We were so eager for our boat cruise that we were there 30 minutes early! We had a clear sunny sky!

There weren’t too many other people on our boat. Works for us!

The tour guide talked to us about Sault Ste Marie all along the way.

Then we entered the Canadian lock!

Once you are closed between the doors of the lock, the locks raise the level of the water up 21 feet to the level of Lake Superior.

After we came out of the locks, then we went to see my old neighbour Algoma Steel! Did you know they are working on making it electric fired!? I never thought I’d be smelling it again.

Then we went over to the American side of the river to sail through their larger locks!

There are two locks and they are working on building a third. For something like 3 billion dollars!

We were in the smaller lock and the bigger one was about to have a 1000 foot vessel in it! You can see its bow entering above.

The cranes that are working on the new canal cost $1000 an hour to rent. And this is a 10 year project!

This more modern US lock lowered the water much quicker and soon we were back at the Lake Huron level and off to cruise along Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.

And then back along the Canadian shore. There’s the bug lab where Jeff and I used to work!

It was a two hour tour that we both really enjoyed.

Then we needed a quick lunch so we could hit the road! We made a campground reservation a long way from the Sault!

We stopped at the Wendy’s near the Station Mall. Wow. That was an experience. So many people strung out on drugs. After using a Tim Horton’s bathroom the day before with only that blue light in it (so you can’t see your veins to inject drugs?), I’m thinking the Sault has a significant drug problem.

Anyway, not my problem to fix, but there has to be more a community can do to clean up their town.

Off we went to Grundy Provincial Park. It was about a 4 hour drive. But on the Friday of a long weekend, it was an Ontario aggressive driving race course track. Yuck.

But it was all fine once we got to Grundy. It is a nice big park. And somehow we managed to get a reservation the day before for a nice site!

Although I was paranoid my truck was going to roll away so we propped some rocks in front of the tires!

And to top it off, our friend Mary joined us for the night!! Mary and I grew up together and went to Lakehead together. And all three of us did 4H together.

I haven’t seen Mary in person since my last summer living in Thunder Bay! And now she has sons in University! Time flies!

And she brought s’mores!!

We caught up around the fire for hours and then we all shared our big tent like we were girls again.

The next morning we walked to the lake and soaked up some sun. Sun! We got to put the tent away when it was DRY.

And that was it. The end of Cathy’s journey with me across the left side of our vast country.

I brought her back to her vehicle and dog at her friends’ house.

And off I went to my sister’s new house for a rest.

We did just shy of 9,000 km of adventuring! 17 nights in the tent. 8 nights under roofs.

And soon I get to turn around and drive all the way back.

But first, I’ll visit my family. Maybe rearrange the truck.

Good night!