Locking Onto The Great Lakes

On our tour of Upper Michigan last year, my friend Tom and I visited the “Soo locks” in Sault Ste. Marie. They were built to bypass the waterfall in the St. Marys River and lift or lower boats from Lake Superior to Lake Huron or vice versa.

We arrived in the evening near sunset, and there was no traffic in any of the four parallel locks that make up the complex. The only boat that went through the locks while we were there was a small work vessel about the size of a tugboat. It traversed the lock from east to west.

We were able to watch and photograph the entire process of lock operation from a glass enclosed viewing tower that looked like an elevated train station. It was good that it was enclosed because there was a good breeze blowing and it wasn’t very warm despite the late June date. Neither of us had a video camera, so we only took still digital pictures.
The small boat approaches the MacArthur Lock, the farthest south of the four parallel locks. This is the approach from Lake Huron to the east.
The lower gates open to admit the boat into the lock.
The boat is in the lock and the lock is flooding to raise it to the next level.After about 10-12 minutes, the boat proceeds out of the lock to the St Marys River and eventually to Lake Superior.

If you ever are anywhere near Sault Ste. Marie during the shipping months when the locks are open, you must visit the Soo Locks and watch a huge lake freighter go through. It is one of the best free attractions you can visit in Upper Michigan.

If you want even more fun, book one of the cruises that transit the lock. Those are not free, and rates vary depending on the time of day, type of cruise and age of passenger. No passport is required for any of the cruises.

Note: I am not promoting the cruise, nor do I receive any commission for recommending it. In fact, I didn’t take a cruise due to time constraints, but I wish I had done so, since it does look very enticing. If you want more information, go to the cruise website:
http://www.soolocks.com/index.phtml

Now, the real focus of this column is not the Soo Locks, but rather another set of locks in a canal further east on the Great Lakes. The Welland Canal runs north and south between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It is entirely in Canada (passport is needed if you are not a citizen) and it has 8 locks that lift or lower boats over the Niagara Escarpment. Guess which waterfall it bypasses. (Niagara, of course)

I won’t give you all the details of the Welland Canal, but if you care to pursue some of the facts, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welland_Canal or any of several other websites about this important waterway that bypassed the Erie Canal and just about put Buffalo off the map, while making Toronto the major city it is today.

I was born near Buffalo and aside from my tour in the Air Force, spent the first 38 years of my life there, yet never once visited the Welland Canal. How unfortunate for me that I missed this manmade wonder. Of course, there are no boat tours there like there are up in Michigan.

Last week I received an email from a friend in Buffalo that contained a YouTube video of a lake freighter ship going through the Welland Canal from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It was taken in time-lapse photography, and a good thing it was, because it takes about eleven hours to complete the transit, as you’ll see. If this is the closest you ever get to go through the locks on either the Welland Canal or the Soo locks, it is still an amazing journey that you can take in less than ten minutes.

Enjoy the ride!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U15Fwo9tbJ4&feature=youtube_gdata_player