Day 48 - Sault Ste Marie Tour (Rest Day)

0 km - Total so far 4,243.53 km 

Loop in The Soo- http://ridewithgps.com/trips/5670860

We left at about 9:45 am for a sight seeing tour of Sault Ste Marie. A bit of shopping was in order with a first stop to a bike shop to buy ourselves some Chamois Butter which is becoming in short supply. Bike shops did not open till 10 am so we went to get some butane fuel for our stove and headed directly to the tourist information after that. Once again, our stop at the tourist information proved to be a difficult and not particularly useful experience. The staff is nice enough but they know very little about the local area. We left with pamphlets and hope to be able to find answers to our questions using the Internet and Google map. All of the bike shops in town are sold out of the Chamois Butter and none could be bought.

I felt right at home in this sport store

We rode towards the river St Mary and ended up on the site of the former St Mary Pulp Company. There were a few magnificent older buildings that had either been restored, being restored or waiting for restoration. The City of Sault Ste Marie is in the process of developing what is left of the St Mary Pulp Company in a major development called Mill Square. We had a chance to walk around the Machine Shop and it is a truly a magnificent venue.

A reproduction of the first canal in Sault Ste Marie

Details on the first canal

Machine Shop still undergoing restoration

The picture is of the Machine Shop still in use

The Machine Shop now

Paper mill building awaiting restoration. Bridege to US in background

After our tour of the Machine Shop, we headed to Station Mall and the Algoma Central Railway Company to purchase tickets for a ride on the Agaya Canyon Tour Train tomorrow. Next stop after that was the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center. A tour of the CBHC was an incredible experience and a must do if one is ever in Sault Ste Marie. The CBHC has a number of old bush planes that are for the most part flight capable. We were there for almost 4 hours.

River pathway en route to the CBHC. Yes we pedal on nakid bikes on our day off

Hélène boarding an old bush plane

Hélène making sure my seat belt is fastened

Old guy in older truck

Recycled former US Navy aircraft into fire fighting aircraft

I will never complain about lack of leg room ever again

A new interest maybe?

Picture of duck in front of Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant

After the CBHC we pedaled back to the motel after stopping for Ben and Jerry ice cream. Once the ice cream was done, it was back to the administrative duties of laundry and recording of bills. Seven weeks on the road is not just about fun and games all of the time.

Oldest home in Northern Ontario built in 1814. 

We came back home to Cheezies and refreshments and watched the opening ceremonies of the PanAm games. Hélène made a nice supper of salad and nachos. 

Tomorrow we will be on the train to Agawa Canyon and back. Can't wait to see bits of Hwy 17 from the comfort of our train seats!

0 miles - Total so far 2,636.80 miles