July 10 - 12, 2012 -- Mackinaw City to Sault Ste. Marie

Back on the water, we depart Mackinaw City on our trek northward toward Lake Superior.

We head into Detour Passage, and pass the Drummond Island Ferry on its regular trip to the island from Detour.

It is a beautiful powerboat day as we pass Lime Island, where a defunct limestone mining operation is still in evidence. Now, it is a Michigan campground, with cottages available for rent, and campers welcomed.

The St. Marys River is the main artery to the Soo and Lake Superior. At Neebish Island it splits into an eastern channel upbound, which we take, and a western, which the Algocanada takes, downbound.

The eastern, upbound channel is lined with cottages, and this quaint church is adjacent to a navigational range light.

We anchor for the night just off East Neebish Island, a quiet and peaceful spot, where we enjoyed a glass of wine as the sun went down.

The morning dawned sunny and warm, and we headed up the St. Marys River to Sault Ste. Marie. We docked early at George Kemp Marina on the U.S. side, so we could do some major cleaning on Monarch. As we worked, we watched a busy day of thousand-footers and lakers going through the locks.

Right next door to the marina is the museum ship the Valley Camp, decommissioned from the Republic Steel Company. Tomorrow we are off to the Canadian side of Lake Superior, where we will have limited access for blogging. So be patient until we find a wi-fi hot spot.