The Great Lakes are BIG:  physically, economically, and historically.  They are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth, containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water.   For tens of thousands of years, the Lakes have been a source of life, supporting humans with food, clothing, income and shelter.  The desire to explore and exploit their natural resources has shaped political empires, built personal fortunes and inspired jaw-dropping engineering feats.  Wars have been fought over access to and control of the Lakes’ boundaries, while legendary storms have destroyed ships and sailors both.  So much to see, so much to learn – and we’re off with Carolina Tours to see the Great Lakes and sail them all.

Our first stop was Charleston WV, capital of the Mountaineer State.  Even the state capitol is decorated with the gold and blue colors of West Virginia University.  St. George Cathedral is another gold-domed edifice in the city; the Orthodox Christian faith was brought here is the 1890s by immigrants from Lebanon and Syria. 

 

Heading north, we made a short visit to Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle State Park, along the southern shore of Lake Erie.  Geologists believe that Presque Isle formed over 11,000 years ago; the forces of wind and water cause it to move eastward at the blinding speed of one-half mile per century.  The Tom Ridge Environmental Center is dedicated to teaching visitors about life in this unique place; in addition to its excellent exhibits, the center features a 75-foot glass lighthouse that doubles as an observation tower. 

 

Just up the road in New York State, we were surrounded by vineyards.  The shore of Lake Erie is lined with vineyards, all the way to Buffalo.  And just beyond Buffalo …

Niagara Falls, known around the world as one of nature’s wonders.  Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the state of New York. From largest to smallest, the three falls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. Horseshoe Falls lies on the border of the US and Canada, while the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are on the US side.  

 

Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls move more than six million cubic feet of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute.  That’s a lot of water, and no picture can really do justice to this impressive sight. 

Lake Ontario sits below the 380-foot escarpment that creates Niagara Falls.  Lake Ontario has a natural connection to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence River.  The lake is 193 miles long by 53 miles wide; its shoreline is 712 miles in length. 

Toronto is the capital of the province of Ontario; it is situated along Lake Ontario’s north-western shore.  With half of its population born outside the country, Toronto is said to be the most multicultural city in the world.  The city is home to 200 different ethnic groups, with over 140 languages spoken.

The CN Tower is the signature icon of Toronto’s skyline; it is an 1800-feet high concrete communications and observation tower located in downtown, near Lake Ontario.  It was built in 1976 by the Canadian National Railway company.  The CN Tower held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure from 1975–2007 and remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.  In 1995, the Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Harborfront Center is a waterfront park founded by the Canadian government, which faced mounting criticism from the City of Toronto due to the amount of money being spent for Montreal on Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics.  The government secured the land and the city and province committed to building Harborfront Center to help revitalize Toronto’s industrial harbor and increase tourism to the city.   Their plan seems to have worked rather well.

We got a closer look at Lake Ontario aboard the Kajama, a three-masted former cargo ship, now restored for cruising on the lake.  The 154-feet-long ship was built in Germany in 1930 and was purchased by a Danish sea captain who named the ship Kajama after his wife and sons:  Kaywe, Jan and Maria.   Until 1998 Kajama’s voyages took her all over Europe and Scandinavia, even above the Arctic Circle in Norway.  In 1999, the ship was purchased by Great Lakes Schooner Company and now operates exclusively on Lake Ontario. 

 

 

From Toronto, we headed west – above Lake Ontario, through the province of Ontario.  There were not many towns here, not even many houses.  Occasionally we saw an inuksuk, a man-made stone landmark or cairn used by the Inuit and other native peoples of Arctic North America.  They are common in areas with few natural landmarks.  The inuksuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for travel routes, fishing places, camps, hunting grounds, sacred places, or to mark a food cache. The ones we saw were probably just for decoration.

Our destination was Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, located on the St. Mary’s River Rapids flowing down from Lake Superior.  A mission was established here by French Jesuits in 1668, claiming the area for France.  Fur traders came soon after, making Sault Ste. Marie one of the oldest European settlements in Canada.  Our hotel offered easy access to the river walk, with nice views of the International Bridge and a beautiful sunset.

Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world.  Barriers such as the St. Mary’s Falls limited the movement of natural resources to commercial centers, but canals were built to connect Lake Superior with the other lakes downstream.  Lake Superior is 350 miles long by 160 miles wide; its shoreline is 2,726 miles.  Its surface area is 31,700 square miles, about the size of the state of South Carolina!

The St. Marys River drains Lake Superior, flowing 75 miles southeast into Lake Huron, with a fall of 23 feet.   For its entire length it is an international border, separating Michigan (USA) and Ontario (Canada).  The St. Mary’s Rapids are just below the river's exit from Lake Superior and can be bypassed only through the man-made Soo Locks and the Sault Ste. Marie Canal.  We boarded a ship at Dock #1 for the international tour of these man-made connections between Lakes Superior and Huron.

Heading first along the American side, the first point of interest was the Valley Camp, built in 1917; it is 550 feet long, 58 feet wide and could carry 11,000 tons of cargo.  This was the ship that inaugurated the second century of activity at the Soo Locks – 100 years to the day after the side-wheeler Illinois made the historic first passage.  It now serves as a maritime museum. 

The Tower of History (behind the U.S. Coast Guard Station) is an impressive 210-foot concrete observation tower.  The base of the tower contains an historical museum.  It was built as a memorial to the early French missionary-explorers, who arrived here over 300 years ago. 

This marine dry dock is used to lift boats out of the water for inspection and repairs.  The U.S. Coast Guard requires a hull inspection every five years for commercial vessels operating on the Great Lakes.  Water is allowed to enter through large valves to lower the dry dock, which is raised when the water is pumped out.  This dry dock can lift a vessel weighing up to 500 tons. 

The supply boat Ojibway delivers provisions to freighters as they leave the American Locks bound downstream.  The Ojibway is often referred to as the “supermarket of the St. Mary’s River.”  Freighters either fax or email their order to the warehouse about three days ahead of time; the order is assembled so it can be put on board as the freighter departs the locks.   

Four hydroelectric plants have been constructed along the St. Mary’s River; they convert the natural 21-foot drop of rushing water from Lake Superior into electric energy, through water-driven turbines connected to generators.  The biggest of the bunch is the Edison Sault Power Plant; it is the longest horizontal shaft power plant in the world, over one-quarter mile in length. The pylons on the side of the building are shaped like lighthouses; many of the stone masons who helped to build this plant were Italian immigrants known for their fine stone masonry work. The plant has 74 turbines that can produce some serious electric power!  

On the U.S. side of the border, the Soo Locks make up the world’s largest locking system, as well as one of the world’s busiest.  This is a National Historic Site and contains two of the longest locks in the world.  They can handle super-freighters that are 1,000 feet long and 105 feet wide.  The Soo Locks form the westernmost of the 16 water steps in the St. Lawrence Seaway, linking Lake Superior with the Atlantic Ocean some 2,000 miles away.  

 

On the Canadian side, the Sault Ste. Marie Canal is a National Historic Site and is part of the national park system, managed by Parks Canada. Until 1987, the canal was part of the shipping route from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior. It includes one lock to bypass the rapids on the St. Mary’s River; it passes under the International Bridge and the Canadian National Railway Bridge. 

The Algoma Steel Company is the second largest steel producer in Canada and a hard-to-miss sight along the canal.  It is the largest employer in Sault Ste. Marie, with 3,000 employees at the main plant. Algoma produces sheet and plate steel; its products are used in the automotive, construction, energy, manufacturing, pipe and tube, and steel distribution industries.

 

 

The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge spans the St. Mary’s River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  This 3-mile-long bridge is the tenth-busiest passenger crossing on the US-Canada border and the only land crossing for almost 700 miles. The bridge began construction in 1960 and opened to traffic in 1962.   It is a steel truss arch bridge with suspended deck and two separate spans.  The bridge crosses over the four U.S. Soo Locks and the single Canadian Lock.

Driving over the International Bridge, we were back in the USA just in time for lunch at the Antlers Bar and Restaurant.  This colorful local spot seems to be in a state of suspended animation.  There is a ton of junk hanging all over the place, much of it donated by local folks who don’t know what else to do with it.  It’s a pretty gruesome atmosphere, but the food wasn’t bad.

 

We crossed Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the foot of the Mackinac Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.  This bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac to connect the lower part of the state of Michigan to the Upper Peninsula.  

Lake Huron was the first of the Great Lakes to be discovered, but it has somehow escaped heavy industrial development.  Small fishing villages and ports dot the map around the lake, but much of the landscape is as it was 10,000 years ago when the last glaciers retreated.  Lake Huron is 260 miles long and 183 miles wide; its shoreline is 3,827 miles – including 30,000 islands.  Our next destination was Mackinac Island and the best way to get there is the scenic route - across the deep blue waters of the Straits of Mackinac.  Ferries shuttle residents and visitors back and forth between Mackinaw City and the island.  It's a quick trip - 16 minutes!

 

Mackinac Island is a but a wee bit of land in Lake Huron.  The island is only 2 miles wide and 3 miles long, but it holds great historic significance for the state of Michigan.  Mackinac Island was once the center of the American fur trade; the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark.  The Mackinac Island State Park covers 82% of the island, which today is a major summer retreat for families and adventurers of all types. 

Cars have been banned on the island since the late 1800s; to get around Mackinac, you have to travel by foot, bicycle or horse.  Appropriately enough, horse-drawn carriages awaited us at the ferry to carry us on a tour of the island. Our driver-guide was a full-time island resident who entertained us with tales of year-round Mackinac adventures.

 

Some of the sights around town ... the courthouse/police station, the livery stable, the grocery store, Astor trading post.

 



Perched above the town is Fort Mackinac, a former British and American military outpost from the late 18th century to the late 19th century.  It served as a home for soldiers and their families and eventually became the headquarters for the Mackinac National Park.  

 

Elsewhere around the island ....

Skull Cave is said to be the place where the English fur trader Alexander Henry hid out during the Indian uprising of 1763.  He claimed that the floor of the cave was covered with human bones, presumably Indian.

Arch Rock is a natural limestone arch formed during a period of high lake levels.  The Native Americans saw the arch as a place of great power and told many stories and legends about it.  



The Round Island Lighthouse, built in 1895, was manned by a crew of three until its beacon was replaced by an automatic light in 1924.  The nearby Round Island Passage Light was built in 1948, at which time the Round Island Light was taken out of service.  

 

Our tour ended at the Grand Hotel, sitting high on the green hillside, beckoning visitors to a bygone era of old world hospitality and charm.   The hotel, which was built in 1887, is the world’s largest summer hotel and boasts that it has the world’s longest front porch (660 feet).  Broad steps lead up to the endless porch, with planters filled with red geraniums.  Guests relax in the porch’s white rocking chairs and gaze down the steep hill planted with beautiful flowers to the broad green lawn below. 
 

 We enjoyed a huge lunch at the hotel and still had plenty of time to have a closer look at the summer cottages on the bluff near the hotel.  It’s amazing that most of these are used only a few weeks a year; also impressive to see the amount of work done to maintain beautiful gardens around the homes.  One of these beauties (the yellow one) was for sale – for a mere $5.5 Million.

 

 

 

After some time checking out the t-shirt shops and sample the island’s famous fudge, it was back across the lake to Mackinaw City to board the coach and head to Traverse City, Michigan, on the shore of Lake Michigan.

 

Lake Michigan is the most dangerous and deadly of the lakes; it is known as the Graveyard of the Great Lakes.  Of the estimated 8,000 shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, over one-third occurred in the deep waters of Lake Michigan.  It’s not surprising that the largest numbers of lighthouses on the Great Lakes are found here.  Lake Michigan is 307 miles long and 118 miles wide; its shoreline is 1,640 miles in length. 

Traverse City’s claim to fame is its annual National Cherry Festival – which took place the week before we arrived.  Fortunately, there still were plenty of cherries to be found – and eaten.  And more sights to see …

 

The historic Mission Point Lighthouse, built in 1870, is situated on the 45^th parallel, equidistant between the equator and the North Pole.  Locals say that this is what a lighthouse is supposed to look like – a house with a light on top!  Also on the grounds is the 1858 Hessler log home. 

 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a 35-mile strip of Lake Michigan’s western shoreline; it contains 71,000 acres of mountain-like dunes.  At 440 feet high, they are among the world’s largest. The park also includes two islands, North and South Manitou.  The name is derived from an Ojibway Indian legend that tells of a bear and her two cubs forced to swim across Lake Michigan to escape a forest fire. The mother bear reached the shore safely to the top of the dunes to await the cubs that never arrived. She still maintains her vigil in the form of a dark hill of sand atop a plateau, while the hapless cubs have become the North and South Manitou Islands.

The dunes are a product of glaciers nearly 11,000 years ago. They glaciers left a legacy of rock, sand and silt as they melted. Rugged bluffs rise as high as 480 feet above the lake. Among the dunes are ghost forests that were once covered by advancing dunes that then moved on.  Look closely to see the crazy people who went down the dune to the lake – and now have to walk/climb all the way back up.

From the Visitor Center, we traveled along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive – this is a 7-mile loop through beech-maple forests and sand dunes, with several spectacular views of Lake Michigan. Our first stops were at Glen Lakes Overlook and Dune Overlook.

  

Further along, we stopped at the Lake Michigan Overlook, which sits 450 feet above the lake and offers panoramic views in all directions.

 

Our final stop was the Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook – the Sleeping Bear Dune is now only about 100 feet high. It no longer looks much like a bear – it used to be a big round knob covered completely with shrubs, well over 230 feet high. Today, it's just a small green bump in the distance. It’s slowly but surely disappearing.

In late afternoon, we boarded the schooner Manitou for a relaxing and enjoyable evening sail on Lake Michigan.  The Tall Ship Manitou is a replica of an 1800’s “coasting” cargo schooner, similar to those that sailed the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.

Once the ship cleared the dock, guests were invited to help set Manitou's 3,000 square feet of sail, the engine was shut off, and the ship glided along under wind power alone.  There was no set route, no specific destination and no hurry as the wind  and the waves determined our course.  We could sit back and enjoy the view or listen to our singing sailor or give a hand with the lines or even take a turn at the wheel.  Our evening sail included a picnic meal and wine-tasting.  

 

Lake Erie was the last of the Great Lakes discovered by Europeans and it has been the most contested.  As the first lake about Niagara Falls, it was strategically important to controlling access to the rest of the Great Lakes.  Lake Erie was the site of many battles over the years.  Today’s battles center mostly on the lake’s environmental health,  with ongoing problems such as over-fishing, pollution, and algae blooms. The lake is 241 miles long and 51 miles wide; its shoreline is 871 miles in length. 

On the western shore of Lake Erie, near Toledo, is the National Museum of the Great Lakes.  Here the Great Lakes Historical Society has been preserving Great Lakes history since 1944.  The museum contains more than 500 historic photographs, 250 artifacts, 45 interactive exhibits, and the Col. James M. Schoonmaker – a 617-foot iron ore freighter built in 1911. 

At Port Clinton OH, we boarded the Jet Express Ferry to Put-in-Bay, located on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.  The village sits on a natural harbor and is known for great fishing, geological exploration, and history.  It has been one of Lake Erie’s most popular resort areas since the 1860s when Jose De Rivera established the islands grape growing and wine making business.

Rising high above Lake Erie, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is the most visible structure on the island.  The 352-foot granite column recognizes the Battle of Lake Erie (War of 1812) fought near the island.  Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory over the British was an important turning point for the Americans.  The site commemorates the lasting peace between nations once at war – the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada. 

 

The Village of Put-in-Bay is a blend of Victorian, early industrial, mid-century modern and nautically-themed buildings.  The downtown area is filled with shops, taverns, sports bars and restaurants.  The Beer Barrel Saloon claims to have the world's longest bar and the Guinness Book of World Records agrees with them …

 

Goal accomplished:  we traveled to and on all five Great Lakes.  Heading home, we stopped overnight in Florence, Indiana at the Belterra Hotel and Casino on the Ohio River.  Another fine trip with our friends at Carolina Tours!