July 16th

We woke up this morning planning on spending the day in the upper peninsula, and we managed to do just that. Our first stop after crossing the Mackinac Bridge into St. Ignace was at the Bridge View Park so that we could take our yearly photos of me and the kids on the rocks (we may not be able to do that over Labor Day this year, as we have a wedding to attend that weekend). While we were there, we managed to sneak in some family photos as well.

Bridge View Park - St. Ignace
	A freighter passing under the Mackinac Bridge.
	Rodney holding Jayden above his head.
	Rod with Samantha hoisted high into the air.
	Drew and Rodney posing for a picture together (due to Drew's fear of heights).
	Tyler and Rod standing together.
	Tara & Rodney posing for a picture together.
	Our family... Tyler, Drew, Tara, Samantha, Jayden, and Rodney.
	Marissa, Dwayne, Erica, and Donovan posing for their family photo.
	The entire family together for a photo op: Marissa, Dwayne, Drew, Erica, Donovan, Tara, Jayden, Rodney, Samantha, Grandma Terry, Tyler, and Grandpa Gary.
	Terry & Gary posing for a nice photo.
	The freighter from the first picture moving along. A special thanks to Dwayne & Erica for the use of their photo!
	Donovan, Dwayne, and Marissa standing next to the ironworker statue in the park. A special thanks to Dwayne & Erica for the use of their photo!
	Marissa and Donovan standing next to one of the old fog bells located in the park. A special thanks to Dwayne & Erica for the use of their photo!

Once we had taken all of the necessary pictures, we opted to drive to Sault Ste. Marie so that we could check the freighter schedule to see if any ships would be passing through later today. As luck would have it, we were fortunate enough to have three freighters pass through the locks, the first of which was coming in within 15 minutes of our arrival. Two of the freighters were of the 730' variety, while the other was a 1,000 footer! We also chose to eat lunch here as well, since we would have quite a drive to our next destination and the kids were getting hungry (go figure!).

Soo Locks - Sault Ste. Marie
	The entrance to the Soo Locks park area.
	Jayden, Samantha, Marissa, and Tara trying to see through the poorly thought-out glass in the new viewing area.
	A look at the first freighter pulling into the lock.
	A couple of the workers walking the rope down the length of the lock, where they would eventually tie the ship off.
	A look into one of the cargo holds on the ship.
	A look at the front of the freighter.
	A helicopter flying over the area with the U.S. flag in the foreground.
Please click here for page two of the photos

Bridge View Park - St. Ignace

A freighter passing under the Mackinac Bridge.

Rodney holding Jayden above his head.

Rod with Samantha hoisted high into the air.

Drew and Rodney posing for a picture together (due to Drew's fear of heights).

Tyler and Rod standing together.

Tara & Rodney posing for a picture together.

Our family... Tyler, Drew, Tara, Samantha, Jayden, and Rodney.

Marissa, Dwayne, Erica, and Donovan posing for their family photo.

The entire family together for a photo op: Marissa, Dwayne, Drew, Erica, Donovan, Tara, Jayden, Rodney, Samantha, Grandma Terry, Tyler, and Grandpa Gary.

Terry & Gary posing for a nice photo.

The freighter from the first picture moving along.

Donovan, Dwayne, and Marissa standing next to the ironworker statue in the park.

Marissa and Donovan standing next to one of the old fog bells located in the park.

Soo Locks - Sault Ste. Marie

The entrance to the Soo Locks park area.

Jayden, Samantha, Marissa, and Tara trying to see through the poorly thought-out glass in the new viewing area.

A look at the first freighter pulling into the lock.

A couple of the workers walking the rope down the length of the lock, where they would eventually tie the ship off.

A look into one of the cargo holds on the ship.

A look at the front of the freighter.

A helicopter flying over the area with the U.S. flag in the foreground.