Our mission for the first alphabet adventure was to begin working our way through the alphabet, from A-Z, in order. Unintentionally, we seemed to be starting with the letter “B” for blizzard! As our windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the storm, I was concerned that we would have to turn around and forfeit our tickets for the “Agawa Canyon Train Tour”. We didn’t have this luxury though, because during the winter, there is only a single trip each week, which takes place on Saturdays. Since it was Friday, we decided to press on, hoping to make our pre-arranged departure time, scheduled for the following day. Alan is an excellent driver and conditions like this are not unusual for those of us that reside in Michigan. Thankfully, it was a brief and localized storm which “abated” about an hour out-of-town. Finally we began utilizing our “A” themed words!
A challenging start to our adventure.
Usually a four hour journey, we took our time getting up to Sault Saint Marie, Michigan. Normally we do not frequent “antique stores”, but since we were on our “A” themed date, we stopped at an interesting looking place, which we discovered along the way. The store was full of a huge variety of American history. There were items such as carousel horses, ancient farm equipment, Native American artifacts, glassware and more. Tucked among the shelves was a fascinating glimpse into the past, leaving me to wonder why we don’t frequent more places like this, if only to marvel at the richness of life. I think that is the first lesson to learn about ABC dating. We will be pushed to do and see more.
After arriving at the border, we crossed the International Bridge into Canada. It is interesting to note that both cities go by the name Sault St. Marie. The Canadian side is populated with 79,000 people. A little over 14,000 people call the American side home. The St Mary’s river is all that divides the two cities. Originally , the settlement was a single community. In 1817, the two governments chose to use the river as a boundary to divide the countries. Once a Native American settlement for the Ojibway tribe, it soon grew to become a major fur trading location. Eventually the canal became one of the world’s largest shipping channels. People now flock from around the world, to observe the large cargo ships passing through the famous “Soo” locks, making tourism the major industry in this area.
The tale of two cities.
We had come for an entirely different reason though. Our goal was to take a trip on “The Snow Train “aptly renamed during the months of January-March! We enjoy train travel and we were excited to view the advertised, “towering trestles, pristine lakes and rivers, granite rock formations and the forests of the Canadian Shield.” After our long drive, we enjoyed dinner and a walk around the mall (which sits on an island). There was a beautiful sunset, but as you will soon notice, my camera was acting up. It had already been a long day and we were scheduled to be at the train station early the next morning, so we made our way to the hotel to get some rest.
A Gift of Goodies
This adventure had been a gift from my mother and her husband. Arriving at the hotel, we found an “awesome” gift basket of snacks to fill our “appetites”. Now we were on a role for A themed words!
We’re off!
The Agawa Canyon Train!
Entering the train station the next morning, we were like little children. The diesel powered engine was impressive as it pulled up near the center of town. Ready to settle, we chose a large picture window on the right side of the train, as had been suggested for the best view of the scenery. I had been warned that this winter train could be cold, so I had brought along a blanket to cuddle under and a thermos of hot tea to keep us warm. I am so glad to have done this, as we would quickly discover that the heaters were barely working! It might have been a miserable eight hour, 228 mile trip otherwise!
The weather is markedly different in this area. Surprisingly, this location only averages about 30 inches of snow a year, compared to our 180 plus! At 9:00 a.m, the whistle blew and we were on our way. We quickly travel through a busy industrial area, which gives way to more rural scenery.
Traveling out of town.
The tour is narrated. As we pass various landmarks, we hear stories of local history, the original Ojibway residents, fur traders and the explorers who settled this area. Considering the tracks were laid from 1911-1912, I am interested to learn that tours didn’t begin here until 1971. I soon begin to see why this is called the snow train. Most of the scenery is covered in a blanket of snow. Lakes and waterfalls are frozen solid. I marvel at how close the train passes to many of the ice formations!
Frozen water!
At the 102 mile mark, the train begins a 500 foot decent into the Agawa Canyon. It will take about ten miles for us to reach the canyon floor. During the summer, passengers are allowed to disembark the train for about one hour to explore the forests and waterfalls that surround this area. In the winter, it is simply a frozen wonderland and too dangerous for hikers, so the train doesn’t stop, but rather re-positions to head back to the city. The attached dining car offers lunch and many passengers head that way. Alan and I have brought a box lunch, a picnic prepared by our hotel. We flip our seat over, as advised by the crew. We pass time, on the four hour return journey, by watching monitors positioned throughout the coaches. They are connected to a camera that has been mounted on the front of the engine. We will now enjoy the scenery in reverse of the way we saw it on our approach. With full bellies from lunch, most people sleep through this part of the adventure. At the end of our “A” themed date, we declared it to have been an “awesome adventure.” Our first exploration of the alphabet, was now in the books!
Agawa Canyon Park