Bridge to Michigan,
Locks Emergency Mechanism,
Railroad Swing Bridge

Bridge to Michigan, Locks & Marina

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, June 7, 2013:
It was, finally, a warm and sunny day.  We at a late breakfast and then toured the town, stopping at an historical site a few blocks from the motel and then down to the riverside and the canal historic site. 

Great Lakes Tanker & Boats

Locks Superintendent's Home

We ate lunch outdoors at a riverside cafe that overlooked the boats and locks.  Boats are just starting to show up at the marina for the season and it was very quiet today!

White Tailed Deer

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Miners' Castle

Spring in Northern Michigan
Trillium and Forget-Me-Nots

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, June 7, 2013:  The Drive from Houghton yesterday was in the rain and fog until after lunch.  It cleared up enough that we could walk down to the water in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in a couple of different places.  There was a wonderful variety of small Spring flowers.

Sault Ste Marie, Ontario

We arrived in Sault Ste. Marie in the early evening - got ourselves settled into the motel and went out for a really nice dinner at the Embers Grill 7 Smokehouse!  Today we will see some of the local sights.

Houghton MI, June 5, 2013:  We spent the last two days driving through intermittent rain (and fog today)!  I guess if it had to rain, now is a good time - the Badlands was the last western National Park we were planning to see and the weather held out for us!  Tonight we are in Houghton MI and last night we stayed just outside Minneapolis MN.  Tomorrow we are driving to Sault Ste Marie, Ontario (for 2 nights).  We are crossing our fingers that there is no fog - we want to drive along the coastline and see the lakeside scenery of Whitefish Bay (Lake Superior) and the St. Mary's River.

 Badlands of Wyoming, June 3, 2013:  Fortunately, the weather was clear and warm today - even though rain was predicted!  The Badlands of Wyoming was our last National Park in the West. It was very dramatic and a wonderful grand finale!  From here we will drive to Lake Michigan, Sault Ste Marie, and across Ontario to Ottawa.

Prairie Dog

We were surprised by all the prairie dog mounds - hundreds of them.  They were scurrying all around - and seemed to visit each other in their various homes!

(Did you know that if you click on the pictures, you will get a slightly larger version!) 

Black Hills National Forest

Black Hills National Forest

Female Pronghorn Antelope

Sheridan WY to Mt. Rushmore, June 2, 2013:
When we left Sheridan, we headed east and eventually took a scenic loop, through the Black Hills National Forest, to Mt. Rushmore.  We saw more antelope in the pastures and some bighorn sheep grazing in somebody's front lawn.

Female Bighorn Sheep

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Mt. Rushmore