Salmon Slam

We live on the St. Marys River but neither my husband or I take advantage of the great fishing here. But it looks like we are in the minority right now. As I look out on the river, I can count 12 fishing boats. They are clustered around the edges of the channel with most of them down at 9 Mile Point.

I know that fishermen like to keep their favorite fishing sites secret, so I hope I'm not giving away some top secret information.

Some of these boats must be because of the 2008 Salmon Slam being held in the Soo.

You can see more information at the Sault web site. I will put a link in there for it.

Our perfect weather continues and there seems to be a lot of tourists in town for this final summer weekend.

Chippewa County Fair

We went to the fair this morning to watch our friends, the Bell Family, show their draft horses. We ended up spending the whole day.
The Chippewa County Fair at Kinross, Michigan is open through Labor Day. It was a wonderful time. The fair has lots of attractions but is small enough that you can see the entire place in one day. We saw lots of old friends and even made some new ones. While standing in line for the Kinross Lions Club hamburger trailer, we met a nice couple from Cheboygan, Michigan. We saw them again while in the commercial exhibition building looking for ice cream -which we found by the way. The ice cream was sold by the Rudyard Christian School so gave me an excuse to eat ice cream-I was helping a fund raiser for a worthy local school.
The tractors are always a must to view for my husband and I enjoy the 4-H exhibits. When our children were young, I was their 4-H leader and after seeing the wonderful work by the 4-Hers today, I wished I could be a leader for our grandchildren.

Labor Day Activities

This weekend is looking like a perfect ending to a wonderful summer. Our temperatures will be in the 70's during the day, with nights in the 50's. No rain is forecast through Monday. So I'm just going to relax and enjoy myself.

I'm recently retired from public school teaching so my Labor Day this year is going to be more relaxed than in previous years. That has its good points but I will miss the excitement of the first day of school. Even teachers get excited.

School begins here Tuesday, Sept. 2 as it does for most public schools in Michigan. So for thousands of kids, the summer will be ending.

The flowers here are continuing to bloom beautifully. The Soo receives more sunshine early in the summer than they do downstate and the result is vibrant, colorful flowers all summer long. My hydrangea bush is blooming like never before and is so full of flowers this year.
My sweet peas are the best that I have had for years. I enjoy just driving around and looking at other people's gardens.

Karl's Cuisine

Our travels around the Soo lead us to discover a restaurant on Tuesday that we both really enjoyed. Karl's Cuisine is located on West Portage Avenue right across from the Locks.

Our friendly waitress is the daughter of the owner, Karl Nelson, and she explained that this is truly a family operation. Her personal attention made for a relaxing dinner for us.

They serve a variety of sandwiches, soups and salads. I had the Karl's House Salad and beef barley soup. My husband had a BLT sandwich and broccoli soup. The soups were served hot and the sandwiches and soup were delicious.

The highlight of the meal, however, was the dessert. The dessert tray had a good variety of choices and we had trouble settling on just one. In the end, we decided to split an Italian wedding cake and we both were happy with that choice.

The building is shaped like a boat and features indoor and outdoor seating. There is a miniature golf business adjoining the restaurant which would make this a fun place for children too.
Karl's Cuisine has a web site for more information www.karlscuisine.com

Popcorn Day

Every Tuesday we try to attend the Varsity Cinema here in the Sault. We call it Popcorn Day because Varsity has a special on popcorn. Bring your own bowl and have it filled for 50 cents. That includes butter too. They will even layer the butter in your bowl so it is evenly distributed. You can use any size bowl you want as long as it can sit on your lap.

We attend the afternoon movies when there are matinee prices so it makes a bargain afternoon outing. There is always lots of seating room in the afternoon showings as well.

Varsity Cinema is owned by Carmike Cinema and you can get show times at their web site. I will put a direct link to the Sault location in the Things to Do in the Soo on the right sidebar.

Chippewa County Fair

Today marks the opening of the 2008 Chippewa County Fair. This annual event held near Kinross is a favorite of young and old in this area. There seems to be something of interest for everyone whether it is people watching, playing on the mid-way or eating that good fair food. The Fair has a glitzy web site that gives all the information you might want to plan your trip to the fair.

Please send comments about your time at the fair on this blog. I'll add more information once I make a trip to the fair.


http://www.chippewafair.com/

Dunbar Park

Charlotte River as seen from Twelve Mile Road

Today we felt like going on a picnic and we chose Dunbar Park which sits where the Charlotte River flows into the St. Marys River just north of the Neebish Island Ferry.


This quiet drive spot has many beautiful views of the Charlotte River as it bends and twists its way to the larger St. Marys.

St Marys River & lake freighter from Dunbar Park

There is a picnic area with tables, grills and lots of parking. This is a great place to observe down bound shipping.

Canadian Leader at Dunbar Park

Dunbar Park can be reached by taking Riverside Drive out of the Sault until Twelve Mile. Go east, left on Twelve Mile, turn right on Lower Hay Lake and follow it right into the park. This way has gravel. For a paved road, take Riverside Drive to 15 Mile, turn left onto Scenic Drive and follow Scenic to Dunbar. The Park is marked with a Michigan State University sign.
If you want a quiet place to relax and enjoy the beauty of the UP, this is a great pace to spend a couple of hours. There is no charge to enter the park.

Whitefish Dinners

I could do an entire week of blogs on good places to eat whitefish around the Soo. TV may have their shark week but I could have my whitefish week. The best part is that I have to eat at these places to be able to tell you about them.

Recently our family made a trip west of Brimley to visit one of our favorite places to eat fish. Each year when my son and his family visit, it is one of the 'have-to' activities.

Wilcox's Restaurant is part of Wilcox Fisheries and is located west of Brimley on Lakeshore Drive. Their phone number is (906) 437-5407. It is definitely worth the drive for the wonderful food. They have several fish varieties available daily.

The restaurant is decorated with mounted fish caught in the Lake Superior waters. The decor is simple but this is good eating. We took the whole family from great-grandparents right through the grand-children. The relaxed atmosphere makes it a good place for a large family.

Let me know if you have any places to recommend for whitefish.You can comment on this blog or reach me at saultboatwatcher@gmail.com



One big happy family after finishing our meal.

Class Reunions

Sault High Class of 1946-8th Grade Photo

Summer is the season for class reunions in the Sault. The Sault has long enjoyed a high quality education system that prepared graduates for careers that sent them around the United States.

As my recent 40th class reunion, I counted 27 different states represented in the addresses of classmates.

My father, Class of 1946, meets every summer for a luncheon. Last week they had their annual reunion and enjoyed the fellowship of many classmates.

Many of my classmates are retiring from interesting careers. But was great to hear was that many of them are choosing the Soo as their home for retirement. This just confirms what I have found-the Soo has lots to offer. Many of these great qualities are not recognized and publicized. So that's my goal-let everyone know what is great about the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

Sault High Class of 1968 -40th Reunion-August 2, 2008

Soo Locks Boat Tours

Soo Locks Boat Tours is one of the best ways to see the Soo Locks and waterfront for a family.

We recently took my son and his family on this 2 hour excursion. With four grandchildren ages 4 - 10, there are not many activities that will keep all their interest for 2 hours but the Boat Tour did.

The boat was roomy enough to allow everyone to have a railing seat. The children could move around freely. The best part was that they really got to see how the Locks operate as we locked through the American locks up bound and the Canadian Lock down bound.










The adults appreciated the narrated tour of the waterfront, including the Coast Guard Station, Edison Sault Hydroelectric Plant, Algoma Steel and many other points of interest.


We got to see the ship American Victory and she slipped out of the Locks and down the river.













The Soo Locks Boat Tours has long been a favorite of tourists and locals alike.

Music in the Sault

Sault Ste. Marie is jumping with live music this summer and there is something for every taste.

My favorite is Susan Askwith and David Stanaway at the John Johnston house. The historic home of fur-trader John Johnston is located on Water Street, 3 blocks east of the Locks Park.

During July and August Susan and David present a program on each Tuesday and Thursday from 1 PM to 2 PM. The songs that they wrote tell the story the Johnston's family life here in Sault Ste. Marie from approximately 1797 - 1840. The program of folk-style music tells of life here when the Sault was the Northwest frontier and wilderness.

Another great live music opportunity is the Music in the Park which is held every Wednesday evening at the Locks Park. Each week a different group presents a concert that lasts 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Bring your own chair and possibly a sweater as it often gets cool as the sun goes down. The quality of the music has always been good.

Both of these music events are free of charge.

Share the Sault Begins

The purpose of this blog is to highlight what is happening in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. This town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has a wide variety of interesting stories, events and happenings.

This blog will tell these stories and show pictures so you can more fully enjoy our wonderful location.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at saultboatwatcher@gmail.com