Soo Locks! - Shipspotting in Marvelous Michigan

So, after reaching Tahquamenon Falls, I could not resist the temptation to go that extra hour or whatever it was - and get to Sault Sainte Marie.

Once in town, it wasn't hard to figure out where I wanted to go... waterfront... the locks!

Sadly, this was pretty much the only boat we saw here. Next time, we'll pay for the tour as that has to be the best way to experience Soo Locks.

@jamerussell - next time you wonder how long it takes to get from Soo Locks to... wherever... Now, you know!

To get to this observation platform, you have to pass a security check point. Not super high security, thankfully, just to make sure you don't have any sinister plans, I guess, being that this is the lynch pin on a very busy shipping route - on the US/Canada border, at that.

This is the smaller, MacArthur lock. Poe lock is the next one over - and the one that takes all the big ships... for now, anyway. They are building another large lock to help get ships through here faster.

First, looking east (downbound).

Then west. Lake Superior is 21 feet higher than Lake Huron, so the locks are necessary to enable ships to make the continued journey. Before the first lock was opened, cargo would have to be unloaded and moved to a waiting ship up or downstream.

This is an excellent video made by a high schooler who spent the summer on the 1000-footer, Stewart J Cort. Presented by Quarterdeck Media.

When you see how little space these ships have on either side of them, it's of little wonder that most lock-going ships end up with a case of "lock rash" from where they scrape on the sides of the lock.

It was disappointing and unusual to see the locks completely empty on my visit, but hopefully I will have better luck next time!

Photos taken by myself in July with my Nikon D7200. Video from YouTube where the views and credits remain with the original.

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