Eckerman, Michigan, United Statesaugust 20, 2021 Strong's Motel and Tavern, rt 28, Eckeman - between sault ste marie and munisng
cancelled - Algonquin Hotel
864 Queen Street East, Sault Ste.
Marie, ca
Kara was awake and said it was 8:15 am. I was surprised it was so late. I said we needed to boogie then. I had to pack up my various bits and pieces. Kara started washing the dishes. I may have packed the food - not sure now. In any case, Kara got us some yogurt and coffee for breakfast. I got some ice for the cooler and cooler bag. I complained about the witch sisters who were cackling next door the night before. I slammed our window shut to try to drown them out. It was nice that they went in shortly after that and it was quiet. They had stolen our chairs but it was OK really since we wouldn't have used them anyway and they chatted and smoked outside.
Just when we were on the road at 10 am I decided to check that I had my credit card...only to discover that I didn't. We brainstormed where it could be. I had the memory that I put two items in the basket at the hotel desk - there was no one there so I didn't get a receipt. I put the 2 cards in the basket. Then I found a card in my shorts pocket, but it was one of the key cards, so then I thought I remembered my card on the table and thought that I had put one key card and my credit card in the basket.
I tried to call the hotel number but there was no answer. We debated and then decided to go back. Once back, one of the house maids helped to find the secretary who then tracked down someone else. The woman who had collected the key cards up until 9:15 am came in and was very helpful - they looked through the room, through the sheets, we found my key card folder with one card in it in the basket - I had misremembered the room number too - but no credit card turned up. So I would have to cancel it. (In retrospect, just because there was only one card in the basket then, wouldn't have meant that I only put one in, however.)
Meanwhile time had elapsed and was getting shorter for Kara to check in to her flight. We were back on I-75. Oh, I forgot to mention that we had gone over the bridge and back on the trip back to the hotel at 4 dollars a pop. I was too anxious to take any more photos. As we got closer to Sault Ste Marie, the GPS instructed us to cross the bridge into Canada. Kara made a u-turn. Luckily there was a Michigan tourist info center there and two wonderful staffers helped us sort out which of the airports Kara was flying from- luckily the US one; unluckily, it was down near St Ignace so off we went again. It was a 20 minute drive, I think we had to go over over the bridge again twice and finally we got to the zig zagging that led to the Chippewa County Regional Airport. Luckily again, it was very small. I think they had one gate.
Kara got her boarding passes asap and I could wait with her until they called that security was open for her flight. We seemed to arrive before any other passengers. We had enough time for Kara to change her mind and accept one of her snacks to take back with her for her 3-leg journey back to Albany. Soon it was time for her to go, and I was very sad to lose her company....and all her help. She waved after security and I went out to the car to add another quart of oil.
Because of all the drama with missing credit card and confusion over the airport location, driving over the Mackinaw Bridge multiple more times, I was not taking ANY photos in the morning and none of Kara's departure. Makes for a lower photo volume day.
I had sort of decided that I would stay in Sault Saint Marie - thinking that was where Kara was flying from. So I thought I would make a lazy day of it, check out the Soo Locks and then check in to my hotel..it even had a 2 pm check-in. I arrived back in Sault Ste Marie, after passing the visitor center again. I parked by a meter, but since you needed an app to pay, I asked a young man about it and he said he parked on a residential street a few blocks away. I drove, found a Salvation Army parking lot and parked there. I went into the store,, but found no funnels or anything else I was interested in. I then walked up the block, entered the Soo Locks Canal Park and took some photos at the Visitor Center and at the lock as a big, big freighter, the Algoma Harvester, came through.
There is a two level observation platform so you could get a better view, but the ship was in the Poe Lock so it was a bit more difficult to get a good photo of the process. After that, I tried to get some photos of signs on historic Water Street because they siad that Sault Ste Marie was the earliest Michigan town - or something like that. My phone screen went dim, so I thought my battery was low (I couldn't see how low since it was dim). so I skipped some potential photos and messed up some others badly. I ended up on the touristy street and was ravenous so I stopped and got a coffee ice cream in a handmade waffle cone. It started dripping badly.
I got back into the car, put in the address of my reserved hotel which looked old and fun, and relatively inexpensive, and started out. I thought I might have been able to walk, but it was 1.4 miles so I followed the GPS until I arrived at the bridge into Canada again. Another u-turn. I called theri number and they were in Canada. The reservation was non-refundable, but the woman said if she sold the room, she wouldn't charge me. How nice!! (I ended up being charged, though) I drove back along the commercial hotel, fast food strip and rejected a bunch of options. Then I was back downtown, missing some because cars were behind me until I came to the rattiest motel around and I pulled in. An older woman approached the motel at the same time. I followed her in and we were both told that they were full up.
The woman told me she had called everyone and there were no vacancies. I debated what to do.
I decided to drive to my next destination, but then gps said it was only 32 miles away. I set off on roads Kara and I had taken out to Pictured Rocks. One car stayed pretty steadily behind me giving me some opportunity to look for options. I was thinking campground. I passed one place with cabins but didn't manage to stop. Then as I drove, a whole bunch of cars passed me. Then no one was behind me for a while. I passed a lot of the National Forest. I looked at barns and dirt roads for possible stopping places and then I came to a small settled area with a motel on each side of the highway. I pulled into the right hand one and it had a free room so I took it. It wasn't that bad - clean - had most amenities including a refrigerator, but now I hear boisterous kinds it sounds as if they are next door. Oh, well - there goes my peaceful interlude. Witches last night and noisy kids tonight.
I tried to get semi organized.
I marked the NE USA map with our route to and in Michigan so far. Now I have completed the blog for today. I don't think much more will happen tonight. Or maybe I should say that I hope not! I also went over and deleted a bunch of old cell phone photos. I have one more day's blog to catch up on and, if I get really ambitious, I could upload some photos. I am saving reorganizing the car until tomorrow. It may be time to eat my dinner now.
So when I went out to trade my crackers for a spoon and my container of maps & souvenir papers, I ran into my neighbors with two charcoal grills out in front of their room. They said they had a long, hard day and now they needed to eat. They must have asked how I was, so I told them about my day. They were very sympathetic and said they had lots of food and I was welcome to chow down too. I told them I had just finished eating and thanked them. I guess I was too negative off the bat - they were very sweet people....even though I keep hearing banging on the walls somewhere. For the first time in this trip, I did some leisure reading: Evelyn Waugh's In Abyssinia. A long, long way off.
2025-05-22