While I do a fair amount of bird watching at Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan, one of other hobbies I enjoy while I’m on the island is watching the freighters on the Detroit River.
It’s fun to see the Algowood in the fog or Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder traveling the waters on their way upbound to the Soo Locks or downbound to Windsor or cities further south.
This weekend, I saw the Mississagi freighter on one of its last trips for the season, downbound on the Detroit River shipping channel to Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
After loading grain, the Mississagi departed from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada on Thursday, January 2, 2020.
The ship arrived at the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on Friday, January 3, 2020 on its downbound journey via Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River.
We won’t be seeing many more ships along the Detroit River after mid-January.
It’s the end of the winter shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.
The last cargo ship of the season passed through the St. Lawrence Seaway on December 31, 2019, after which, the seaway closed for the season.
The Soo Locks are scheduled to close January 15, 2020 for a ten-week maintenance period.
Can’t wait for the start of the shipping season to start again in late March!
