The #1 TripAdvisor recommendation of things to do in Sault Ste. Marie is the Bushpilot Museum. I love this place, although it has changed with more emphasis on fighting fires, which is no doubt a huge issue today.
The museum as we saw it 12 years ago, focused on individuals exploring Canada after the invention of flight. Up until then, exploration was done by canoe. That requires a level of toughness I can barely comprehend, especially in winter. When flight entered the picture, things may have gotten physically easier, but brought increased requirements of navigation and survival. Like the wild west, it took a certain breed to want to tackle immense challenges. No one is coming to get you should something go wrong.
At the entrance is a camp set up to resemble maybe a 1940’s to 1950’s fire fighting campsite. Just a basic camp was a load to carry in a small plane, and this was a well-equipped camp with a big canvas tent, axes, saws, etc. Most would have gone to hunt, fish and explore. Imagine the game in those days!
Today the focus is on fire-fighting, which has its own requirements for bravery, flying and fire-fighting skills. A good movie puts you right in the middle of the fight with all the modern communication and fire-fighting planes. Just the skills required to scoop up water from a lake, and then dump it on just the right spot, and you have to be accurate. They call it precision bombing.
The museum has many more planes than were there 12 years ago. In those days it was run more like a club. Volunteers who loved flying, history and the exploration of Canada, worked on and restored all the planes. They bragged that every one of them flies, and they were anxious to show you around. I was disappointed not to see any of those men today, but it is still the #1 thing to do in Sault Ste. Marie. You will know where it is when you drive down the street and look up to see what looks like an old plane about to land in the street.
First flight in Canada
Movie theater
Canoes made in sections so they could be carried on plane
After four days of driving, we wanted to get out and walk. #2 on the things to do in Sault Ste Marie is the Boardwalk along St. Mary’s River that connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. It is a busy area for Great Lakes shipping both with loading and unloading as well as locks to move ships between these lakes.
The boardwalk is planted with beautiful flowers. Bikers, walkers and runners passed us on our walk. Passing a hydro-electric plant, we came to the locks where Kelly and I had observed people steelhead fishing. Whitefish Island has been a productive fishing area for many generations. Indian tribes came here every summer for the whitefish, netting and trapping them.
Following the trail down to the river, chipmunks came out to greet us. A rabbit hardly looked up as we walked by. Birds flitted between bushes. A creek runs through the middle of the island, but locks and hydro-electric facilities have all but drained the flow. That didn’t stop beavers from making four dams.
Surprisingly, the river was flowing strong, much more than our last visit. There are so many fires in Canada in very dry conditions, I thought water levels would be low. I love this spot!
Not far from the KOA is a unique lunch and takeout place called The Soup Witch with fresh-squeezed lemonade, espresso, sandwiches, chili, pies and more.
Having a little history, I don’t like border crossings. With another day of travel, we drove through Traverse City, recalling our previous visits to this city. It was a 4-hour drive pulling the Airstream, and not a bad one. There was very little traffic along I75 to the Mackinaw bridge across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, better known as “The UP.” Traffic did get backed up to pay the bridge toll. Martha pulled out a credit card, saying it would be faster than cash. I questioned if they would take it, but she was right. EZ Pass would have been a LOT more efficient.
Anticipation grew as we drove toward the next bridge. The land was wide open with a few farms. It looked like moose country, but with 92 degree heat, any moose would be sleeping in the shade. We paid the $8 fee for truck and trailer and crossed the St. Mary’s River. Below were all kinds of locks to transport ships between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. There is a good view of Saint Mary’s Rapids where people fish for steelhead.
Only a few cars were lined up to go through customs in Canada. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. The agent asked if I knew where my license tag was from as he examined our passports. “Are you carrying any guns? Where are you going? How long will you be here? Have a good time.” I smiled, thanked him and drove on.
The roads were rough, buildings run down or abandoned and businesses closed, not a good sign for a major entrance into Canada. We drove north of town to the Sault Ste. Marie KOA, where Kelly and I stayed 12 years ago on our Fish Across Canada trip. Bill and Joan still run the place, although a couple of young adults greeted us, one guiding us to our sight. The campground has grown a lot since our last visit, but they have all the amenities – showers, laundry, swimming pool, trailer wash, air station, putt-putt and more….and they charge appropriately.
We got a shower before a thunderstorm came through. Although there is cable TV, we couldn’t find anything worth watching, so we were off to bed early.
We set out to explore Lake Superior, some parts of which Kelly and I saw on our “Fish Across Canada” trip in 2013. It was so foggy on that trip, we couldn’t see 20 yards in front of us. The old days of traveling without reservations are gone, so I have booked campgrounds all along the route for a 7-week trip. Hundreds of fires are burning in Canada, including Newfoundland. We thought about cancelling, but decided to go. We could always turn around at any point.
We set out on I64 to 35N to Columbus, Ohio, parking next to Ed and Debbie McGlumphy’s home. Ed gave us a tour of his Clear Choice office, which is an amazing business utilizing the latest technology and teamwork to provide teeth for those who are losing their own. With two prosthodontists, a surgeon, two laboratory technicians and an excellent staff, they are able to remove diseased teeth, place implants and restorations all in the same day.
We had a nice visit and dinner at the McGlumphy home. Kellye and Nick, Nancy and Medic came over to join us. We walked down the street to see Kellye and Nick’s new home. Of course they were very excited and have lots of projects they are working on. Upper Arlington is a great neighborhood with a nice park and good schools. It’s hard to beat.
Debbie got up at 4:30 to go workout before a day of teaching at the dental school. Ed was off to work before 7. By 7:30, we were off to Michigan. I didn’t want to drive I75 and 23 around Detroit, but next time I will. It was only an hour longer to go 35 to Fort Wayne, over to 131 to Grand Rapids and Cadillac. I think we pushed some setting on the GPS that led us to the most convoluted route possible, zig-zagging around construction sites, backroads, 1,000 turns, which at one time led to a low hanging bridge of 9’10”. Fortunately I didn’t make that mistake again, but it took a lot of work to get back on track. What should have been a fairly easy drive turned into a grueling day.
We stayed at Camp Cadillac Campground, which was pretty full. We didn’t want to cook, so we went to Lakeside Charlie’s for dinner. Cadillac is an interesting town that is built around lovely Cadillac Lake.
After a good night’s sleep, we went to the Farmer’s Market, which is pretty unusual for a Friday. We walked through a pretty, little park and out to a pier into the lake with black ducks swimming all around. It is a very pretty lake with clear water. We walked back to the park, crossing railroad tracks that appeared to still be in use. The train station, however, has been converted to a restaurant called After 26 Depot. We peeked inside to see a nice, busy restaurant, especially for a Friday morning. Outside, two vendors engaged us with easy conversation. The nice lady told us about the restaurant, saying it was very good. It was started “by our organization” to employ learning disability adults (after 26 years old).
Across the street the farmer’s market is in a covered, open air pavilion. It was just the right size really. There were great-looking fruits and vegetables, and lots of corn, but we weren’t sure of the restrictions for crossing into Canada. As it turns out, there are fewer restrictions now. Martha loves a farmer’s market and made the circuit once before making her final choices.
Returning to camp, we hooked up and headed north to Leland, Michigan to visit David and Beth Sutton. We checked into Wild Cherry Resort Campground. Resort usually translates to a more upscale campground with amenities like swimming pool or golf course or on the water. This one has generous sites with pretty surroundings and a lake in the middle. There are no showers or bathroom facilities. The owner greeted us, and when asked, he said, “I didn’t want to clean bathrooms.” Can’t blame him for that.
Camp Cadillac
Fishing pond
Martha took a nice nap before we drove over to the Sutton’s. The whole family enjoys Leland, so it makes a great family gathering with three grown children and 7 very cute grandchildren. We toured the work they are doing on the big house and “Granny house”, then walked over the beach on Lake Michigan. On a very hot day, they were all enjoying the water. Max, their handsome yellow lab, swam around splashing water with his paws, then catching it in the air. Later he followed a lady throwing a ball for her labradoodle. David had to go retrieve him.
We walked over to Gordon’s house and waited for him to return with his new pontoon boat. He told us about their success fishing for smallmouth yesterday with a few pictures to prove it. Gordon got off at a restaurant to meet the family and David took over for a tour of Lake Leelanau. Beth and her family have been coming here since she was a kid, so hearing her stories, along with the history of the town were very interesting. As she said, people came here for the fishing, and for cooler summer temperatures.
Slowly, we went through “The Narrows” and a marsh where swans were nesting. The lake is shaped like an hourglass with a bridge crossing at the narrowest part. Our campground was just east across the bridge. After a bit of searching on a busy Friday evening, we found a place to park, and walked up the hill to a restaurant called Dick’s Pour House. With Max joining us, we were fortunate to find a table outside. Two entertaining ladies waited our table. While she told us stories of her dogs and their troubles, I examined her tattoos and teeth.
Beth ordered Walleye and Martha and I follow her lead. David also ordered a plate of smelt, which you don’t often find. A sardine-sized fish, they were good. The Walleye was very good and a generous portion. A beautiful, full moon rose as we started back up the lake. How David found his way back home, I don’t know. There are no headlights on the boat, so we traveled slowly, looking for channel markers. After docking, we tried to scare Lucy through the window as she read a book, but she just waved us off. We thanked David and Beth for their hospitality and found our way back to camp.
