Science on the Sea: Viking’s Undiscovered Great Lakes Cruise

The Viking Polaris makes a stop during a Great Lakes cruise. Pam LeBlanc photo

Midway through a week-long Great Lakes cruise aboard the Viking expedition ship, Polaris, I watch water drip from the sides of a globe-shaped submarine returning from its mission along the bottom of Lake Superior. 

The sub, one of two aboard the Polaris, has just wrapped up the first photographic survey of a train locomotive that rolled off the tracks and sunk in the Great Lakes more than a century ago. 

That’s right. This cruise skips the water slides and sexy legs contests and focuses instead on scientific research, exploration, and education.  

And I’m a fan. 

Since we left port in Thunder Bay, Ontario, a few days ago, I’ve seen the ship’s three full-time scientists test water for phytoplankton and monitor microplastics. I’ve listened to a lecture on endangered species. Later this week, I’ll watch the crew release a weather balloon.  

“It’s a no-brainer to do this type of science on a cruise ship,” says Jack Buckingham, lead scientist aboard the ship, one of two expedition-class vessels in the Viking fleet.  

The ships team with universities and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct research. They also host visiting scientists, who can spend up to 42 days on board gathering data. Last year, researchers from the Polaris’ sister ship, the Octantis, discovered a previously unknown colony of chinstrap penguins in Antarctica. 

All of this has changed my mind about cruising, which I once likened to getting locked into a shopping mall and pushed out to sea. 

Here’s how my trip unfolded… 

Day 1: Departing Thunder Bay on a Great Lakes cruise

We arrived in Thunder Bay the day before our departure, and booked a night at the charming  (and affordable) Courthouse Hotel, housed in the hilltop building where trials once took place. 

With extra time on our hands, we toured the Alexander Henry, a former Canadian Coastguard ship repurposed as the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay, docked right next to the Polaris.  

The Alexander Henry served as the main icebreaker in Lake Superior from 1959 to 1985. Its crew delivered supplies to lighthouses and maintained buoys. The hour-long tour through its kitchen, deck, bunkrooms and engine room is well worth the trip.  

Afterward, we boarded the Polaris, which carries about 375 passengers. I unpacked my bags, plopped my cameras onto the desk, then flopped onto the comfy bed with a smile. 

Read more: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Serves Up Scenic Outdoor Adventure 

Day 2: Mines and more on Silver Islet 

The general store in tiny Silver Islet sells coffee, pastries and souvenirs. Pam LeBlanc photo

Early the next morning, the boat pulled up near the old silver mining town of Silver Islet, Ontario. It looked exactly like I pictured the North Woods of my dreams – tall pines, boulders flocked in velvety moss, and gray-blue water. 

Mist and clouds socked us in, so we had to cancel our kayaking plans. Instead, we hopped a tender to shore, where we hiked through the lush boreal forest to a lichen-covered rock arch called the Sea Lion. 

Afterward, we stopped at the bright blue general store, stocked with knickknacks in front and a cozy coffee shop in back. 

That afternoon, we rode a Zodiac out to the namesake abandoned silver mine, now a flooded shaft at the edge of an island the size of a baseball field. That mine once tapped into a rich vein of silver discovered in 1868.  

Peering down into the cold, dark abyss gave me shivers. 

Day 3: Stepping off in Terrace Bay 

Pam LeBlanc takes a break while hiking along Lake Superior. Chris LeBlanc photo

I’m skipping some details about ship life – but the food was great, especially the tiny sushi bar and a high-end Italian restaurant. I also got caught up in an onboard competition to find paper cranes hidden in nooks and crannies. We eased into the heated indoor pool a few times and stuck our toes in the “ice grotto,” a small room with a chilly pile of snow as its focal point. 

But I love outdoor adventure. When we got to Terrace Bay Beach, we went directly to shore to explore the Parks Canada site on foot. Our hike took us to a bridge overlooking the Lower Falls, where the Aguasabon River crashed down a stony slope. Then we chugged up a steep hill to the even more impressive Upper Falls. There, we peered down at the river, tinted rust by tannins, as it swirled through a deep, rocky gorge. 

Later that afternoon, we tugged on dry suits and climbed into kayaks to explore a nearby cove. My only complaint? Not enough time. I felt like a penned-up horse, itching to burst out of the corral. 

Day 4: Underwater exploration at McGarvey Shoal 

Thankfully, that wasn’t my only chance to paddle.  

We popped up early the next morning to paddle along McGarvey Shoal, our home for the day. There, we weaved among fingers of rock that stretched from a shoreline bristling with trees. (Again, I wanted more time.) 

A luxury steam yacht named the Gunilda famously sank in here in 1911. It’s also where Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive No 694 hit a pile of rocks on the tracks in 1910. 

The train plunged 60 feet down an embankment and into the lake, killing three men. The wreckage, initially spotted by divers in 2014 and confirmed two years later, came to rest in about 235 feet of water.  

It took the Polaris’ sub about an hour and 20 minutes to pinpoint the locomotive’s wreckage. Then it began snapping photographs. 

“If all goes as planned, it will become a historic site,” Niko Bragge, head of the Viking ship’s submersible program, said afterward. 

Read More: Three Fall Days in Vail, Colorado 

Day 5: What to do in Duluth 

I wasn’t sure what to expect in Duluth, where we docked for the night so the passengers could clear customs the next morning.  

We knew the Edmund Fitzgerald had last docked here before sinking in Lake Superior in November 1975. I also knew that Bob Dylan was born in the city.  

With a (rainy) day to explore, Chris and I grabbed our slickers and headed out to find Dylan’s earliest home, which turned out to be a modest duplex at the top of a hill not far from downtown. Unless you spotted the “In Bob We Trust” marker embedded in the sidewalk out front, you might not guess the home’s significance. But the “Blowin’ in the Wind” singer lived here from 1941 until 1947, when his family moved to nearby Hibbing, Minn.  

Later, we walked down to the Aerial Lift Bridge that spans the Duluth ship channel, watching it rise and drop to accommodate passing freighters. Then we ducked into the excellent Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, where we learned more about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (cue music), which killed 29 men.  Visitors can also step inside a replica of a ship’s pilothouse or check out scale ship models. They can also access live ship arrival and departure times via monitors.  

Day 6: Through the Soo Locks 

We spent most of the next day motoring across Lake Superior, making our way toward Sault Ste. Marie. There, we’d enter Lake Huron via the Soo Locks.  

A pair of parallel locks allow ships to drop 21 feet and avoid nearby rapid. Gravity, not electricity, power the locks, and it takes a whopping 22 million gallons of water to lift or lower a boat. 

We stood on deck for the big moment, waving to onlookers on a viewing platform as we passed.  

The locks date back to the mid-1850s. Construction of a new lock began in 2019 and is expected to take about 10 years. 

Day 7: Stepping back in time on Mackinac Island 

A horse-drawn carriage makes its way around Mackinac Island. Pam LeBlanc photo

When I woke up the next morning, I could see the Grand Hotel, and its famously long front porch, out the cabin’s window. 

It was a trip back in time for me. Not only did I watch Christopher Reeves film a scene of the cheesy romantic flick “Somewhere in Time” there when I visited Mackinac Island as a teenager, but I worked on the island one summer as a college student. 

A lot of people who visit Mackinac never get off Lake Shore Drive, which is lined with shops and restaurants. But the best part lies beyond those busy streets. 

More than 80 percent of the island is a state park, and cars are banned (other than a few emergency vehicles.) Chris and I beelined it to a rental shop, where we checked out two bikes and headed off to explore. We made the 8.2-mile loop around the island’s outskirts. Then we pedaled up to Stonecliffe Inn, where I once worked as a front desk clerk. 

Things have changed since I worked at the Stonecliffe. In my day, employees lived above the restaurant or in the barn, and on the last day of the summer, the water pipes leaked and part of the ceiling collapsed in the lobby.  

If you visit the island, look for a secret staircase hidden in the trees to the side of the historic fort, and drop by the old cemetery at the island’s center. And don’t forget the fudge, for which Mackinac is known. Thirteen shops operate on the island. Murdick’s is best. 

Day 8: Milwaukee, then home after a Great Lakes cruise

After leaving Mackinac, the Polaris motored beneath the expansive Mackinac Bridge and into Lake Michigan.  

Our trip ended in Milwaukee, where we disembarked the next morning. A shuttle, provided by Viking, delivered us to O’Hare Airport in Chicago, two hours away. From there, we caught a direct flight back to Austin.