Day 54: North Bay, Ontario to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan USA 448km

North Bay is in North Eastern Ontario about 330km from Toronto. We are riding along the trans Canada highway 17. The town is on the edge of the Canada Shield and along the highway rocky outcrops, lakes, ponds and marshes dot the landscape.

There is a Canadian airforce base near the town. In the 60s the North American aerospace defence command (NORAD) was located 60 storeys underground to withstand nuclear strike. The base is above ground now and provides surveillance from various sources including Canada's Sapphire satellite.

There is some cropping - yellow canola and grains.

One of the tourist attractions in North Bay is the Dionne Quintuplets Museum the Dionne Quintuplets were born 28 May 1934 in Corbeil on the southern outskirts of North Bay.

Let's head out of town on this cool 60degF 15degC sunny summer morning.

Canola fields in flower
We had expected flat landscapes so were pleased to be riding through interesting hilly and sometimes winding terrain.
There are lots of motorcycles on the road today. Riders seem to stop at the same places - Motorcyclists usually know the best places to stop.
I have been including some houses to give readers an idea of local architectural styles. Most houses are beautifully maintained and hanging baskets of flowers are common.
The paint work on this Harley was shimmering in the sunlight. We enjoyed chatting with her lovely owners, Jeff and Tara.
Ponds with water lilies in flower.

Signage for winter cross country skiers...
This one had me puzzled at first - trails for off rode bikes.

Some of the trails had both bike and ski mobile signs.

Large barns in varying states of repair are commonplace.

Some for animals in the winter some for feed storage.

Jean-Nil - we look forward to seeing you in New Zealand, too.
Norman has the smile of a happy motorcyclist. Everyone we meet today is happy to be on the road.

We arrive in Sault Ste Marie and decide to cross the border to the USA section of the town.

Over the bridge, across the rapids and the Soo Canal system
 

To the USA border crossing. A few questions later and. Check on the computer and we are through.
Under the bridge to the old part of town where we find accommodation at Lockview motels near the locks.

I love canal systems.
The simple elegant engineering of the nineteenth and early twentieth century functions perfectly.
I arrive at the viewing platform at the same time as a freighter is heading north in the Poe Lock and a yacht and a tourist ferry boat are entering another lock to go north from Lake Huron into Lake Superior
 

Here is some more information from the visitors centre.
We both remember learning about the St Lawrence Seaway in Geography at high school in NZ.
 

 

 

 

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