Page 124 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL EATING IBERIA

The big attraction here is the historic Soo Locks,
which enable the large freighters that carry ore from
the mines in Wisconsin and Minnesota to reach the
mills in the lower Great Lakes states. Superior is 21
feet higher than Huron, and the river is marked by
rapids, so the locks were built to raise or lower the
ships and keep them going on their passage. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers has constructed a glass-en-
closed viewing deck, accessible for free, where visi-
tors can watch the giant freighters shimmy into the
lock, then go up or down with the water level, then
shimmy back out to open water. An estimated one-
half trillion dollars’ worth of iron ore passes through
the Soo Locks annually.
Theothermajorattractionhereisthelakewhite-
fish. Our introduction to this delicacy was at the Lock
U.P. restaurants offer other fish varieties as well,
ViewRestaurantinSaultSte.Marie,butlakewhitefish suchaswalleyeandperch,butnoneofthemcompares
is featured on nearly every restaurant menu in the
with lake whitefish for flavor or texture. I even had it
U.P., and with good cause. A member of the salmon
wrappedinapitaforlunch.Inevertiredofit.
family,lakewhitefishismeatyandflavorful,andlocals
prepareitavarietyofways–broiled,pan-fried,Cajun After departing Sault Ste. Marie we followed the
style, or seasoned with lemon pepper. LakeSuperiorshorewestthroughHiawathaNational
ForestandcutnorthwardtoWhitefishPoint,astoried

124 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2020