border crossing

Only one place in the United States exists where snowmobilers can legallycross into Canada via an International Ice Bridge- Drummond Island, Michiganto St. Joseph's Island, Ontario. The International Ice Bridge is located50 miles east of the eastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The ice bridge concept is not new, Great Lakes islanders have been crossingsimilar winter ice bridges for decades. Trips to the mainland were madeas soon as the ice was solid enough to support the weight of a man, dogsled or team of horses. But many times, either man or beast plunged throughunstable ice as conditions worsened, either early or late in the season.

The weekly "Looking Back" column in the St. Ignace News, recentlyran an ice bridge crossing article dated February 13, 1947. It read, "Twoyoung men from Mackinac Island made the first crossing on the ice bridgeto St. Ignace last Thursday morning in an hour and a half trip.

"Frank Massaway, 17, and Clarence Bazinaw, 24, made the crossingafoot. They left Mackinac Island at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and reached St.Ignace at noon just as the mill whistle blew. 'Had to be pretty carefulon the ice,' said Massaway. 'I lost our ice chisel when testing for a crack.We traveled well to the north all the way over to avoid the boat channelsand poorer ice. The crack was about a foot wide.'

"The crack Massaway referred to is that which forms about a mileoff St. Ignace and is there throughout the ice season, regardless of howcold the weather gets. A couple of sub-zero nights set the Ice Bridge which,since Thursday, has been in daily use by an airsled that makes several tripsdaily with passengers and freight."

The Mackinac Island ice bridge described in the above article, is stillwidely used today, bringing snowmobilers to this winter island with picture-postcardscenery.

Last winter I had the opportunity to speak with two snowmobilers whohad just completed the crossing from the United States to Canada via theIce Bridge. Dan Eiklor of Elgin, Illinois and Steve Leffler of Crystal Lake,Illinois, remarked they had driven their vehicle to the Wisconsin/ Michiganborder where they continued their winter journey on snowmobiles. They traveledeast along the Lake Superior shore from Houghton to Sault Ste. Marie. Thefinal leg of their trip brought them to DeTour Village, where they drovetheir snowmobiles onto the Drummond Island ferry to make the St. Mary'sRiver crossing.

Eiklor said, "The entire trip has been fantastic! Crossing the entirelength of the Upper Peninsula, being able to drive our snowmobiles rightonto the Drummond Island ferry, then the Ice Bridge crossing itself wasthrilling. Halfway across, I just could not believe I was actually crossingLake Huron- that fact alone made it awesome! Crossing the InternationalIce Bridge to Canada proved to be the highlight of the trip."

Leffler added, "This trip across the Upper Peninsula, includingthe International Ice Bridge crossing, is one we will not soon forget!"

The International Ice Bridge begins at the Island's Potagannissing Bay,where snowmobilers embark on a 12-mile journey to St. Joseph's Island, Canada.Riders can also opt to take a 24-mile trip to Thessalon, Ontario. Snowmobilerscan spend an entire day touring the Canadian shoreline, where cliff-toptrails pass by frozen waterfalls and quiet lighthouses.

This area is richly steeped in history. Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignaceare said to be the third and fourth established cities in the United States.This Canadian/American territory also played a dramatic role during theRevolutionary War.

Many people fail to realize that the distance between Drummond Islandand the mainland of Canada is one mile- the exact distance of the DeTour/Drummondferry crossing.

In order to choose the safest location for the Ice Bridge, a pilot fromthe Drummond Island airport flies over to observe the thickness and coverof the ice. Once a safe site is chosen, one person in a survival suit makesthe first crossing on a snowmobile. Once it is open for use, the bridgewill remain stable because the ice on Lake Huron freezes about three feetthick. However, snowmobilers should use caution when traveling on ice. Alsobe aware that Michigan's Upper Peninsula is famous for sudden snow squallsand blizzards. Weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly- often withoutwarning.

Remember that American travelers must notify Canadian officials thatthey have entered Canada. And Canadians entering U.S. boundaries must dothe same. Snowmobilers will find a small Customs booth located on St. Joseph'sIsland, Ontario, and the U.S. Customs officers are stationed on DrummondIsland.

The Royal Mounted Police patrol the Canadian side of the border. At theend of each day, records are exchanged to make sure all snowmobilers havereturned safely to their respective countries.

Adding to the overall enjoyment of snowmobiling the Bridge, is the factthat winter travelers rarely encounter snowmobile traffic. It appears asthough the bulk of snowmobilers, after crossing the five-mile span of theMackinac Bridge, head to sections of the central or western U.P.- makingthe eastern end of the peninsula one of Michigan's best kept secrets.