Sault of the Earth

---

We woke up in Sault Ste. Marie and headed to the Mill St. Market which is situated next to St. Mary's River. Fresh produce, jewellery, pastries and maple sugar were being sold and we sampled cheeses, salsa and bacon jam. A lovely cross-dresser sashayed his way around the tables, proudly displaying his hairy chest above his full length skirt.

From there, we headed to Robertson Cliffs, about 40 minutes north, for a hike. We were being ambitious as the cliffs tower at 1,840 ft. GPS done us wrong once again and we ended up driving around in circles for half an hour looking for the trailhead. We decided to go to a nearby lodge to ask for directions. On the road leading in, we waved down a car to ask for help. The lady inside sounded like she was from Fargo. "Oh Jeez, I can sure help you", she said. "There's a wedding at the lodge today and all of the girls in the wedding party are getting their hair done there. One of those gals will know". We followed her down a gravel road to a small cabin on the property where she went in to ask for directions. We followed her in to see 8-10 young women, all dressed in short, red silk robes and nothing else, having their hair done. The air was filled with hairspray, perfume, and the hum of blow dryers. I think Tim hoped he had stumbled into a bad porno movie where he would be the lone male star. No such luck. When we asked for directions, they all answered at once. There was a cacophony of chatter, everyone talking over everyone else. We couldn't single out any one voice. Finally, the lady nearest us took charge. She raised her voice above the rest and gave us a clear set of directions. As we left, Tim looked back longingly, sad that his fantasy wasn't going to come true.

We were told that hiking the cliffs would be tough and they didn't disappoint. We wound our way up, up, up, through sugar maples and oaks, stopping regularly to rest. The view from the summit was spectacular. We looked down 1,840 ft on the canopy of deciduous trees which blanketed the hills. Lake Superior shimmered in the distance. We sat on the rock bluff and ate a well-deserved lunch. Then we weaved our way downhill, visiting a pretty little waterfall on the way down where we splashed cool water on our necks and faces.

From there we headed to Chippewa Falls which is the halfway point on the TransCanada Highway. The falls weren't as vigorous as usual due to drought-like conditions, but they were still picturesque, splashing happily over the pink granite.

We cleaned up after our hike, then headed to downtown Sault Ste. Marie to have our first real restaurant dinner since we left BC. We went to an Italian restaurant where the menu was right from the 70s, including escargot and Harvey Wallbangers. The food was good but the waitress was a solemn one. Efficient but very business-like. Maybe she was a nun on the side.

The pink granite showed up here too. There was a plethora of towering churches, all made of the stuff. That's using your local resources!

We finished off the evening by walking along the waterfront, which is on St. Mary's River. Sault Ste. Marie is so close to the US that you can see Michigan across the river. A 1,000 ft American lake freighter waited to go through the Soo Lock. Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes carrying materials such as limestone, iron ore, grain, coal or salt. One of the best known lakers was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in 1975. Tim's brother Terry helped to load coal onto it more than once.

Tomorrow we head for Ottawa.

(Scroll to bottom of page for more photos.)

---

Comments

[Roger]

Too Funny
Tim shoulda stuck with the crossdresser. Probably would have had a better chance. Why does Tim looked pooped at the top of the hill and you don't?

[Eileen and Tim Crossing Canada]

Hard work!
Tim says he was so tired from carrying me up the hill. Balderdash!