On 9-11-2001 we were camped at St. Ignus, Michigan just above the bridge over the Straits. My wife and I had moved up from a truck camper to a used motor home once the kids began leaving the nest. So we had all the comforts of home. We got up that morning and turned on the T.V. and the first tower in New York had been hit and was burning. As we watched in horror the second plane slammed into the other tower. Then all hell broke loose. Needless to say the level of tension went up around the bridge and we began monitoring with a scanner. That day I filled up the tank so we would be able to make it home if the worst happened. Some gas prices jumped to over $5 a gallon until the governor stepped in.
We decided to continue north the next day to the Sault area where we planned to camp for the last two weeks of our vacation and monitor the situation. After we set up in a site it was a beautiful clear day so we moved outside to watch the ships and listen to the scanner. The government was on high alert around the Locks. The coast guard, security, and the international bridge had fast and furious radio traffic. I looked into the sky and high flying, pole crossing, passenger jets that were arriving at the U.S. border were turned around over Canada and headed back north. It was amazing to see contrails in a tight "U" shape. The government was taking no chances!
That night after we went to bed I continued to monitor the scanner. At a little after 3 am there was a tremendous explosion, the motor home shook an we came straight out of bed. I told my wife that I thought someone must have taken out the International Bridge. I went out but the bridge was OK. I could see it very well with binoculars and everything looked standing. The scanner came alive, with everyone asking what happened. Very little information was available until about an hour and a half later. The security forces had been advised that NORAD had seen a sizable meteor enter the lower atmosphere just about 20 miles north in Canada with a possible strike in a wilderness area near the small town of Heyden, Ontario. Needless to say as jumpy as everyone was in those days, NORAD was doing a sterling job of watching our skies, and they didn't let a little stone from space slip by unnoticed. A couple of days later we drove up to the area but everything was normal. The meteorite had hundreds of square miles to fall in and that is a very rugged place. I have never heard of anyone recovering any of it.
Clear Sky - Rich
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