Canada - Thunder Bay

CANADA
Crossing the Border was much easier than expected, answering a few questions about what we had on board, the nature & length of our trip. Little did I know at the time that my answer of “a week or so” to the duration was way off as we reentered the US some 4-plus weeks later!

Thunder Bay
We pulled into the well-promoted Cherokee Campground late that evening only to be somewhat disappointed by the shabby nature of the facility, and apparent featureless surroundings. But, by the next day we had discovered that it had a nice wildlife center (zoo),

and a beautiful area to the North filled with many birds. We made several splendid walks here over the next three days.

We especially enjoyed the numerous Canadian geese, and were shocked to find a few migrating white pelicans!

Thunder Bay was built primarily on the fur trade. Iin the early years, and has a mainstay of timber, pulpwood and paper industries today. http://www.thunderbay.ca/index.cfm?fuse=html&pg=313

No trip to the city would be complete without having breakfast at the famed Hoito Café, which was the site of the Finnish Labor Temple, built in 1910 to serve as a home for Finnish workers who could neither afford a place to stay or a good meal. http://www.hoito.ca/article/history-of-the-finnish-labour-temple-4.asp
The mainstay of the breakfast from these earliest days was and is the Finnish pancake. After an hour’s wait, made pleasant by the serenade of a solo violinist playing on the sidewalk at the front door, we entered the home-style ambience and wonderful aroma to find a generous helping of those crepe-thin, but very filling wafers topped by maple syrup and complemented by a side of Finnish sausage.

But, the real highlight of the visit had to be stunning Kakabeka Falls. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakabeka_Falls

It was an overcast morning, but the dim skies and light rain didn’t detract from this magnificent display of Mother Nature’s kinetic energy unleashed. The 130 foot drop of the second largest waterfall in Ontario was truly awesome when compared to the falls we had visited in MN.

Our next day was spent at Fort William, a Disney-like resurrection and re-enactment of the famous fur trading outpost situated on the Kakabecka River some 10 miles below the Falls. http://www.fwhp.ca/index2.html

A detailed and lengthy tour included stops at the fur storage & packing area, living quarters for both trappers and elite buyers & businessmen, Fort square, the dairy and stables, provisions & trading store, and of course, the kitchen. We were amazed at the huge numbers of furs they had on display. Trapping is still an active trade in Canada. The silver fox and the wolf pelts were soft and beautiful!

A spin around the compound in the big wagon brought us to the barn where we made a new friend...

Our timing for a canoe paddle was excellent, and we were the stars of the crew, providing most of the forward momentum (all the kids and most of the adults were dragging the paddles most of the time!!).

The last morning I was up early, gazing across the Bay to see our next destination...the Sleeping Giant!

The Witch Tree

As we drove away from this small community, this sign reminded us of how important it is to slow down and find those special places, off the beaten path.

We realized that we had missed an important landmark for this area...the Witch Tree. This legendary cedar is said to be in excess of 200 years old, and is surrounded by sailors myth & lore. It appears to have little or no source of water or nourishment, standing alone on the bare rock, and is considered a sacred "spirit tree" by the local Indians.

We had to ask several people for directions to it's whereabouts, and actually backtracked ten or so miles to discover this treasure of Nature!

Circle Tour - Duluth to Grand Portage

This week marked the start of our Lake Superior "Circle Tour" although our plans will not take us all of the way back around (1200 miles total) to Duluth. We intend to do the Northern portion thruohg Canada, then hook back down Westward to the Pictured Rocks area in Michigan's UP. Kim has seen most of the areas North of Duluth, but it was a real treat for me, and we enjoyed sharing the experience. First stop was the Split Rock Lighthouse, probably the best known on the Lake and is said to be the most photographed. http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/srl/aboutsrl.html

We were greeted with a cold wind and some fog at the bay below the, but did get just enough of a break for a few photos and a short hike along the beach.

We spent a couple of nights at the Temperance River State CG, which is an area featuring interesting geology, and a narrow gorge cut by the River, accompanied by many small and beautiful waterfalls upstream. In addition to hiking the area, we took a bike ride to the shoreline, and were surprised by the clear water, colorful rocks, and fabulous views along the coastline. The blue waters reminded us of being on the Pacific! It's hard to believe that Superior is a land-locked freshwater lake.

Evenings were usually spent sitting by the side of a river or lake, next to a warm campfire enjoying a glass of our favorite wine!

Next stop was at the Cascades Falls, where Sam enjoyed the cool temperatues near the River.

Then onward to Tettegouche S P,where we crossed an interesting swinging bridge to get to it's two beautiful waterfalls.

We continued on the idea of a bike ride, we found a trail out to a high overlook onShovel Point with some amazing views!

In addition to the spectacular Lake views, we were treated to beautiful flowers along the cliffs and trails....

When we arrived at Grand Marais, we promptly discover a wonderful local; resturant....whose owners pride themselves on using only the finest fresh & locally grown (caught) products whenever possible. The entire cafe is operated with minimum impact to the environment, and was a delight to visit!

Everything from the flowers out front to the food on the tables, to the bathroom in the back was unusual and beautiful.

If you are ever in the area you must drop in and try their wonderful dishes! You can learn more about them at http://www.angrytroutcafe.com/ATpage3.html

As we continued further North, approaching the Canadian border, we made a final stop at Grand Portage, the original site of the Fort where fur traders gathered after a long season of trapping to exchange their pelts for goods, supplies and cash.
The Fort is staffed with volunteers that were very knowledgeable of the history and crafts of the era. Kim enjoyed learning about early Indian family life while I spent much of the time in the canoe building shop.

We enjoyed talking to the volunteers at the Fort, this lady was very knowledgeable of Indian ways & crafts. She explained that she & her husband were full-timers, volunteering at the post for the summer in trade for a place to park their camper.

Another area of particular interest was the kitchen. Lake trout were roasting on the open pit as we entered. The cook was very helpful in explaining how things were done in the old days, and that all their ingedients were locally obtained, including veggies grown in the garden out back.

The views of the upper end of the Lake were especially rewarding form this area. We tried to book passage on the ferry to Isle Royal, America's only island National Park, but were unable to due to heavy reservations & bookings.