Author: Mom

Today we took a ride on the Agawa Train out of Sault Ste. Marie. The train went along Hwy 17 and along many lakes and rivers. We had spectacular views of Lake Superior and several trestle bridges.

We had a nice table in the cabin for the four of us. We all took turns switching seats. We played some card games to pass the time.

We enjoyed watching the front of the train when we went around the bends. There was a narration that went along with the ride and we learned a lot about the industry in the area.

We eventually arrived at the Agawa Canyon and took a several kilometer hike along the rived down to the waterfalls. This is Bridal Falls.

We found a cool caterpillar on the hike.

This is Beaver Falls.

E was being a pistol the entire trip. Mom is just kidding about choking him. But she did threaten to toss him over into the falls.

We walked along the railroad and then followed the path back to the train.

Back on the train we had a late lunch in the dining car. Mom and Dad really liked their food. I had a burger but it wasn’t my thing. When we got back we swam for a long time. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain so this was out last “pool time”, possibly for the rest of the trip.

This morning we went to the Canadian Heritage Bushplane Museum in Sault Ste. Marie. They specialize in Bushplanes and fire fighting planes.

We saw some really cool videos, checked out the amazing display of airplanes and had fun playing in the cockpits.

It was a spectacular museum. We learned a lot about how the bombardier water planes were able to pick up water and then dump on the fires. The process has changed a lot but is now very efficient if near water.

 

 

We headed out near sunrise towards the USA. We only crossed over for a few hours. We took the ferry boat out to Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw, silent C?). Some of the ferry boats went super fast. We had picked the more leisurely pace boat.

When on the island, we opted to take a private carriage ride around the island. We had a great, knowledgable guide who told us the history of the island as well as information about those people that call it their summer home.

We saw the Grand Hotel with it’s 600 foot front porch.

Skull Cave.

And views of the marina from the Eastern Cliffs.

After our carriage ride we walked Market Street and sampled enough fudge to make us all sick in the tummy. I bought a slab of mint chocolate for later.

We had a near private ferry back to the mainland. We enjoyed lunch out, a rare treat.

No problems getting back into Canada on the International Bridge. We got back and I swam for 2.5 hours while Mom did laundry. I worked on my handstands and was under water most of the time. Emmerson too a long nap and is finally feeling a bit better, thank goodness! He was super grumpy.

Today we got up early and drive up to Bachawana Bay Provincial Park in Ontario. We were excited to be on the shores of Lake Superior.

We had a great time playing at the beach and exploring along the crystal clear waters of Lake Superior. This makes 4 of the 5 Great Lakes we have seen. We will see our last, Huron, tomorrow hopefully.

E and I had a loving moment as we walked hand in brotherly hand down the beach.

When we got back E wasn’t feeling well so he played down in the motorhome. I went swimming and worked on my water handstands for a long time.

Tuesday we took the day off. We ran a few loads of much needed laundry and linens. While we washed the clothing we played outside and ran around. We loved playing this game where you toss balls attached to a rope around different levels. We made up our own rules and point system and had a great time.

The rest of the day was downtime before our long drive towards Ontario.

Yesterday we spent a little over 12 hours driving from Montreal, Quebec to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The drive was uneventful other than the fact that we saw a black bear run across the road about 1/4 mile in front of the motorhome. The sunset was beautiful. We arrived at the KOA Sault Ste. Marie after 9pm and found our site in the dark.

In the morning we headed out to Ft. Saint Joseph. The place was deserted except for one employee who spent a lot of time with us chatting and educating. We learned how to play a First Nations game of tossing a hoop with sticks. It was so much fun we asked Mom to make us our own!

We dressed as soldiers and learned more about the fur trade in the area.

Then we took a long walk down to the fort and explored around. We learned that the blockhouse also housed the soldiers and was a lot longer than most of the time period.

The giant chimney behind us is a mystery. It wasn’t in any plans they have discovered, it wasn’t a kitchen, bread oven or a house. Archeologists are baffled!

We cleaned up in the giftshop because everything with a Parks Canada logo was 50% off. We each got a hat and a few small trinkets.

Next, we headed to the Sault Ste. Marie Canal and the locks on the Canadian side. We worked on our explorer program. We saw a tour boat come through he locks. The water drops 21 feet between the lakes.

We walked down along the canal and saw the Emergency Swing Dam. It was used in 1909 when a ship accidentally hit the gates when in the lock and caused a massive rush of water. The swing dam was used to bring the flow to a trickle. There were only 9 ever made like this and this was the only ever used. It worked PERFECT.

We watched a flock of Canadian Geese swim along and into the locks. I think it would have been easier to fly! Silly geese.