A ship waiting to go through the U.S. locks.

I meandered on over to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, (also known as the Soo) last week for a work conference. This town is at the opposite end of Lake Superior from my hometown of Duluth. It’s the site of the St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. The international boundary between the U.S. and Canada runs its length, and the river is also home to the locks that raise and lower cargo ships, allowing them to travel between the two Great Lakes.

I had the opportunity to see the locks on this trip from both the American and Canadian sides. The differences were startling. To approach the American locks by foot requires an inspection of one’s bags by Homeland Security. The locks are surrounded by impressive fencing and warning signs. I suppose this is the result of 9/11, and the security makes sense since I believe the American locks are larger and most of the valuable shipping traffic goes through them. The surrounding park is manicured and heavy industrial equipment lies at the ready atop the lock walls.

The Canadian locks run on the other side of the St. Marys River near Whitefish Island, which is a nature preserve in the river. Those locks are less developed and no security checks are required. The island they are part of is home to beavers, muskrats, and duckies, and trails abound for nature-loving humans.

I had a chance to walk around the island and take some photos. The neatest thing my co-worker and I saw was a muskrat swimming underwater. S/he was apparently building a nest under the boardwalk we were standing on, and we watched the brown torpedo-like animal swim back and forth several times, carrying aquatic grasses to its lair.

A beaver house near the Canadian locks.

Now I am home again. I am glad to be staying put. No more meandering for me for a while.

The Canadian locks.

A duck on the Canadian side. The water is very clear!