Soo Locks, Michigan

 

 

Carol at Brady Park. A laker is exiting locks in right background. RoadTrek parked on left.
Click here for a panoramic view of the laker.

At first we were disappointed in having chosen the 4th of July for the day to tour the Soo Locks in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. From 10 to 12 am the city held a parade to celebrate the 4th of July, right when we wanted to tour the area. So Carol worked in our motel room until 11am and then we went grocery shopping. Around noon we headed to Sault Ste Marie. It was a beautiful sunny day and the parade was over. We had no trouble finding a parking spot just downstream of the Soo Locks. To our pleasant surprise a big laker was just leaving the locks as we pulled in.

Laker exiting Soo Locks. Tug is resupplying the ship as both are underway.

Those ships are big! Stood on end, some of the largest ones would almost be as tall as the Empire State Building. Around 7000+ ships pass through these locks each year (which are open only 9 months due to the freezing over of the Great Lakes). So on average 26 ships pass through these locks every day. And today, the 4th of July, was no exception. We saw 5 ships pass through the locks in two hours. There are four locks and all lift (upbound) or drop (downbound) each ship 21 feet. The locks are HUGE and crowds of people watching the ships passing through are impressive. The largest tankers (1,005.5 feet long by 105 feet wide) are designed to just fit in the largest lock. The clearances on each side of a ship look like no more than 6 to 9 inches. The locks all work on gravity so there are no water pumps involved. The gates are kept closed during the filling and emptying cycles, and opened only when a ship enters or leaves the lock. Flooding and emptying the lock is all handled by flow valves in the bottom of the locks.

Carol approaching Soo Lock Park.

Ship entering lock downbound from Lake Superior.

Ship is now inside lock. Gates are closed and water is being let out downstream.

Ship is now down in lock 21 feet. Downstream gate is opening to allow ship to pass out of lock.
Click here for a movie taken from inside the visitor center.

This is a cool place! We took lots of pictures and movies, and then got something to eat (hamburgers in honor of the 4th of July!). We then decided to head for La Crosse, Wisconsin to get a head start on that 10 hour drive. As we write, we are in a motel in the north country of Michigan a few miles east of a small town called Manistique. Surprisingly all the motels in this rural area are full. As we back peddled to find a room in one small motel, we found out why. The Chippawa indians have a casino nearby and folks here want to celebrate the 4th of July in style.

Stay tuned; on Sunday we plan to have brunch on a Mississippi River paddlewheeler as she makes her way up river between Minnesota and Wisconsin.