Day 5

Starting Point: Marquette, MI
End Point: Espanola, ON
Mileage: 511km
Weather: Sunny and hot!!
Accommodations: Pinewood Motel

As we left Marquette this morning, everyone was wishing us a Happy 4th of July. We felt a little guilty letting them know that we are on the way back to Canada, and are looking forward to empty highways. The road out of Marquette was lined with lawn chairs, as the parade was set to to start in a few hours. We would have loved to have stayed for the parade and fireworks. To be honest, the fireworks on Lake Superior are probably going to be fantastic.

Forty-five minutes outside of Marquette, we arrive in Christmas Michigan. I've driven through this quaint little suburb of Musing, MI a few times, but have never stopped, I've only just enjoyed the thirty-foot Santa and probably blinked and the town was gone. Today, since it was Kathleen's first trip into Christmas, Michigan, I suggested we stop. We wondered into "Santa's Workshop" to buy a new Christmas ornament to add to our collection: a moose with "Christmas, Michigan" written on it. As we left, over the din of Christmas piano music playing on their in-house speaker system, the elderly lady behind the county wished us both a happy 4th of July, as well as "Merry Christmas".

Through most of the towns in the upper peninsula of Michigan, we witnessed a host of parades being prepared, pick-up trucks all pimped up with the red white and blue, as well as trailer floats, and likely the high school bands and baton twirlers were warming up in the local gymnasiums waiting for the fun. We also imagined the boats floating out in the lake getting the firework barges ready to go for tonight. Unfortunately for us, we are on a schedule and needed to be close to the ferry in South Baymouth Ontario (about four hours east of Sault Ste. Marie) so we had to say goodbye to the USA for the time being (we are going to be there a bit longer on the way home, and are very much looking forward to that).

After a quick stop at the border and giving the right answers to the the usual "Where are you from, How long have you been in the USA, How much did you spend, Do you have tobacco or alcohol" we ventured about 1 KM into the Canadian side of the Sault, stopping as soon as we found a Tim Horton's, and there was much rejoicing.

A very uneventful two and a half hours later, we found a quaint motel in Espanola, which will put us only about an hour and half from the ferry in the morning. The young gentleman at the desk recommended the Espanola Golf Course and County Club, a nine hole course near the paper mill, not without its challenges, so we played a quick nine holes before dinner. Kathleen shot very well, I did not. Dinner in the hotel was the best yet. Escargot and steak, with a decent Niagara house red. We were the youngest people in the restaurant by about fifty years. The dinner was good, and the room is clean and large, which is nice.

Happy July 4th to my American friends. We are sorry we bailed on your party; hopefully next trip we can plan to stay for a small town parade and firework show! Tomorrow, on to the first of the longer stops at Kathleen's Dad's place. Looking forward to spending more than one night in one place!