Crossing Border Driving From U.S.A. Into Ontario, Canada
Driving I-75 (Interstate 75) over the Sault Ste Marie International Bridge into Ontario, Canada to the Border Crossing
Return trip here:
Sault Ste. Marie (/ˈsuː seɪnt məˈriː/ Soo Saint Marie) is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada, close to the US-Canada border. It is the seat of the Algoma District and the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
To the south, across the river, is the United States and the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. These two communities were one city until a new treaty after the War of 1812 established the border between Canada and the United States in this area at the St. Mary's River. In the 21st century, the two cities are joined by the International Bridge, which connects Interstate 75 on the Michigan side, and Huron Street (and former Ontario Secondary Highway 550B) on the Ontario side. Shipping traffic in the Great Lakes system bypasses the Saint Mary's Rapids via the American Soo Locks, the world's busiest canal in terms of tonnage that passes through it, while smaller recreational and tour boats use the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie Canal.
French colonists referred to the rapids on the river as Les Saults de Ste. Marie and the village name was derived from that. The rapids and cascades of the St. Mary's River descend more than 20 feet from the level of Lake Superior to the level of the lower lakes. Hundreds of years ago, this slowed shipping traffic, requiring an overland portage of boats and cargo from one lake to the other. The entire name translates to Saint Mary's Rapids or Saint Mary's Falls. The word sault is pronounced [so] in French, and /ˈsuː/ in the English pronunciation of the city name. Residents of the city are called Saultites.
Sault Ste. Marie is bordered to the east by the Rankin and Garden River First Nation reserves, and to the west by Prince Township. To the north, the city is bordered by an unincorporated portion of Algoma District, which includes the local services boards of Aweres, Batchawana Bay, Goulais and District, Peace Tree and Searchmont. The city's census agglomeration, including the townships of Laird, Prince and Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional and the First Nations reserves of Garden River and Rankin, had a total population of 79,800 in 2011.
Native American settlements, mostly of Ojibwe-speaking peoples, existed here for more than 500 years. In the late 17th century, French Jesuit missionaries established a mission at the First Nations village. This was followed by development of a fur trading post and larger settlement, as traders, trappers and Native Americans were attracted to the community. It was considered one community and part of Canada until after the War of 1812 and settlement of the border between Canada and the US at the Ste. Mary's River. The US prohibited British traders from operating in its territory, and the areas separated by the river began to develop as two communities, both named Sault Ste. Marie
Route Map Here:
More Info Here:
#DrivingCanadaBorder
Robert Myrick Photography
Shot With GoPro Hero 4 Black Edition
Border Crossing Drive From Ontario Canada, Into U.S.A.
Driving I-75 (Interstate 75) over the Sault Ste Marie International Bridge from Ontario, Canada to the Border Crossing
Daytime Trip Into Canada here:
Sault Ste. Marie (/ˈsuː seɪnt məˈriː/ Soo Saint Marie) is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada, close to the US-Canada border. It is the seat of the Algoma District and the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
To the south, across the river, is the United States and the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. These two communities were one city until a new treaty after the War of 1812 established the border between Canada and the United States in this area at the St. Mary's River. In the 21st century, the two cities are joined by the International Bridge, which connects Interstate 75 on the Michigan side, and Huron Street (and former Ontario Secondary Highway 550B) on the Ontario side. Shipping traffic in the Great Lakes system bypasses the Saint Mary's Rapids via the American Soo Locks, the world's busiest canal in terms of tonnage that passes through it, while smaller recreational and tour boats use the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie Canal.
French colonists referred to the rapids on the river as Les Saults de Ste. Marie and the village name was derived from that. The rapids and cascades of the St. Mary's River descend more than 20 feet from the level of Lake Superior to the level of the lower lakes. Hundreds of years ago, this slowed shipping traffic, requiring an overland portage of boats and cargo from one lake to the other. The entire name translates to Saint Mary's Rapids or Saint Mary's Falls. The word sault is pronounced [so] in French, and /ˈsuː/ in the English pronunciation of the city name. Residents of the city are called Saultites.
Sault Ste. Marie is bordered to the east by the Rankin and Garden River First Nation reserves, and to the west by Prince Township. To the north, the city is bordered by an unincorporated portion of Algoma District, which includes the local services boards of Aweres, Batchawana Bay, Goulais and District, Peace Tree and Searchmont. The city's census agglomeration, including the townships of Laird, Prince and Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional and the First Nations reserves of Garden River and Rankin, had a total population of 79,800 in 2011.
Native American settlements, mostly of Ojibwe-speaking peoples, existed here for more than 500 years. In the late 17th century, French Jesuit missionaries established a mission at the First Nations village. This was followed by development of a fur trading post and larger settlement, as traders, trappers and Native Americans were attracted to the community. It was considered one community and part of Canada until after the War of 1812 and settlement of the border between Canada and the US at the Ste. Mary's River. The US prohibited British traders from operating in its territory, and the areas separated by the river began to develop as two communities, both named Sault Ste. Marie
Route Map Here:
More Info Here:
Robert Myrick Photography
Shot With GoPro Hero 4 Black Edition
Guided Fly Fishing in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
For just a few hours or a full day outing, this region has some of the most knowledgeable fishing experts in their field. Whether you are fishing for brook trout or salmon in streams and rivers, or for a monster northern pike on a big lake, your fishing guide will go that extra mile to ensure you make that catch.
The services that Algoma charter fishing companies offer are a wide range of experiences and a range of fish species to suit any type of angler.
For more information visit:
To Hearst and back on the Algoma Central Railway
We start our trip in Sault Ste. Marie, where we take a look at CN Train 631, the Algoma Central Railway train to Hearst. This train, for all intents and purposes, is not a tourist train. People take this train to go between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, as well as points between to hunting camps and the Chapleau Game Reserve. This is train is essentially the lifeline to Northern Ontario. A lot of the places this train serves are far from any roadways, and are otherwise isolated. The train has come into some rough times lately, as CN has already made plans to stop running the train under their company, as they want to focus solely on freight. The train was supposed to have ended last year, but was given a brief reprieve, and is financially assisted by the Government of Canada. However, if something isn't done soon, the train might stop running as early as the end of March of 2015. That being said, let's get to the videos. In the first scene, we start in the yard in Sault Ste. Marie, where we walk along the entire train, which consists of a former Amtrak F40PH in the Agawa Canyon Train color scheme, a baggage car, two coaches, and a generator car. At the 8:20 mark, we're under way and going over some grade crossings just outside of Sault Ste. Marie. At the 18:00 mark, we cross the high bridge over the Goulais River. At the 18:45 mark, we cross the Montreal Falls on the Montreal River, before coming to a stop just across the bridge to pick up a couple of hikers at the flag stop called Awana. At the 22:45 mark, we get to one one of the jewels of the line; the Agawa Canyon and the multiple waterfalls that flow into the Agawa River. The first waterfall is the bridal veil falls, while the other noteworthy one is the pair of waterfalls called the twin beaver tails. At the 26:20 mark, we pass the Agawa Canyon Train, which is preparing to depart back to Sault Ste. Marie. That train departs about an hour and a half prior to ours, travels the 114 miles up to the canyon, lets the tourists off to walk around the park up there, and then departs about 2 hours later to come back. That is a day trip, and it's a splendid one at that. However, we continue past the canyon. The Canyon Train consists of F40PH's 104 and 105, both ex-Amtrak. They're pulling a diner car, and 7 coaches. At the 31:00 mark, we have come to one of the few stops where a station actually exists; Hawk Junction. Here, we see CN Train 573, the local freight out of Sault Ste. Marie, as it drills the small yard in Hawk Junction. They came north before we did, but will end up following us up the rest of the way to Hearst. 573 consists of SD60F 5544 and C44-9W 2692. C40-8W 2178, originally of the Santa Fe, will remain in the yard to be used as a drill engine. Once the paperwork is done, we get back on the train and continue north. At the 33:15 mark, we get to hear one of the handful of CN defect detectors on the line, this one being at MP180.6, which is between the flag stop at Goudreau, and the timed stop at Dubreuilville (we didn't stop at either place heading north). The detector gives a good read out, and we continue on our way. At the 33:42 mark, our train gets track clearance between MP246 on the Soo Sub in Oba to MP294 at Wyborn, which is about a mile and a half outside of Hearst, which is MP296. Outside of two or three signals, one for crossing the diamond with CP at Franz, and one for crossing the CN at Oba, the line to Hearst is single track with passing sidings, and is a completely dark/paper route with clearance paper being the only thing giving permission on the tracks, one section at a time. At the 35:25 mark, we cross the CN main at the location known as Oba. Oba used to have a small town there, but it's been reduced to nothing more than a small yard and a couple of ramshackle buildings. Parked in the yard, we see a bunch of MOW equipment, as well as some camp cars, with the MOW workers inhabiting them, as they are doing some track work along the line we are crossing. At the 37:27 mark, we see Ontario Northland GP40-2 2202 as it drills the yard in Hearst. At this point, we are getting ready to depart back for Sault Ste. Marie as Train 632. While we watch the cars get drilled, notice the power from Train 573 from the day before, the SD60F 5544 and the C44-9W 2692 as they sit in the yard. In the last scene at 38:40, we see a bit of fun action at Hawk Junction, where we watch a hunter take his ATV off the baggage car with the help of a portable ramp which is stored on the car. Three different people then drive their dirt bikes onto the train. That's the way of life in Northern Ontario. If the train doesn't get saved, a lot of people will not be able to reach civilization. If you have any questions about the video, feel free to message me. Comments are welcome. The videos were taken on October 13th and October 14th, 2014.
Wawa Motor Inn - Wawa, Ontario
The Wawa Motor Inn features 70 motel units & 18 rustic housekeeping chalets. The Fireside Dining Room & Lounge showcase the largest fireplace in the North! Complimentary in-room coffee, cable television, & high-speed wireless Internet. Located within walking distance of many local attractions including the famous Wawa Goose!
For more information visit:
McCauleys Motel - Fly Fishing in Haviland Bay Ontario
The New Fly Fisher television show heads to Misty Mountain Fly Shop / McCauley’s Motel in Algoma for Smallmouth Bass with Bill Spicer and fishing guide Walter Agawa.
For more information visit:
Lake Superior People #35: Betsy Lewis, June 17
Mike chats with Betsy Lewis, a local artist living near Muskallonge Lake, Michigan, who is connected to Lake Superior in many ways. (Note: this clip is published later than the trek order.)
A Vagabond Journey - Part 1
Juan-Pierre and I decided to give up corporate life, sell everything we owned and travel for as long as we could through Canada (and other countries) without working for money. We bought a van that we had to give up after we crashed it, then used our thumbs to get from A to B.
We started in Vancouver, and this video depicts the first part of our journey, which covered Bowen Island, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.
Our adventures were endless, and before deciding to take this trip, I'm not sure we had ever really lived. The biggest lesson we learned was that the universe always conspires to support us, so long as we TRUST. The biggest surprise for us both was also that the emphasis on exploring new territories and places changed to being about the people. It was the people that made our journey so special and without them, the things that we saw would have meant nothing.
We had people give us money, without us even asking. We were picked up and taken in by people - from hippies to doctors - who fed us and looked after us for as long as we wished. We were never without a bed or food, especially on our journey around Vancouver Island.
Even after crashing the van, we spent a few days sleeping in it in the junk yard!
Other places we slept:
- invited to camp behind a pub outside of Nanaimo after the pub shut
- taken home from a pub by a local at Port McNeill, and put up for the night with food and fun
- picked up hitch hiking and taken home by a rich doctor whom we stayed with for three days at Courtney - he fed us and even gave us $200 as we were leaving, for helping him move some wood
- picked up hitch hiking on Hornby Island by hippies who took us home, served us croissants and coffee (and other things!) and invited us to stay for a week or so
- slept in a junk yard for three days after crashing the van (the inside was still liveable!)
- received dinner, a private room, bear tour and lift to the ferry the next morning by a hostel in Port Hardy in exchange for working on their website, and other e-marketing activities
We also tried out wwoofing, which is a great way to see a place without spending a cent. For those who don't know, it involves volunteering for a few hours per day in exchange for food and a bed. Brilliant! wwoof.org.
We hope you enjoy this first part of the journey which took us from Vancouver city to Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Stay tuned for Part 2!
Lake Superior People #16 Michelle Halley June 6
Kate talks with attorney Michelle Halley of the National Wildlife Federation about current environmental issues and recreational opportunities on Lake Superior.
Video of Sheridan/Big Horn Mountains KOA, WY from Kari T.
Checking out the 1, 2, and 3-pulse settings (takes at least 10 seconds to set the first).
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Kari T.'s Review on The Dyrt:
▶︎ LedLenser MH10 Headlamp at Sheridan/Big Horn Mtns KOA
Campground Review: The Sheridan/Big Horn Mountains KOA in Sheridan, Wyoming, is a clean, well-kept establishment. Whether you are an RVer or a tent camper, there is plenty of space for you to enjoy this campground. We stayed on a rainy/snowy weekend in September in our 17-foot RV and found that even though we had neighbors, there was plenty of room to move, and we heard little outside noise at night.
Just off the highway, this campground is conveniently located close to both historic downtown Sheridan and the remote Bighorn Mountains. There are about 60 RV sites, 25 tent sites, and 10 cabins. Each tent site has its own covered picnic shelter, which we thought looked unique. We had to eat inside our RV due to the rain all weekend, and were a bit envious of the tent campers being able to eat outside - one of our favorite camping activities - without getting wet! The campground sits along the Big Goose Creek, where campers can fish (mostly for carp).
There is an outdoor swimming pool and spa, which we missed out on by two days when the weather decided to dip below freezing, but it was a nice size and located next to the main building, along with showers, laundry, and a small store. The host is very nice and knowledgeable about the area’s activities. There is also a small, somewhat dated, playground at the entrance to the campground, and a cute mini-golf course near the office. Unfortunately, due to the weather over our stay, we did not get to test out either one! For those that like to stay online while camping, the Wi-Fi was tested decent for web browsing, but leave the YouTube devices at home.
Product Review: The LedLenser MH10 Headlamp was a perfect choice to bring along for our camping trip to the Sheridan/Big Horn Mountains KOA. Since it rained/snowed for our entire weekend in Wyoming, this 600-lumen headlamp was able to cut the drear and allow us to walk safely around the whole campground at night. Even with a wool winter hat on, this headlamp fit lightly and ...
Sheridan/Big Horn Mountains KOA:
Camping in Wyoming:
The Dyrt: A better way to search for campgrounds: