Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

I have never had a visual of what the Soo Locks look like and have always heard of Sault Ste. Marie. Well now I have that picture. Sunday morning was a perfect time to traipse around town while folks were at church.

We toured the Corps of Engineers Visitors' Center and then went up the platform to view the closest lock. The first American lock had been built in 1855. Sailors and travelers referred to the town as the Soo.

There is a drop of 21 feet from Lake Superior to Lake Huronon the St. Mary's River. Four locks on the American side bypass this barrier. We chose not to hang around an hour waiting for the boat scheduled to come through at 2:30.

This was not the view we saw as we chose not to drive all around pulling the trailer (thanks to a large photograph inside the visitors' center).

There is a lot of security around the gated park as you approach the Soo Locks. Hmmm.

Sault Ste.Marie is a small town with a population of only 16,000. I picked up the Scales of Justice geocache on the courthouse lawn.

Still don't know what this small tree is. Anyone?