18 - Thunder Bay

As we drove away from Rossport, we both felt very low. It was as though had left our family and home behind. We didn’t travel very far that day as I wasn’t feeling great, probably due to the over-indulgence with the pancakes!

On the way we passed a petrol station which had fantastic paintings of wild animals on the walls.

We parked up at Birchwood campsite and did very little there for two days. That is, apart from arguing! After having such a great time in Rossport, being stuck in a campsite with ber little to do was such an anticlimax and tempers began to fray.

We did visit the local town of Red Rock, which was a very quiet place, and picked up some groceries.

From there we moved on to Thunder Bay, the biggest city we had been in since North Bay (you may remember the Walmart with no fresh produce). With a population of almost 110 000, it has everything you could possibly need and we needed an outdoor gear shop.

We stopped at the KOA campsite – they actually like to call them ‘kampsites’. KOA is a commercial chain of campsites which always have the best facilities but for a higher price than regular campsites. The kampground was massive with well over 100 available RV sites and there were only a couple of other kampers. It even had a pet play area, featuring a pool and fountain, where dogs can enjoy freedom from their leads. However, Tala was the only dog there so we played with her around our van and she really enjoyed the space.

The internet connection was fantastic so we decided to stay a few days researching the Lake Superior Circle Tour and catching up with family, friends and the blog.

The day after we arrived we headed into the town. First, we stopped to walk around a manmade lake on the outskirts of town which took us about 1 ½ hours. One side of the lake was particularly built-up with houses and even a factory but the other side was quite pretty being mostly wooded. We spotted a chipmunk which we managed to film.

From the lake we drove further into town to Wilderness Supply where we bought sone relatively cheap paddles and a stove which takes all types – the MSR Whisper Light. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take our own paddles on the plane hence the new purchase. Our usual stove is just a stove head which is extremely lightweight at only 70g and attaches to propane/butane canisters. However, we’ve had trouble finding canisters on previous canoe trips and after speaking to the guys in the shop, who said there would be little availability in remote areas, we decided to buy the refillable one. That way we could get fuel from any petrol station which can be found almost anywhere.

We were also hoping to buy bug shirts, an absolute necessity for a spring canoe trip in Canada. Wilderness Supply didn’t have any but pointed us in the direction of another shop which did.

A bug shirt is made from material that is impenetrable to tiny bugs. They have a hood with a net to cover one’s face and draw cords at the wrists and the waist. If you think this is a bit excessive then let me tell you a bit about the bugs we will encounter.

First, there are the black flies. They are found near moving water and/or after rain. We have been told that we will come across swarms of these pesky beasties. According to Pocket Guide to Wilderness Medicine and First Aid by Paul G. Gill, the bites from black flies ‘…leave large, bleeding puncture wounds. The bite then becomes red, swollen and painful, and it may take weeks for the weeping, crusted sores to heal.’ He also writes ‘Insect repellents and everyday clothing don’t deter these hombres when they attack in droves.’ Hence the bug shirts!

Second, are the mosquitoes. You’ve probably encountered a few of these in your time but in canoe country these bugs are monster-sized and so abundant at particular times that I once read if one were to stand naked, one would die within two hours from blood loss. If anyone watch the episode of the Bushcraft series where Ray Mears and Ray Goodwin paddle down the Missinaibi river, then they will fully comprehend the truth of that hypothesis. Bring on the bug shirts!

Last, but by no means least, are the midges. The natives of my homeland will understand why we dreamt of but shirts when canoeing Loch Shiel last year! With out trousers tucked into our socks and but nets almost the size of body bags (photo included), we still didn’t escape the teeth of these bugs and neither did poor Tala who was bitten inside her ears. Let’s hear it for the bug shirts!

At the next store we got our coveted shirts and also bought a bear bell (bears will hear this and run away instead of being startled – that’s what we’re told anyway!). The lady who served us was possibly more scared of bears than I am and always carries bear spray when walking her dog. I imagine that being quite impractical considering bear spray (like pepper spray but with strength) comes in big cans, almost one litre and has a reach of about 12 metres. Unfortunately, they were out of stock so the bear bell would have to do for us.

On our way back to the kampsite we stopped at the Terry Fox Monument and Visitor Centre. Terry Fox was a young man who lost one of his legs to cancer and subsequently set off to run across Canada to raise money and awareness for the disease. Sadly, after 5,280 kms, having run from Newfoundland to Thunder Bay, the cancer spread to his lungs and he had to abandon his run. He died less than a year afterwards at the age of 22. The monument and a section of the highway nearby were dedicated to him.

I picked up a Lake Superior Circle Tour guide at the centre and I found a form inside which went towards confirming that we should do the tour. It has to be stamped in each of the three American states, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, and two areas in Ontario. Once fully stamped, you send it away and then receive a certificate declaring you an Admiral! After seeing this, I ran back into the Visitor Centre and got my first stamp. Yay!

Our last day at the kampsite was a Sunday and we spent it relaxing in and around the van. On the Monday, before we headed towards the U.S., we returned to Wilderness Supply to exchange one of the paddles we had bought. We had chosen a cheap plastic one as a spare but decided it was too heavy so we exchanged it for another wooden one. We were also given the name of a shop which sold Spot devices. A Spot device is a GPS from which, at the touch of a button, you can send text or email messages to friends and family with a link to your exact geographic position. It also has an S.O.S. button which links directly to the local emergency services so we can feel safe even when we’re in the middle of nowhere. Additionally, there is a tracking option which locates your position in almost real time as it sends a signal every 6 to 10 minutes. Friends and family can log onto the Spot website and see our position which will be interesting when we are doing our canoe trips. We had been finding it extremely difficult finding a Spot since entering Canada because a huge number had been recalled due to a faulty battery light. We were very excited to finally get ours in our hands although we couldn’t use it until we had paid for a year’s subscription on the website. We would do that once we were in the U.S.