Wawa, Ontario to Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Today started cool and rainy. Our first stop was Lake Superior Provincial Park, where we viewed our proposed trail from the car, as the rain continued. Then we drove on!

The rain cleared to a cool, gray day by the time we stopped at Sand River Trail alongside a cascading river and falls. The trail was rated, "easy", which meant that Jane and I slowly, carefully picked our way around rocks, roots, and mud up and up through a lovely forest. There were intermittent views of cascades along the way. A challenge for us, as usual, but we managed.

Our last hike of the day was Agawa Rocks Pictograph Trail, reported to be steep and difficult. We thought Jane and I would only go a little way, while Charlie went to the pictographs. That last part of the trail to the pictographs is onto a narrow, sloping rock shelf at the lake's edge. The pictographs are just above the shelf on the cliff wall. There are warning signs about how treacherous and dangerous that pictograph part is, so Jane and I knew we would not go that far. We did go partway (very slowly and carefully), while Charlie went to the water's edge. He went to the first pictograph, looked at the narrow sloping shelf up ahead, and decided he was done. It's hard to believe there are no rails but with varying lake levels, I imagine handrails are not possible. Our pics are only of the upper part of the trail and the rocky, challenging, descent and ascent through a narrow, steep gorge. No pics at the water's edge.

After a picnic lunch, we drove to Sault Ste. Marie. I was this many years old when I found out how to spell Sault Ste. Marie (Sault, not Sue, even though it is pronounced Sue or Soo). After checking into our hotel, we walked to the locks a block away and were mesmerized by the ships going through the locks and rising or falling with the changing water levels. So interesting!

We finished our day next to the locks at a seafood restaurant serving fresh Lake Superior fish. Yummy!Read more