Day 3: Sault Ste. Marie, MI, to Wawa, Ontario

July 9, 2007
170 day miles; 585 total trip miles

This is Dale.

This morning we took it easy. Had breakfast (well, Floyd and I did) and then Johann and I went looking for a nut to replace one that came off his muffler. That was easy. We stopped at a Honda dealer just down the road from our hotel and got it fixed. Then we tried to find a replacement for a short section of his CB radio cord. His helmet slipped off his bike seat and pinched the cord against the bike frame and cut the wire to his right earphone. We asked and called around but it doesn't look like we will be able to find a replacement on the trip. But at least everything works except for the one earphone.

For the early afternoon Floyd opted for a Soo Lock boat tour on the Saint Marie River. Johann and I had been through locks on a Nile River cruise several years ago so we went to a Great Lake Boat tour; that is a tour through a beached Great Lake freighter that has been turned into a museum. While we were up on the top deck at the pilot house we saw a lock tour boat go by and I started waving. Johann wondered how I knew Floyd was on that boat. I remembered Floyd saying the tours left every two hours and his was leaving at 12:30 pm. So since it was now 1:30 pm I figured it was his boat. And sure enough. Using his video telephoto Johann zoomed in on the boat and saw Floyd standing on the top deck in the bow! We took some video and pictures and surprised Floyd when we met up with him a little later. Johann will get some pictures up later.

About 3 pm we met up and headed across the international bridge into Canada. We are sure the air smelled fresher and the trees were greener as we traveled north. The road was good but the area is sparsely settled. And the scenery was beautiful. We pulled over several times at lookout points to view Lake Superior and the coastline.

One place we headed a mile down a winding (but paved) road to a boat slip and discovered a small cove completely hidden from the open lake by large rock islands. And a hundred yards off shore a nice sailboat was anchored! We just sat on the rocks by the shore and relaxed in the beauty and tranquility for while. Johann and I decided that a sail boat would be another adventure we would like to try. (Want to come along on this one, Steve?)

We kept pressing north on Canadian route 17 and finally arrived at Wawa about 8 pm. We found a "Sportsman Motel" to stay in and got a room with 3 beds. They seem set up to cater to the hunters and fishermen. This is a really big town for the area, all 3,700 of them! We rode down the street a little and had a late dinner and rode back to the hotel at 10 pm and it was just getting dusk! We are really pretty far north!

Crisis of the Day: Johann would say Dale's quick turns off the road to do sightseeing. Johann had to make some panic stops and short turns!!

Highlight of the Day: The stunning scenery. Especially the small cove off Lake Superior.