By the way the flooded site is #63, it took two days for the water to recede.

This photo was taken from the top of the Tower of History of the Valley Camp, which we toured next.

The laundry room on the ship was shared with some machinery.

 

 

 

This is one of the lifeboats from the Edmond Fitzgerald “The Fitz”.  The Fitz sank on November 10, 1975.

Lifeboat #1 from the Edmond Fitzgerald was located by the Arthur M Anderson at 8 am on Tuesday, November 11.  It was seen floating nine miles east of the wreckage.  The missing part of the lifeboat has never been found.

This is the entrance to the gift shop, located off the ship, at the Valley Camp, well the purpose of this photo is to show the names on the bricks, mostly from Nelsonville, one or two from Hocking and Athens.  I was born and raised just a few miles from the brick factory that made these brick.  These are the same block we used in May for my parents and sisters graves.

We finally did take the Soo Locks Boat tour, we had plans to take the tour on several days, but rain or heat changed those plans.

Here we are entering the American Poe Lock.  I had hoped we would be sharing the lock space with a freighter, but not this trip.

Our trip back brought up back through the Canadian Lock, much smaller and reminded us so much of the canals we boated through on the Canal du Midi in France.  The level change was 21’.

July 21-23, 2011 – Moved  about 70 miles to Newberry, MI, staying at the Clemetz Northcountry CG. (by the way, no Verizon coverage)

About 50 minutes from the camp ground is Whitefish Point, home of the Shipwreck Museum and Lighthouse.

The museum complex from high on the tower. 

 

 

 

What’s for lunch, our first pasty!  I had fixed a lunch, but the pasty won out.

Even though the admission was $13 each to the museum plus $4 each for the lighthouse, we felt we got our monies worth.

The Museum

The Bell from “The Fitz”.

The Lighthouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The current light was not projected from a Fresnel lens, but was powered with a 1000 watt small bulb.

Our next stopping place was the Lower and  Upper Tahquamenon Falls.  I was impressed our GPS pronounced the name perfectly.  Tanic acid creates the unique color.

The Upper Falls

Climbing up the last section of 99 steps from seeing the Upper Falls.  Worth it…don’t ask!

We have been attached by the locals.  The bites are from some sort of gnat.  Didn’t feel a thing when it was happening, just noticed gnats being caught up on my hair, then noticed red spots the next day.  This photo was taken 24 hours after the bites.  Needless to say no fires since two nights ago, I hate to apply insect repellant.  I have probably ten bites and Bob has a few also. 

Moving on Sunday to Fayette State Park, may not have internet coverage.