Monday
Weather was warm, I think the high hit 90.
First, something I should have mentioned earlier. Algoma Steel has a plant on the Canadian side of the river, just west of the locks. I had thought Canada was "green", but after watching the smoke that pours out of that plant, day after day, I've changed my mind. Last night the air quality here reminded me of working at Gary Steel Works 50 years ago. There is no way a US steel making facility could get away with dumping so much garbage into the air.
We are still downsizing. Our first stop of the day was to drop off a couple of bags of stuff at a charity place. Then it was off to the Tower of History.
We didn't know what to expect and almost couldn't beleive the story behind this structure. Take a look at it and make a few guesses as to what you think it represents. (I was a structural engineer before retiring This is the kind of thing that makes me want to spit when I have to say the work architect.)
The tower was built in the late 60's, by the Catholic church next door, as a shrine to missionaries. It is supposed to remind you of Christ on the cross with the two thieves beside Him. WHAT!!!
Basically the cost was so high that it nearly bankrupted the church. In the 70's a Bishop went on a personal tour to raise money to help pay off the debt. In 1980 the church donated the structure to the Sault Historic Sites. (Part of my New Testament reading for today included Luke 14:28&29, how appropriate.)
Views from the Tower:
Van in the parking lot.
Looking east. The long building along the river is an old hydro electric plant.
The ship in the center of the photo is the Valley Camp.
The locks are behind the trees.
Then it was out to lunch. Yesterday a father and son walked by the front of our RV with a fishing rod. I asked them if they had caught anything. The father said no, but if they were going to eat fish again while they were up here they would have to catch it. I ordered a walleye basket and Kathy ordered a whitefish basket. Each had two pieces of fish so we each had a piece of both to east. The sides were fries and cole slow, we both had water to drink. A couple of pieces of fish and some fries cost of $43. I'm looking for a Long John Silvers the next time I want fish.
After lunch we went to the Valley Camp. If you happen to vacation in the Soo forget the Tower of History but make sure you tour the Valley Camp.
https://www.saulthistoricsites.com/museum-ship-valley-camp/
https://www.saulthistoricsites.com/museum-ship-valley-camp/valley-camp-history/
The Valley Camp is 550' long today their are 13 freighters on the Great Lakes are 1,000' long. In July 2019 the 1,000' long American Integrity carried 76,000 tons of iron ore as she passed through the locks, the current record.
From the bridge.
From the stern.
Inside looking back at the ramps that were installed to allow guest to get from level to level.
We have seen several of the cruise ships similar to the one in the photo below. They come up the river, dock at the Valley Camp, buses haul them around the Soo, then they go over to the Canadian side and dock and then go back downriver. I think this is part of a 12 day excursion from Chicago to Montreal. If I read the brochure correctly the cheap cabins are $6,000 per person, minimum two people per cabin. The top of the line cabins cost twice as much.
Tuesday
Not much happened today We went to Meier's for a few groceries, but other than that we stayed at the campground. I started cleaning and lubricating the seals around the slides, but only just barely got started on that project.
I visited with a guy who has a Tiffin Phaeton and who is parked across the road from us. His is a 2012 that they haven't had that long. They are from Kansas and they have also started full timing. They also have Montana plates on their vehicles. Kansas is another state with outlandish personl property tax rates, like Missouri. Their "towed vehicle" is an F150 with a trike in the bed. I will try to remember to get a photo of it tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment