Going West 2013

Friday August 2

Travelling up Route 61 we were parallel to and often very close to the shore of Lake Superior, catching glimpses of the lake from time to time. Part of the trip is mostly flat wilderness. This gave way to hillier terrain and, in the middle of nowhere, a spa and resort. Apparently there is skiing nearby. Shortly before the border is the Grand Portage National Monument, close to the town of …..Portage on …..Grand Portage Bay, Lake Superior. Of course we stopped. The monument marks the spot where the Grand Portage – an 8 ½ mile long trail to the Pigeon River – began. This is the route people have used for thousands of years to connect the interior of Canada to the lake. The Pigeon River connects to the many lakes in interior Canada. The British North West Company established a summer fort and trading post at the site, and the National Park Service in conjunction with the Ojibwe Indians has also constructed a summer Indian village at the site. Voyageurs and Indians would traverse the portage to bring their pelts and other goods to the fort to trade for manufactured goods.

Shortly after the monument we cleared customs and were in Canada! The first hour or so we travelled through fields of corn and other crops. This relatively flat land gave way to rocky hills and pine forest. We’ve gotten used to finding a town every 30 miles or so, and this didn’t change except that the towns were 45 kilometers apart and we’re in the Eastern time zone (at the Canadian border). Eventually we arrived at Neys Provincial Park, our camping spot for the evening. I had reserved a spot online, back in, 50 feet long. What the computer and the person that checked us in didn’t tell us was that the site was down a winding logging road through the forest (ideal for a tent!). We wound our way along a muddy track with branches brushing both sides of the camper. We missed the main parts of the trees, anyway. When we found the site there was no way I could get in, so we continued around the “loop” back to the booth. They had another site available in another loop, but I couldn’t get into that either. By this time Mom was convinced we were going to get trapped in THE DEEP VOODS, so I got a refund. Across the main road was a general store/campground that wasn’t in Woodall’s directory, but it looked good to us. We’re in their overflow area (a field) with 15 amp electricity (fine with me) camped next to a couple from Mystic, Connecticut. By the way, we were checked in to this camp by a friend of the owner – the owner was out baiting bears. The Neys Lunch and Campground is also a Black Bear outfitter.

Lake Superior north shore in Minnesota

AAAHHHHH!

Indian summer camp at Grand Portage NM

Grand Portage trading post

The road we entered Minnesota on was too small to have a sign

Cool rocks

The Lake again

Lots of forest, not many towns or houses or anything

The road in Neys Provincial Park campground. This part is good, Mom spent most of the experience with her head out the window watching for branches and trees.

Saturday August 3

The trip from Neys to Sault Ste. Marie was a get from here to there drive. Sometimes we were on the shore of Lake Superior, sometimes inland, a lot of up and down over pine tree covered rocky hills. One of the rock cuts was fascinating – the “rock” had smooth river rock boulders included in it. The only interesting stop was an Ojibwe Indian trading post/tourist stop. There were some genuine handmade items among the commercial items. Crossing into the U.S. took about an hour in traffic, but our individual interview was quick and easy. No camper search, no probing questions. The crossing at Vancouver was more difficult.

Once in Sault Ste. Marie we found our campground, right on the St. Mary river below the Soo locks. All of the Lake freighter traffic passes right by the campground, less than 100 yards off shore. The boats themselves are up to 1000 feet long, so they look really big when they are that close. We went to the locks to watch ships lock through. We saw two that were about 750 feet long, later in the evening a 1000 footer passed the campground after dark. The city itself has a nice tourist area along the St. Mary river and locks. We ate at a seafood place by the lock and watched a ship being raised during dinner. Definitely a water oriented city.

At Neys Lunch, Campground, and Bear Outfitters

Lake Superior

Eastern shore of Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Bridge from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA. Don't let the speed sign fool you, we stopped dead in another 100 yards (oops, still in Canada - 90 meters)