Day 17: The Soo Locks

Only took a few photos en route to my destination for the day, Sault (pronounced "Soo") Ste. Marie, MI. I wanted to see the Soo Locks, which allow large (up to 1,000 feet long and 105 feet wide) freight vessels to move up and down the St. Marys River between Lake Superior above and Lakes Michigan and Huron below. Rapids on the river fall about 21 feet, making the river impassable without the locks.

As soon as I arrived in town I drove to the Tower of History downtown. It's a 21 story observation tower that also showcases history of the local area. Rather than take the elevator, I chose to walk up the 292 stairs to the top. Coming down only took me 2 min. 30 sec. I didn't time myself going up, but I'm sure it was only slightly longer than that. The highest observation deck is outside. It was cool and breezy, but afforded great views of the locks and river, as well as Sault Ste. Marie, ON, just across the river in Canada. A 1,000 foot ship passed through the locks headed downriver while I was there. A ship that size can carry the equivalent of six freight trains of cargo (each with 100 railroad cars) or over 2,300 semi trucks (more than 72,000 tons of freight!). Iron ore is by far the most valuable cargo transported through the locks (valued at over $500 billion per year), followed by coal, grain, and stone. Over 90 million tons of cargo each year passes through, carried by over 11,000 vessels (that's about 30 ships per day on average!). A very busy place.

After leaving the Tower, I headed down to the Soo Locks Visitor Center to hopefully see a freighter lock through at close range. Sometimes several ships go through in just a couple of hours. Other times you can wait three hours or more before one comes along. As I parked and walked to the lock, I could see another large vessel approaching. I couldn't have timed it more perfectly. I was able to watch a large tug and barge lock through, again heading downriver. The barge was carrying iron ore from Duluth, Silver Bay, and/or other ports on Lake Superior.

You may have noticed my blogs are being posted earlier now. That's because since I arrived in Munising, I've been on Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), which is three hours later than Pacific Time.

Today I drove another 127 miles, bringing my total to 2,933 miles.

It doesn't look like it, but this was a peat bog about halfway between Munising and Sault Ste. Marie. The ground was very spongy, sinking several inches when I stepped on it.

An indication of the dampness along some of the roads is all of the cattails growing there.

Tower of History, Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Panoramic view of the St. Marys River from the top of the 21 story Tower of History, looking north to Sault Ste. Marie, ON. A 1,000 foot ship is in the channel headed downriver, having just passed through the locks.

The reason for the locks: rapids on the St. Marys River that drop a total of 21 feet, making passage impossible.

Sault Ste. Marie, ON waterfront.

1,000 foot ship just exiting the locks. It's longer than three football fields, including the end zones!

Notice the tug that has come alongside the ship to guide it downriver through the main channel.

Residential neighborhood next to the Tower.

St. Marys Catholic Church in foreground (and some fall color in the center!).

Barge carrying iron entering one of the locks. The water in the lock in the foreground is at the elevation the barge will get lowered to shortly.

Notice how high the barge sits as it enters the lock . . . 

and how low it sits after the lock is drained.

I had to shoot a panorama just to fit the entire vessel in the frame.

Tug and iron ore barge headed downriver after locking through.

Notice the Corps of Engineers flag, with its characteristic castle insignia, flying above the others.

Smaller boats also use the locks. It's a gravity-fed system, so all the operator does is open a valve to fill or empty the lock, and it just takes a few minutes. The lock on the Columbia River at Bonneville dam has a drop of about 60 feet, and although the vessels are all much smaller than the large ones here, it takes longer to lock through because of the greater elevation difference. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates all the locks on rivers throughout the country, including these and the ones on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

After dropping, all that is visible of the small boat is the very top of its antenna.

Observation area at the lock.