SAULT STE MARIE TO MANITOULIN ISLAND

We left the Mackinac Straits for the St Mary's River and the "Soo" as most call Sault Ste Marie on our trip around Lake Huron. Crossing the bridge over the St Mary's River we had quite a view of the locks and other items of interest among which are the rapids that are known for the Pink and King Salmon spawning runs each year. The first picture shows primarily the locks with a ship waiting to come upstream into Lake Superior. The second picture shows the power house, some of the original rapids and even a cruise ship in the upper left.





We left the "Soo" and proceeded East to Manitoulin Island which was a pleasant drive on a good two lane road. I have to say that Canadian drivers are very polite and it's kind of nice to slow to 70 KM/HR (approx 50MPH)and have a little time to see the country side. Crossing to Manitoulin Island was neat in that the swing bridge was somewhat old with a wooden deck and I was a little worried about our weight (17 tons) going across. The day was a bit hazy and frankly there is not much on the island at all, but looking out over a hazy Georgian Bay was pleasant. One other thing we noticed is the lack of people in the area...it is still the north country.


We were unable to reserve our spot on the ferry from South Bay to Tobermory as the young lady at the tourist info center didn't quite know what to do about charging for motorhome and tow vehicle so we just continued down to South Bay and found a campground right on the water. The view from our campsite at dusk was awesome.



After settling in and having a super over portioned dinner with some homemade ala mode blueberry pie from a small mom & pop establishment, we found that we have to be in line for the ferry first thing in the morning in order to be sure to have a place. The morning brought bright sunshine and a beautiful day. Below is picture of some of the shoreline.



After waiting for couple of hours the Chi Cheemaun Ferry arrived and off loaded its vehicles while we waited to load.

  

The trip is not quite two hours but the ship is quite large as it can carry 150 cars and trucks without problem. It has a full resturant and lounge along with deck areas to take in the sites of Georgan Bay. We spent amost all of our time on deck except to partake of a good lunch served on board.

  

  

Just a few shots to show you the scenery

  

  

Although traveling in a motorhome and pulling a vehicle behind is a tad expensive relative to crossing the bay on a ferry, I would recommend the trip to anyone traveling in the area. Our day was all sunshine and the views will never be forgotten.