SOO LOCKS ENGINEERS DAY EXPEDITION!

 Picture yourself as a member of the Corps of Engineers, participating in Engineers Day, at  SOO LOCKS, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan!   I first heard of Engineers Day when I contacted the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Visitor's Bureau (www.saultstemarie.com), for information about the annual International Bridge Day Walk.  Their staff member advised me to secure lodging well in advance of the event, because it was also the weekend of Engineers Day.  I have family members that are electrical engineers, chemical engineers, and mechanical engineers, so that is what came to mind at the time.  It was not until months later, after reading through the material that the Visitors Bureau mailed me, that I realized their Engineers Day refers to the CORPS OF ENGINEERS (www.usace.army.mil), that manages the Soo Locks, in Sault Ste. Marie.  Even though I live among four separate lakes managed by the Corps of Engineers, locals here just use the phrase, "The Corps", and very seldom include the word, "engineers".   But isn't this one reason we travel--to broaden our horizons and vocabulary!   There were photo boards set up on the day of the event, so we could picture ourself as an engineer, doing marine work off the bow of a ship, and wearing a yellow hard hat.  They were even giving pretend,  "plastic" hard hats, and Helen is shown wearing one of the souvenir hard hats.    

On Engineers Day, the city street adjacent to the Soo Locks (West Portage Avenue), is closed to vehicle traffic, between Ferris Street and Osborn Blvd.  This turns the street into a avenue for vendors, community organizations, and various agencies, to have displays with information and give aways.  The photo shows that the street vendors are wheel-chair accessible.  

One very helpful items that a local skin care salon had provided, was a dispenser providing free sunscreen.  I have been to other events that were giving away sunscreen, but it was always in little plastic tubes.  The advantage of the bulk dispenser is it reduces the amount of discarded plastic,  going into landfills.  

One of the displays set up by a medical provider, included a life-size human skeleton!

Another booth, staffed by members of the Christian Motorcycle Association (www.cmausa.org), was giving out physical water, as well as Scripture tracts telling about the "Living Water".  I first became aware of this organization, when my husband and I rode our Harley-Davidson Motorcycle to the big biker event held every August, in Sturgis, South Dakota.  Since then, I see their logo often, because its headquarters are in Hatfield, Arkansas!

A local church was also there to greet visitors, and provide assistance as needed.

Just outside the high metal security fencing surrounding the locks, was a different kind of "fencing" .  There were two guys in full fencing gear, and fencing swords, giving a demonstration.  They stopped long enough to let me hold one of their swords, and get my photo made with them!

To get beyond the actual security fence, we had to go through a security check point.  I was told the small Northface backpack I was carrying was not allowed, and some of my companions were also carrying inappropriate bags.  So one person in our group gathered up the "contraband", and made a quick trip back to stow it in the car that was parked a few blocks away.  I later read on the information sheet about the event, only clear bags were allowed, and no diaper bags.  Also, only strapless wallets, with a maximum of 4.5" x 6.5".   Since the Soo Locks are such a vital "choke point" in the movement of freight through the Great Lakes, and beyond, to the Atlantic Ocean, it makes sense that keeping them secure, is very important. 

Once we got through security, the lady at the information booth for the International Bridge Walk, was very helpful in explaining what to expect the next day, when we did the walk.  She even assured us that she would look for us the next day, and sure enough, when she saw us on the bridge, pushing Helen in the wheel chair, and wearing our matching tee shirts, she remembered us, and reminded us of her promise to look for the Arkansas gals on Saturday!   It was probably easy for her to remember us, because she took our picture, and our Southern accents were very recognizable!

The Corps of Engineers had one of its newest vessels on the water, in front of the viewing platform.  In fact, the official christening of the H.J. Lawson, was held on the day we were there, in conjunction with the 2026 Engineers Day.  

The climate controlled visitors viewing building for the Soo Locks, has an upper and lower floor.

When I saw this photo another tourist took of our group, I noticed the white tent with people in it,  on the other side of the Corps boat, and I wondered if I had been wrong about not being able to walk across the locks in 2026  It was not until I saw the television news report later, that I learned that tent was for the officials and honorees, attending the official christening of the boat that day.  The television report reiterated the fact, that regular visitors could not cross the locks this year, because of on-going construction.   When I visited the historic locks in Ottowa, Canada, I got to walk across the locks at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, known as Rideau Canal (see blog dated October 24, 2024, in the archives), so if I can live until 2030, when the Soo Locks construction is said to be finished, maybe I can make a return visit, to walk across them, as well!

An anchor is the universal symbol for "boat life", so of course, we needed a photo with a big anchor!

Next stop on Engineers Day, was a short drive through town, which gave us a chance to see a public art sculpture at an intersection, depicting a large eagle's nest, along with two sculptures of America's national bird--the Bald Eagle.  It is not surprising that this waterway attracts waterfowl, and the sign alerts us that we are approaching the "Shore to Shore Birding Trail".  

The information sheet for Engineers Day, advertised that there was to be an Open House at the LSSU CFRE building, from 10 am - 4 pm (wwwlssu.edu).   The initials stand for Lake Superior State University, Center for Research and Education.  

We were especially eager to see this place, because we knew someone who had an office in this building, and she was there to open the door for her grandmother, when we arrived!

One of the CFRE Ambassadors was eager to show us a live lamprey, and explain their role in the marine ecosystems of this area.   The ambassador's actions demonstrated that the center is inclusive for those with visual impairments, and was encouraging the visually-impaired person, to add the  sense of touch, to the learning experience.  

I noticed the Coast Guard personnel that have offices in this building, were standing on the perimeter, to observe how we reacted to touching the lamprey.  Everything at the CFRE building is wheel-chair accessible, and their goal, is for the learning experience to be inclusive for all.   

 In the photo below, two of the Coast Guard staff are giving a demonstration of a device used to clean up foreign substance spills in the freshwater of the Great Lakes.  

This photo shows three generations of a water-loving family:  Coast Guard officer Tori, along with her grandmother and aunt.  

The CFRE center has a demonstration table, connected to a water spigot,  that is used to show how water flow causes changes in the landscape.  One can also see the effect of obstructions to flow and pollution effects.  

There is a large freshwater tank, and Diana took this photo of me pointing to a sturgeon, which the indigenous people called "The King of  Fish".  

The glass window wall connects to an open deck, and nature trail, adjacent to the St. Mary's River.  The buildings visible on the far shore, are on the Canadian side of St. Mary's River.  

It was interesting to see the microscope pointing into a water sample, with the view being projected onto a video screen above.  The tiny bit of water was full of little "critters" swiftly propelling themselves through the water.

I was curious to hear about the system used here to collect water samples, because I am part of an organization (www.ArkansasMasterNaturalists.org) that has a Stream Team, that routinely measures water quality on designated streams in our area, and reports the results to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.  What we do is called "Citizen Science", but these guys are REAL marine scientists!

The view from the balcony of the second story of the building, shows not only the exhibits below, but also the expansive scene beyond the glass wall.

 

One of the CFRE ambassadors wanted to demonstrate a robotic arm they had built that could perform designated tasks.  

 

Helen asked the robot to draw a fish, so it was fun watching the machine mark out a fish drawing, and put her initials on it!

The CFRE balcony also gave a great view of a group of kayakers on the St. Mary's River!

The reason we were able to visit the second story of the CFRE builing is because that is where Tori's Coast Guard office is located.  Her Master's Degree is in Environmental Science, so it makes sense that government personnel concerned with guarding the marine environment of the Great Lakes, would be in a building dedicated to environmental research and education.  

When I saw a plaque in her office related to the time she was stationed in Mobile, Alabama, it reminded me that this same group had visited her at her Mobile location, when we were on a kayaking trip to that area.  (See Pascagoula River Expedition, June 15, 2021, in the blog archives)

Tori has her own private balcony on the second story, just steps from her corner office.  She very kindly let me go out on it, and when I asked if I could take her picture on her balcony, she said "no", but she would take my photo.  So here it is!

When I was out on the second story balcony, I observed a fisherman walking by.  His net was so large, it could hold a small man, so I was reminded of one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses from Matthew 4:19, that says, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men".  

The quarter-mile long building adjacent to the CFRE building is the Cloverland Electric Cooperative power house, also known as the Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant.  It is a historic civil engineering landmark, completed in 1902, and supplies power to the Easter Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

Tori's balcony also gave a great view of the on-going construction at the Soo Locks, as well as the International Bridge beyond the locks.  

 

Although I did not notice it when we first entered the CFRE building, as we were leaving I saw they had a birch bark canoe hanging from the ceiling.  This was the main mode of transportation on the St. Mary's River to the indigenous people of long ago.  

The mascot for our Arkansas hiking group (WHO) and kayaking group (WHOyakers) is an owl, so I noticed there was an owl "trophy" at the front desk of the CFRE building.  It was awarded by the Michigan Alliance For Environmental and Outdoor Education, to CFRE to honor their impact by significantly enhancing the quality and availability of environmental and outdoor education. Based on all the information I learned at their Open House for Engineers Day, I would say it is a well-deserved award!  

Getting to be in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for the 2026 Engineers Day gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia

INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE WALK EXPEDITION!

When the name of a city is made up of three separate words, a person wonders what they mean:  "Sault" means "waterfall or a rapid in a river:". "Ste." is the abbreviation for "Saint".  The noun "Marie" is a reference to the Virgin Mary, in whose honor the town was named by Jesuit missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette, in the 1600's. The city is located on St. Mary's River.  I took the photo of the mural in this photo, because the bridge behind it, was the reason I was visiting Sault Ste. Marie ( www.saultstemarie.com ).   

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Another mural along the same wall, was welcoming me and my friends, to explore their scenic waterways.  I think my interest in walking across significant bridges started when I had the opportunity to walk across the famous bridge over the harbor, in Sydney, Australia, in February, of 2001.  At that time, I was not publishing a blog, but when I put "Bridges" into the search box of my "Expeditions By Tricia" blog archive, there were several stories published,  about bridges I have walked over, since the Sydney, Australia, Bridge:  

• Sundial Bridge in Redding, California: March 13, 2009
• Ruthvin Bridge in Cotter, Arkansas: January 14, 2010
• Lake Siskiyou Bridge in Mt. Shasta, California:  December 2, 2011
• Junction Bridge in Little Rock, Arkansas:  March 8, 2012
• Tridge in Midland, Michigan: August 14, 2012 
• Rainbow Bridge, in Washington State: October 22, 2012
• Big Dam Bridge in North Little Rock, Arkansas:  January 2013
• Walkway over the Hudson River, in upstate New York: July 2, 2015 
• Bridge over I-5 in Mt. Shasta, California: October 1, 2018
• Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California: June 15, 2019 
• "Y" Bridge in Galena, Missouri: Facebook, July 24, 2019 
• Gatlinburg Suspended Bridges at Anakeesta and Skypark:  July 1, 2026

 None of my previous bridge walks had been between two different countries, so I was ready for a new challenge---walking from the USA to Canada, on the International Bridge over the St. Mary's River!

I am very thankful that several of my friends and I were able to participate in the 2026 International Bridge Walk.  It is an annual event, held the last Saturday in June, to celebrate the international friendship between Sault St. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, in Canada.  Notice their logo shows symbols of both the USA and Canadian flags---stars and stripes for the USA and the red maple leaf for Canada.  The International Bridge connects the two cities.  

Our instructions called for meeting at the Arts Center, of Lake Superior State University.  It was an ideal place to meet, because the building was open and had ample clean restrooms, water fountains, trash containers, and indoor seating.  Also, it had large spacious parking lots, where participants could park their cars, and where the buses that brought the walkers back to the USA, could easily unload passengers.  As you can see from the beautiful blue skies in the photo, the weather was ideal, and was an answer to prayers, because in the past the event has had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather conditions.  

When I saw the upward incline the bridge had at its beginning, I had some concerns, because the oldest  member of our group would be making the crossing in a wheel chair, powered by one of us (i.e., not battery-powered).   I mentioned to the others that I probably was not going to be able to push the wheelchair on an upward climb, but could do it on the downward descent----UNTIL they told me it is sometimes takes more strength to control a wheelchair with a person in it, going downhill, rather than uphill!  So that meant my turn to push, would be on the flat stretch!

Before we left Arkansas, we decided to wear our Floatzilla shirts ( www.floatzillaqc.org ) that would make us easy to spot in a crowd.  (See Floatzilla blog dated September 2, 2024 for more info on that event).  The cute girl in the black shirt is another reason for wanting to go to Sault Ste. Marie.  She is a graduate of our local high school, and an Arkansas university, and has a successful career serving in the Coast Guard, currently stationed in Sault Ste Marie.  Her grandmother is the one with gray hair sitting in the front of the photo, and her aunt is the tallest of the group, on back row.  

In the Art Center parking lot, the back platform of a big truck was set up as a makeshift stage, complete with a good sound system.   It was there the ladies pictured below, sang the national anthems, of both Canada and the USA, to get the opening ceremony started.  

 

Notice the platform included both the USA and Canadian flags behind them.  The fact that these flags are hanging "limp" is actually a very good sign, because it meant that high winds were not going to cause a cancellation of the event.  City officials from both sides of the border welcomed the group, as well as the chief executive of the International Bridge Commission.  There is no pre-registration fee for the event, so they have no way of knowing how many will be attending.  Participants were told to bring their passports, and only small bags were allowed,  preferably, clear vinyl.  The instructions also indicated that bags were subject to being searched.  

When the walk began, we had a short distance to travel on city streets leading to the bridge.  The streets had been closed off to vehicle traffic, and were being monitored by traffic officers.

I was glad to see this sign indicating we were making the turn to the Canada Toll Bridge, knowing we would soon be actually on the bridge.  The bridge itself is 2.8 miles, and this being my first time to participate in this event,  I did not know how much additional mileage the walk from the Art Center would add.  However, it was just a few short blocks.  

 

Safety is a concern for a large event like this, and these officers in their bright yellow shirts, and riding bicycles, were ready to tackle any unforeseen circumstances, to be of assistance.

This photo shows Peggy starting the downhill stretch on a city street leading to the bridge.  

As Peggy pushed Helen in the wheelchair, and Diana waved good bye to the toll booth operators, we were getting closer to the bridge!  Notice the LANE CLOSED signs are showing, as we entered the secure area.  As we were driving into Sault Ste. Marie four days before the bridge walk, there were large illuminated signs on the main highways, alerting all drivers that the International Bridge was going to be closed to  vehicle traffic, on Saturday, June 27, starting at 9 am, until 11 am.  

After a while, (young and strong!) Coast Guard officer Tori, had the honor of pushing her grandmother in the wheel chair, as the bridge surface starts to gradually elevate.    

In this photo, Diana is pushing her mom in the wheelchair, while Peggy and Tori take a break.  

 When we got to a flat surface, I took a turn at the handlebars, pushing the "Matriarch" of our group, towards the finish line in Canada.  

The gals from Arkansas were not the only ones wearing matching tee shirts.  Various members of the Rotary Clubs from both Canada and USA, who participated in the event,  were also wearing matching yellow shirts, which made them easy to spot.  The logos on their shirts promoted the Rotary goals--- advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace.    

 

You can find out more about activities of this network of volunteers, by visiting www.rotary.org

Diane took this photo from the hill above the bridge, and shows walkers as far as the eye can see!

 The actual "border line" between Canada and the USA at this location, is in the middle of the river below.  However, this brass sign above the river, let the walkers know when they have "crossed the line".  I wish I could have had a photo with me standing behind the sign, with one foot in Canada and one foot in the USA.  However, there was an 80 foot drop-off on the other side of the sign, so I had to pass on such a pose!

 Fortunately, I got the ladies to  turn around towards my camera phone, to pose for a photo, after we passed the border sign on the bridge.

Being on top of the bridge gave us a "Bird's Eye View" of the construction that is currently taking place at the Soo Locks.  This very important passage way between Lakes Superior and Huron, is being modified, to allow for the increased size of container ships.  

 After we were on level ground, and on the Canada side, Tori took this photo of us, so one can see the Canada Customs Gate in the distance, along with the buses lined up, to take walkers back to the USA.

When I checked with bridge officials before the event, they assured me that if anyone was having difficulties, there would be a motorized vehicle to provide assistance (sometimes called a "Sag Wagon").  As the time to re-open the bridge to vehicle traffic grew closer, I notice a motorized Police vehicle starting to "patrol" the bridge, in case there were any stragglers.  All along the route, there had been uniformed International Bridge personnel with walkie-talkies, that could have alerted the police of the need for assistance.  

I counted five yellow school buses, lined up and waiting to return walkers to the USA.  Of course, none of the buses could start the return trip until the bridge officials had done an inspection to be sure that every single walker was off the bridge.  

For those returning to the USA, being "in a hurry" to get across, just meant you had to stand in line longer, to get on the bus.  This is what the lines look like when we arrived.  The bridge officials had told me in advance that there would be a bus that was equipped to handle wheel chairs, so when I heard a transportation volunteer shout out "WHEEL CHAIRS IN THIS BUS", we hurriedly made our way to the bus she was calling us to.  It was here that we paid another volunteer the cash fee for the bus ride.  The fee was ten dollars per person, or twenty dollars per family.  It was obvious we were all family, helping the lady in the wheel chair, so twenty was our fee.  

For those people who were not returning immediately to the USA,  on the yellow buses, they proceeded to walk up to the Canada customs office, to show their passports.  

I was pleasantly surprised to see a volunteer in Canada, at the end of the bridge, distributing "Certificates of Participation" to all those who had made the walk!

I was also thankful they were distributing "REAL CANADIAN" water to walkers, when they came off the bridge.  (There were no water stations along the length of the bridge walk, so carrying your own water is advised!)

This photo shows Diana rolling her mother's wheel chair up the ramp, that led to the power lift device, to put Helen inside the bus.  

When inside the bus, Peggy and a kind volunteer (notice the necklace volunteer is wearing), made sure the wheel chair was locked in to the restraints, that would keep it from rolling around when the bus started moving.  

After the International Bridge Walk, our group was relaxing in our VRBO, and Tori wanted to show her much older companions, a video on Instagram about ways to reduce the risk of dementia.  So I needed to give her my Instagram name, which has the phrase "First Place" in it.  That gave me an opportunity to explain the name relates to a healthy living program, called First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) that also has activities to reduce the risk of dementia, which includes regularly memorizing a Scripture verse.  One of the gals asked what my Scripture verse was, for this trip, and I told them it was Philippians 4:13, which says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  The verse is printed on an insulated beverage cup, that was a gift from a beloved family member.  Being able to complete one of those prayed-for "all things" was walking across the International Bridge to Canada!   Doing so gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!   Tricia