Sault Ste. Marie

We traveled north to Sault Ste Marie where Lake Superior and Lake Huron meet. The Soo Locks allow freighters, barges, and tugboats traverse the 21-foot drop between Lake Superior and Lake Huron every day. We were lucky enough to watch a huge freighter pass by from the viewing stands. An average of 10,000 vessels go through the locks every year. The lock system is run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and they are the busiest in the world, and include the largest lock in the Western Hemisphere, completed in 1968.

The viewing stands:

A small tour boat came through first. It looks so tiny in this huge lock!

The freighter is slowly pulling into the lock to head from Lake Superior down to Lake Huron.

Leelanau Penninsula

We spent a couple days in Traverse City and toured the Leelanau Penninsula which is known for it's wineries. Over the course of 2 days we hit most of the wineries and discovered some lovely little harbor towns.

One of our first stops - I took this picture in the mirror behind the bar!

And here we are in a few other of our favorites:

What to do with all the wine corks, you ask! The wall in the rest room at one of the wineries was covered with corks!

One of the wineries had their grapes covered with cheesecloth to protect them. I'd never seen this before.

Leland, Michigan - Fishtown

Leland is a picturesque little village located on a sliver of land between Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau, on the Leelanau Peninsula. Leland is a great "walking around" town. All of the shops, restaurants, galleries, and museums are located within a short distance. There is easy access to public beaches, boat launches on each lake, and a river connecting the two. Leland's historical district, known as Fishtown, features rustic shanties and docks reminiscent of life and commercial fishing one hundred years ago. We spent a morning wandering around the town and shops. We came upon some great end of season sales and we all picked up yellow slickers at 1/2 off which came in very handy later in the trip! We visited the Traverse City Vodka tasting room and sampled some chocolate and cherry vodka!

Silver Lake Dune Ride

What an amazing place Silver Lake is. We enjoyed a 7 mile dune ride lasting about 40 minutes. We had a great driver who told us loads of funny stories and really made the trip a blast. He explained the history and environment of the constantly changing sand mountains. It was a thrilling experience to climb to the summit and see so much sand and water in all directions. It was breathtaking! We rode down the sweeps into the valleys, drove past sparkling Silver Lake, and visited Lake Michigan's lovely beach!

Holland, Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan

Holland, Michigan has its roots in the most solemn aspects of Dutch culture. Much of the religious conviction remains, as does the traditional Dutch architecture, and ambiance. The Big Red Lighthouse is Michigan's most photographed lighthouse and while most people take pictures from across the harbor in Holland State Park, we managed to get right up close to it. The point area was closed off by a gatehouse and gate to all but residents of the area. I asked a couple of ladies out for a walk how to get to the lighthouse and they told us it was private property but that if we wanted to walk down and see it, they would let us in! They were so nice about opening the gate so we could park inside and gave us directions how to find the lighthouse. After a pleasant walk through the neighborhood we came upon the lighthouse and a beautiful private beach.

At the DeKlomp Wooden Shoe & Delft Factory you can talk with the artists as they mold, hand-paint, and glaze the only authentic blue and white delftware made in the U.S, or watch the wooden shoe carving on machines that were imported from the Netherlands!

Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan are harbor villages that attract so many artists, the area is known as “The Art Coast of Michigan”! In Saugatuck, we strolled along the boardwalk admiring the boats and explored the dockside shops. There was a Victorian hand-cranked ferry, an old-fashioned sternwheeler, and WWII amphibious "Duck" vehicle which we tried to ride to tour the area but it turned out the guy who drives it only shows up when he feels like it! Just across the river, Douglas is home to the SS Keewatin, a Titanic-era steamship, now a museum. Douglas is also home to the area's first microbrewery where we enjoyed a sampling of brews and a few games of darts!

Niagra Falls

We spent 3 days/2 nights on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls. We opted for a tour package so we could see the Falls from every possible angle and we did! Under the Falls, behind the Falls, over the Falls, and in the Falls! Our first tour was down an elevator into the earth and out a number of tunnels to see behind the falls, we then took a boat trip on the "Maid of the Mist" to the point right under the Falls and yes we all got soaked despite wearing the blue raincoats we had been issued! We then viewed the Falls from above in a viewing tower. I can safely say I did not miss a single angle. Checked that off the ole bucket list!

We explored the town in the evening and tried a couple restaurants but we found everything to be very expensive. The Canadian dollar has overtaken the US dollar so that was a hard pill to swallow!