So, we're heading north out of Traverse City this morning, passing through Charlevoix, MI, when we spy by the side of the road The World's Largest Cherry Pie Pan – less than 50 miles from where we'd seen The World's Largest Cherry Pie Pan yesterday! Pie feud!!! The Charlevoix pan was technically smaller, but I deem it better due to containing an attractive slice of fake cherry pie.
World's Largest Cherry Pie Pan, Charlevoix, MI
A little later, a warning light came on in the car due to low tire pressure. We HAD to get it looked at before getting on the Mackinac Bridge and entering the boonies of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Fearing an hours-long delay, we limped into Petoskey and stopped at Royal Tire. These great guys took my car back immediately and found a leak at the valve stem, a minor issue and a “freebie” to fix. We were on our way in 15 minutes. THANK YOU, ROYAL TIRE!
Bayfront Park, Petoskey, MI
Bayfront Park Waterfall
The Straits of Mackinac are short waterways that connect Lake Michigan with Lake Huron and divide Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas. The five-mile-long Mackinac Bridge spans the straits, connecting Michigan's Upper Peninsula to the rest of the state. Otherwise, it would be a looooong way around through Lower Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin before entering the U.P. At the time of its completion in 1957, the Mackinac Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world.
Big wiener
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
Mackinac Bridge
Cool weird place of the day: Castle Rock, St. Ignace, MI, a natural rock formation rising around 200 feet above its surroundings, with 170 steps to the top. Price of admission is only $1! You enter through the gift shop, of course. The view at the top is of Lake Huron. What fun!
World-famous Castle Rock!
Jana with Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
Tom climbs the stairs
Triumphant Tom!
Lake Huron
In Sault Ste. Marie, we ascended another tall thing, this time by elevator. The 210-foot Tower of History is the tallest tower in the U.P., with views of the entire Sault area, including the St. Mary's River, the Soo Locks, and into Canada.
Tower of History, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
St. Mary's River
Freighters on the river, Canada beyond
Lodging: Lockview Motel, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. An older motel, but clean and comfortable, and you couldn't beat the location – right across the street from the Soo Locks.
Old-school motel in Sault Ste. Marie
Dinner: Goetz's Lockview Restaurant. Our waitress was a Goetz, probably Tom's long-lost cousin. The incredibly fresh whitefish was delicious, and Tom's Reuben was a winner as well.
Goetz's Lockview Restaurant
Good name
Scrumptious whitefish
After dinner, we walked across the street to check out the locks. The Soo Locks enable vessels to navigate the 21-foot change in elevation of the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, allowing shipments of cargo between ports on the Great Lakes and beyond. This is one of the busiest lock systems in the world, with more than 75 million tons of cargo passing through each year, mostly iron ore, coal, stone, and grain.
To the Soo Locks
We watched the freighter MV Paul R. Tregurtha pass upstream through the Soo Locks toward Lake Superior. At 1,013.5 feet long and 105 feet wide, this is the longest ship on the Great Lakes and barely fits in the Soo's largest lock.
Freighter entering the Soo Locks