Sault Ste Marie

After our stopover in Sandusky for Cedar Point we were back on the road. Target: Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, to start the Canada portion of the trip. We said goodbye to Edison, Evelyn, Erin, Michael, and Sarah, and got going. Our route would take us up through Michigan for most of the day, with the destination being just over the border.

Speaking of the border, we had a minor panic just before leaving on the trip. When we got the boys' passports, we saw that they had expired earlier this year. We freaked out a bit before reading up and learning that minors can enter Canada from the US with a birth certificate. So we made sure to bring birth certificates.

The drive up through Michigan was uneventful. We stopped in Mackinaw City for our "linner." Liz had identified a Jamaican food place that sounded interesting. We all found vegetarian options and ordered. But despite asking for "mild," the food was still very spicy. Liz's was fine, but the rest of us were sniffling and sweating! After lunch we walked around the town a bit to stretch our legs. It was very picturesque, but there was a plague of what I assume were mayflies: thousands of small, black, flying bugs that were everywhere.

We drove over the Mackinac Bridge and across a bit of the Upper Peninsula before crossing the border into Canada. We had no trouble with the passports or birth certificates. I'm sure the fact that both parents were present made it easier.

We stayed at a Quality Inn & Suites in Sault Ste Marie, which we found to be rather drab and depressing. As a matter of fact, we found the whole town to be something of a downer. I'm not sure if it's always been this way or if the economy has shifted, but it was not exactly bustling.

I thought a Soo Greyhounds jersey would be a cool souvenir, but apparently the only place to buy them is the team store at the arena, and that was closed by the time we got into town. C'est la vie.Read more