Thursday, August 2, 2012

Day 35 Summer 2012 Road Trip

 

We are heading home after 35 days on the road.  The summer is only half over, usually we are on the road for the full two months.  We don’t want to head home just yet, but we are both starting at new jobs with new companies.  Orientation and training begin next week.

We left Sarnia around 10am for the 5 hour drive home.

No photos today, we have done this drive so many times there is nothing new to photograph.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Day 34 Summer 2012 Road Trip

When we woke up this morning we decided that we have seen all that there is to see in this area. 

For being the Motorhome Manufacturing “capital” of North America, there really isn't much here for someone who is looking to buy a gently used Class A motorhome.  The recession has hit this area hard and 80% of the RV related businesses have closed.  We are also hesitant to buy something in the US and then have to deal with importing it back into Canada.  We decided to end our stay in Elkhart and cancelled the next few days of hotel reservations and aimed the car towards home. 

3611 Indiana I-80 (I-90) Elkhart

Karen had fun aiming the camera and photographing this crop dusting plane as I drove at 70 mph.

3616 Indiana I-80 (I-90) - crop duster 3617 Indiana I-80 (I-90) - crop duster

On I-69 North we entered into Michigan.

3618 Indiana I-69 North - sign 3619 Michigan I-69 North - border Welcome sign

This part of Michigan, as with most of the country and even back home in Ontario has been hit with a severe summer drought.  Crops are failing and everything is tinder dry and scorched brown.  Some idiot oblivious to his or her surroundings must have thrown a lit cigarette butt out of their car window.  Here you can see fire fighters are putting out the fire that started by this persons negligence.   Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh on the cigarette smokers and cut them some slack.  It is so dry that a piece of broken glass from a bottle that some other idiot tossed out could have started this fire.  The angle of the sun and a piece of glass would be all that is needed to start a fire in these conditions.  A bolt of lightning didn't start this fire, so human negligence is the cause. 

3624 Michigan I-69 North - fire 3625 Michigan I-69 North - fire

We are going to cross back into Canada at the Port Huron / Sarnia border crossing.  We see the sign to Canada and the Blue Water Bridge is ahead of us.

3628 Michigan I-69 North - construction just before the Blue Water Bridge to Canada 3630 Michigan I-69 North - Blue Water Bridge to Canada 3634 Michigan I-69 North - Blue Water Bridge to Canada

Customs was busy and we waited about 45 minutes in the line till we got to the booth.  All went well at the booth.  They asked the typical questions.  “How long were you in the US” “Where do you live” “Do you have anything to declare” “Do you have any guns or weapons”  “Do you have any alcohol or tobacco”  Questions answered and we are back in Canada.

3638 Canada Hwy 402 - Blue Water Bridge - approach to Canadian Customs 3639 Canada Hwy 402 - Blue Water Bridge - approach to Canadian Customs

We could drive home from here.  It is another 5 hours, but we decide to stay overnight in Sarnia, well actually in Point Edward.  I guess you would say that Point Edward is a suburb of Sarnia.  We want to do some ship watching while we are here.  I like their town sign.

3641 Ontario Sarnia (or more exact Point Edward)

After checking into our hotel, we head down to the waterfront.  I have my “Marine Traffic” app up and running and see that the John D Leitch is northbound in the St Clair River.  I have so much fun with this app as I can see where the ships are and when they will be arriving where we are waiting and watching for them.   Point Edward has a nice waterfront, with several benches where you can sit and watch.  Across the St Clair River on the American side is the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

3642 Ontario Sarnia - view of Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Port Huron, MI 3643 Ontario Sarnia - view of Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Port Huron, MI

Here in this photo you can see the numerous park benches and the Blue Water Bridge.

3647 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River

Here comes the John D Leitch under the Blue Water Bridge.  This freighter was built in 1967.

3652 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River - John D. Leitch lake freighter 3653 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River - John D. Leitch lake freighter 3655 Ontario Sarnia - St Clair River - John D. Leitch lake freighter

The locals have found a way to cool off and watch the freighters.  There is a leisurely current flowing through the river from Lake Huron through the St Clair River and into Lake Erie, so the locals use this current to float in rubber tubes.  After they float down stream for a distance they hop out on shore and walk back up stream and start the process all over again.  That is one way to get up close and personal with a monster lake freighter.

3657 Ontario Sarnia - St Clair River - ppl floating in the current 3659 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River - John D. Leitch lake freighter 3660 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River - John D. Leitch lake freighter

The next ship wasn't due to pass by for a couple of hours and since it was dinner time we went to Paddy Flaherty’s for dinner.  This is an Irish Pub sort of a place, so we enjoyed a beer and some good pub food.  After dinner we went back to our same spot on the waterfront and watched as the “Spartan” a pusher tug come under the bridge.  It was pushing the barge.

3676 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River - Spartan tugboat pushing a barge 3680 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River - Spartan tugboat pushing a barge 3690 Ontario Sarnia - Lake Huron - Spartan tugboat pushing a barge

A bunch of the local sailors had gathered for race night off the entrance to the St Clair channel, outside of the shipping lane.

3698 Ontario Sarnia - Lake Huron - sailboat race 3703 Ontario Sarnia - Lake Huron - sailboat race 3708 Ontario Sarnia - Lake Huron - sailboat race

Here I am enjoying the sunset, watching the river traffic and checking my iPhone app to see if there are any more freighters in the area.

3709 Ontario Sarnia - St Clair River - Bill at sunset

I can see on my app that there is one more ship that will arrive before the sun sets.  “The Great Lakes Trader” barge, being pushed by the tug “Joyce L Van Enkevort” 

3715 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River at sunset - Great Lakes Trader barge being pushed by the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort 3716 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River at sunset - Great Lakes Trader barge being pushed by the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort 3717 Ontario Sarnia - St Clair River at sunset - Great Lakes Trader barge being pushed by the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort

This does not look like a barge though, it appears to be a lake freighter.  However once it got closer I could see that it was indeed a lake freighter, but that it had been converted in the stern to accept a pusher tug.  I suppose the engines of this old laker were worn out and not worth replacing and it was cheaper to do the modification and still keep the ship intact and use it like a barge.

3727 Ontario Sarnia - Blue Water Bridge over St Clair River at sunset - Great Lakes Trader barge being pushed by the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort 3739 Ontario Sarnia - St Clair River at sunset - Great Lakes Trader barge being pushed by the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort 3740 Ontario Sarnia - Lake Huron at sunset - Great Lakes Trader barge being pushed by the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort

The sun was setting fast as we left the waterfront and headed for our hotel.

3712 Ontario Sarnia - St Clair River at sunset 3714 Ontario Sarnia - view of Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Port Huron, MI at sunset 3744 Ontario Sarnia - Lake Huron at sunset - Great Lakes Trader barge being pushed by the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort

That was fun watching the ships going by.  Actually when the Spartan went by, I was thinking that we have seen that tug before, so I checked my notes and yes, we had seen the Spartan last summer when we were in Sault Ste Marie MI.

To see all of our photos from today, you can find them by clicking on the link to our FLICKR site.