The only Lock Ness Monster was the War of 1812

With apologies to Scotland.

Wawa to St. Ignace, Michigan, 359.5 km
Maximum speed: 136 km
Temperatre range: 13.4 - 20.0 C
Motorcyclers who waved: 4
Motorcyclers who didn't wave: 0

Even though it was a shorter day than the day before, it was a big day. I also had my Lawren Harris moment, which you may recognize below.

After a truly amazing meal at Kinniwabi Pines, just south of Wawa last night - the owners hail from Trinidad but they have influences of East India and China from various relatives - we were off to our typically relaxed pace in the morning. We picked our way down the shoreline, stopping at the very beautiful Katherine Cove, which had a permanent display of an easel and folding painter's chair and a description of how the Group of Seven had spent so much time in the area. As I walked up to the display, I could see that it was an interpretive sign however, it looked just like a painter's workstation and I was surprised when I found that the chair and easel were permanent fixtures.

Nan at Katherine Bay.

An interpretive sign describing the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was immortalized in the Gordon Lightfoot song.

Not long later, we stopped in Lake Superior Provincial Park at Agawa Rock, an important Ojibwe spiritual location and sight of several ancient rock paintings. In fact, when visiting the interpretive centre before stopping at Agawa, we were told that there would be many Ojibwe First Nations people there and that we should ask permission before proceeding to visit the paintings. Indeed, there were many people camping in the parking lot and there was a sweat lodge in use. We did ask permission and, as we had been told, there would be no issue however, we were also told that there would be people fasting in the woods and may have been there for a few days and to be quiet and respectful.

Rock wedged on the way to the rock paintings.

The hike to the rock paintings was less than a half kilometre through the woods down to the water and it was fairly rugged and steep, though not overly arduous. Upon reaching the lake, I had my Lawren Harris moment, depicted below. It was really quite breathtaking and I could imagine the artist in that very spot painting the scene, though I have no knowledge if he was ever there.

My Lawren Harris moment.

The rock paintings are old, though it is not know with certainty how old but estimates are for an age of about 2200 years. They are all red coloured and of the dozen or so that are visible, a few are still quite distinct and obvious while others reflect the subtley of age. Round trip to the paintings and back was about 45 minutes, which is good, because on Native man told me to be careful as people occasionally slip off the rocks into the lake, making for a much longer trip.

The route to see the paintings. You will note that there are ropes fastened to the rock to assist people who fall into the lake to climb out.

We have another unplanned, great meal, at the The Voyageur's Lodge and Cookhouse in Batchawana Bay Provincial Park. Really good home made food, and it is with sadness that I don't have one of their blueberry tarts because they look amazing, and because the burger I ate was incredible: hand formed patty and home made bun, which I am sure could not have been out of the oven more than a couple of hours.

Our route to the U.S. is taking us through Sault Ste. Marie and over the locks that allow ships to pass from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. The elevation difference is about 20 feet; St. Mary's River, which is the natural waterway between the two lakes, runs with a fair number or rapids and would be otherwise impassable without the locks, with the possible exception of some Quebecois Voyageurs dragging their birch bark canoes over them.

The original locks were constructed on the Canadian (then British) side of the border in 1797, only to be destroyed by the Americans in the war of 1812. Though the locks were to be re-constructed on the U.S. side of St. Mary's River, a dispute between the State of Michigan and the U.S. prevented construction from commencing until 1853.

A Canadian lock.

That is Lake Superior on the right, Lake Huron on the left.

The Canadian lock administration building.

Now, there are several locks, the largest lock on the U.S. side of the river and a more modest one on the Canadian side. There are many old buildings on the Canadian side and some of considerable historical significance as well as beauty.

On the U.S. side of the river, the city bears the same name as on the north side: Sault Ste. Marie, though the spelling I saw was invariably "Soo". We stopped at the U.S. locks with the hope of getting a closer look but of course, these are heavily restricted as they form part of the U.S. border services Homeland Protection.

Bridge over St. Mary's River, the locks and the route to the U.S.

Water control on the St. Mary's River.

Maybe main street, Soo Ste. Marie.

What is wrong with this picture? It is a park for the lock, with a "no trespassing" sign. You will note the interpretive sign and walkway beyond the fence.

In order to get to our destination for the day and avoid travel on the Interstate, we drop straight down from Soo Ste Marie to Cedarville and then head over west to St. Ignace. Nonetheless, we do end up on the Interstate to finish off our day, which isn't so bad because it is late andwhile not raining, it clearly wants to rain. The sky is heavy and the air laden with moisture but no actual rain falls.

Plenty wet but no rain.