20 - Grand Marais, Minnesota

We arrived at the pretty little town of Grand Marais and paid to stay at the campsite on the marina for five nights. This was due to the extremely low rate of $15 per night because they were operating on low season prices until 1st May. I was also very happy to get my second stamp on my Admiral form!
The town was very artsy with many art and craft galleries, most of which were closed. All the buildings were painted in lovely pastel colours which made the place particularly endearing when complimented by the cloudless blue sky.
We found a fantastic cafe, Java Moose Cafe, which we visited every day, not least because there was free wireless available. The cafe was small with comfy chairs, books and magazines to read, Java Moose merchandise and artwork on the walls for sale. The staff were very friendly and the hot chocolate with whipped cream was second to none. Fred said the cappuccino was strong but also very good. Many of the customers seemed to know each other and the atmosphere was very relaxed; I even saw one lady sitting with a blanket over her legs while she surfed the net!
The Lake Superior Trading Post was another place we visited quite a few times as it sold outdoor gear and good quality souvenirs. I couldn't resist buying a book about the wolf in America.
The weather was mostly beautiful but there was a quite violent storm one evening and we sat in the front seats of the RV watching the fork lightning above the water.
On the second day we visited Java Moose in the morning then on the way back to the campsite we had lunch at the fish and chip shop. I had white fish and Fred had herring, both of which had been caught from the lake that morning. The freshness was evident as we sat scoffing our food on the sunny balcony, all washed down with some Lake Superior Special Ale. We were quite tipsy as we walked back to the RV and enjoyed a little siesta before we headed out on one of the campsite's trails.



There were three trails there; a short flat one which went through the woods and passed the shore of the lake, taking only 10 minutes and very thoughtfully designed for access by wheelchair. The second one was a little more arduous as it involved a steep rocky climb to the top where one could view the whole town. It took about 20 minutes to complete. The final was an extension of the second which led to a disused radio tower and took an extra 10 minutes.
We did all three a few times and Tala and I did the last two on our own once but not without almost getting lost and being a bit scared!
Grand Marais had everything one could need so we did our weekly shop and all our washing.
Fred was also able to get some nice shots with his SLR camera. The rocky shore and quaint old lighthouse made great subjects.
One night the lake was wild and the fog was so thick but we went to the shore to savour the eeriness while being slightly frightened by the large menacing waves. Thick fog always reminds me of the film The Others starring Nicole Kidman. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it's a creepy movie definitely worth a watch in which the fog is relentless. Big waves always remind me of my aunty, Lynsey, who is a couple of years younger than me (don't go there!). When we were teenagers we would shout and swear at the sea in Lossiemouth and Hopeman, in Scotland, in the hope of making it mad so it would splash us and trap us on the rocks. Okay, no-one quite understands the mysterious discipline of teenage logic! Seemed like a great idea at the time!
Whilst in Grand Marais, we made a year's subscription to our Spot device and, at the touch of a single button, sent our first OK message which gave family and friends our exact location. Once it was all set up, it was very impressive. We also set up our tracker and our shared page so people could navigate there to see our location in almost real time. That meant we would send a tracker message every time we stopped once we had left Grand Marais.
On our last day we picked up some information on trails on the Highway 61 towards Duluth,one of which we hoped to do en route.

19 - Entering America and Grand Portage

Since arriving in Canada, Fred had been on a mission to find the perfect coffee and so far, except for Lorne's wonderful speciality, the mission had failed. He was obviously missing his regular jaunts to the NAAFI he used to enjoy (very frequently) while at work. So, we couldn’t leave Thunder Bay without first spending at Starbucks. The hot chocolate ain’t half bad either!

It was another glorious sunny day and as we travelled south we noticed the leaves on the trees were greener and much more developed than the ones on the trees on the northern shore of the lake. It began to feel like spring rather than winter.

The border to the U.S. is about 60 kms from Thunder Bay so it wasn’t long before we were there. We were both quite nervous, expecting rigorous questioning and hoping there’d be no need for rubber gloves. However, it went a lot smoother than we’d imagined. We had to fill out a form, give a photo and our fingerprints, and allow a search of the RV. We weren’t present when they searched the RV and it couldn’t have been very thorough because there is a large garage (storage compartment) at the rear of the vehicle, in which we could have stored at least five terrorists, that they didn’t even unlock. Maybe we come across far more respectable than we give ourselves credit. It could have been the way I was childishly wriggling around with excitement at the thought of entering the Land of the Free for the first time! Who knows?

Shortly after the crossing we stopped to withdraw some cash from an ATM (we learnt quickly to avoid asking “Where can one find a cash point?” “A waaaaaaat?” “A cash point. A machine from which one withdraws cash?” “Oh, an Ay Tee Ayum!”) We also had to put our clocks/watches back one hour as we entered the Central Time Zone.

The forested highway through Minnesota was very quiet. My favourite quote of the drive was Fred saying "I'm not sure what the speed limit is here. I don't wanna get tazered". After another few kilometres we stopped at a scenic lookout which gave wonderful panoramic views of the lake and nearby islands.

Next we hit Grand Portage where we stopped to visit the Heritage Centre and National Monument. Grand Portage was home to the headquarters of the North West Company which rivalled Hudson’s Bay Company previous monopoly of the fur trade. The Voyaguers who worked for this new company had to endure a 13.5km portage to reach Pigeon River which led to the north. Thankfully Fred and I will not have to traverse anything half as long and neither will we be carrying kit half as heavy!

The area was also home to the First Nations for thousands of years; copper tools have been found dating back to 6000 BC. More specifically, the Ojibwe lived in the area for about 3000 years before the Europeans arrived. Many artefacts made by the tribe were featured in the centre.

The National Monument included the Grand Portage Stockade within which were the Great Hall, kitchen and gardens. Unfortunately it was closed but we were able to peek through the stockade and take some photos. Outside the stockade were Ojibwa wigwams and the Canoe Warehouse used by the Voyaguers from the camp. It was all very fascinating but would have been more so if it had been completely open.

We returned to the van, ate some lunch and got back on the road heading towards Grand Marais where we hoped to stay (that rhymes!).

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.

17 – Good Times, Great Company

I was a little nervous about meeting Lorne, Kelly and Grace again considering they had so kindly offered a place for our RV even though they hardly even knew us. We are used to offers like that only coming from family or good friends and we’d only just met this family. However, my worries dissipated as Lorne welcomed us enthusiastically when we arrived in Rossport.
Rossport is another tiny community with a population of less than 100 and sits directly upon the shores of Lake Superior across from an eight-island archipelago. This provides a conveniently protected area for canoeing and kayaking.We parked our RV across from Lorne’s house and joined him as he was just saying goodbye to one of his friends. Kelly was at work so it was just the four of us including little Grace who had just finished school. We chatted over tea and coffee until we went outside to sit on the deck and Lorne made us burgers on the barbeque. He also let us sample some of his delicious homemade cookies. We were lucky to catch their next door neighbour, Ian, returning from work. Ian works as doctor and has travelled extensively worldwide including frequently taking himself off on solo canoe expeditions. He joined us for some food and kept us company while Lorne took Grace to her dance lesson.
Ian had lots of information about the areas we were hoping to canoe. He advised that Algonquin can get very crowded but should be fine during the dates we hope to travel. He also fetched a map from his house and we all discussed possible canoe routes. He has us seriously considering the Missanaibi river which would be a 7 to 10 day trip, paddling the bottom half of the river, from Mattice to James Bay. We have a book on the Missinaibi at home but had decided against the trip because of restrictions on the train regarding dogs. A train journey is the only feasible means of return since there are no roads in that area and a bush plane would be quite expensive. Ian only had great things to say about Wabakimi since it offers the ultimate wilderness experience so it will definitely remain on our To Do List.
Before long, Kelly returned from work and joined us. It was so lovely to see her again and, even though we had only met her once, it was obvious that she and Lorne were such great people.The air began to cool down so we retired inside their home followed shortly thereafter by Lorne and Grace returning from ballet. We continued chatting about canoe trips and Kelly’s career as a teacher and Lorne’s as a fireman, amongst other things. Kelly and Lorne also have canoes and kayaks so it was nice to also hear their stories of paddling in the area. Kelly highly recommended Quetico but we are slightly put off by the relatively high prices of the permits. However, it is an option and it’s nice to hear first-hand that it’s a beautiful place to canoe. Quetico and Boundary Waters Canoe Area form one huge wilderness area which straddles the US border, the former on the Canadian side and the latter on the American side. Each part covers an area of around 4500 km ².
It began to get dark and Ian departed but not before kindly offering the use of his canoe and paddles for the following day.
We left shortly afterwards and fell asleep in our van.
In the morning, Lorne banged on our window to let us know he was taking Grace to school and that we could use the shower and get a drink. Once he returned, Lorne kitted us out with life jackets and then we walked to the nearby jetty and got into his motorboat. It was a gloriously sunny day but once we were on the water, the wind was brisk and the waves were quite high. I sat in the back with Tala, who was a little nervous about a boat which, contrary to her experience in our canoe, made noise and went quite fast, and Fred sat with Lorne in the front. We drove around a couple of islands before we stopped at one on which was a little wooden hut – the Harry Hilton. Lorne told us he’d been coming here since he was a boy and the hut is for fisherman, boaters or anyone who wishes to stay the night or wait-out a storm. We signed the log book and read about the history of the Harry Hilton which Lorne and a few other locals help maintain.
We got back onto the water and drove to the lighthouse where Lorne told us about a massive storm in 1975 which sank the freighter, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and waves crashed over and above the lighthouse! Then we crossed over quite an open expanse of water where the waves increased in size, the wind became icier and we bounced up and down more violently. We stopped at another island where we explored a bit before returning to Rossport having really enjoyed our little excursion.
Fred and I went to the local restaurant for lunch. It was a very artsy place, the walls of which were adorned with paintings and drawings for sale and it played beautiful folk music while we ate. It was a little pricey but the food was good nonetheless.
After lunch the wind had gained in strength so we deliberated whether or not to take out Ian’s canoe. Lorne had promised Grace that he would take her out in the boat after school and so we decided we would brave the waves and meet them at Joe Eagle’s Rock.
We were quite nervous especially since we were in an unfamiliar craft with unfamiliar paddles but the wind and waves weren’t as bad as we’d expected. This was due mainly to the fact that the wind was behind us for most of the paddle. We passed through a couple of islands before we had Joe Eagle in our sight and after a little more work we were on dry land again. We had finally canoed in Canada! It was about time too! Our tree-covered destination had a sandy beach with a picnic table, a fire pit and, around the corner, a large smooth flat rock which reached out into the lake.
Before long Lorne, Grace and their dog, Maggie, had arrived and the fire was roaring. Lorne had brought an array of food; hotdogs, veggies, beef jerky and, of course, the ingredients for s’mores! He cooked the hotdogs on the fire and roasted the marshmallows, under Grace's strict supervision, for the s'mores - we are of the same opinion that we don't like cremated marshmallows, like Fred and Lorne, but just nicely browned. Lorne had us in hysterics telling us a marshmallow story from when he was a boy. He had just roasted a marshmallow and held it above his head on the end of a skewer to blow on it t ocool it down. Well...I'm sure you guessed it...it dropped on him! Not just on his face...but in his eye! A roasting hot marshmallow in his eye. Luckily, the incident didn't leave any lasting damage, only a small scar and very infrequent impaired vision so I suppose he was very lucky. I don't think his mum was best pleased!
Lorne and Grace left, leaving us full to the brim, and still chuclking over the marshmallow story, while we waited for the wind to calm down before tackling the choppy water. Unfortunately, the wind didn’t ease off and, since the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, we decided to go for it. Everything seemed fine as we paddled calmly along the island we had just left, with the wind behind. Then we rounded the corner and the wind and waves hit us side-on as we struggled with our paddles. We tried to align ourselves so we were going into the waves more because waves hitting from the side are extremely dangerous. We paddled hard as we crossed the open water between two islands and tried not to look towards the surging ominous waters. Finally we made it to the protection of the other island and things seemed calm until, again, we rounded a corner and the headwind blew against us for the final stretch to Rossport. If it weren’t for the steep rocky banks of the island, we would have got out and lined the canoe (a process whereby you walk on the shore and lead the canoe through the water with a rope) because we would have made more progress that way. At times we didn’t make any progress at all but we somehow carried on and made it back to beach of Rossport. The 40-minute journey it had taken us to get to Joe Eagle had been lengthened to about an hour on the way back!
We carried the canoe up the verge and were greeted by Ian back at his house. He was happy we had taken advantage of his offer and we were extremely grateful. He had just made a Thai curry so invited us into his warm home in our bedraggled state. The curry was fantastic, warming us up nicely, and we chatted again about Ian’s travels and possible canoe routes for us to follow.
We left at about 10pm and went to see Lorne who was waiting for Kelly to return from an all-day event she’d attended in Thunder Bay. This also meant we could see her before we left because she had been really busy since we’d arrived. Once she’d returned we chatted over tea and coffee until about midnight when we had to leave them because Kelly had already had a long day and had work in the morning. We said our goodbyes to Kelly, who would leave for work early in the morning, and retired to the RV. We felt lucky to have bumped into such great people at Neys and to have had such a brilliant time in Rossport.
The next morning, Lorne kindly let us wash and dry some clothes while he made us some excellent Finnish pancakes. True to form, I had too many, each drizzled in copious amounts of maple syrup. Mmmmm…
Not long before we left, a friend of Lorne’s, Darrell, turned up. Darrell works at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay teaching outdoor leadership based courses so it was extremely interesting and informing speaking to him. He is very experienced in canoeing the provincial parks in Ontario and, like Ian, said that if we wanted peace, quiet and wilderness, then Algonquin was not the place for us. He also admitted that it wouldn’t be as bad during the period that we have booked so we were not too disheartened. Regarding Wabakimi, he said we should visit him when we are next in the area (we have to pass through again on the way to Wabakimi) and he would supply us with maps and other information. Yet again another friendly Canadian offering to help us out. We love Canada!

16 - Rainbow Falls Provincial Park

We left Neys at around 11.30 in no rush as Rossport is only around 100km from there. It was a beautiful bright day but quite nippy nonetheless. We drove through more spectacular scenery until we reached Terrace Bay where we refilled our propane so we could enjoy more warm nights.
About 15km after Terrace Bay, we passed through the tiny town of Schreiber and stopped shortly thereafter at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park. We were so glad to know that we could enter the parks even when they were closed. The gate was not far from the main highway but there was a nice discreet loop in the road where we parked the RV and then set off into the park on foot.
We discussed that this time of year was probably the best time to visit provincial parks since they were so quiet. However, this year is unusually warm and the winter had a lot less snow than normal so we had been quite lucky.
Again, we walked past deserted maintenance areas, information booths and a small camp area, and after a couple of kilometres we reached a picnic area overlooking a blue lake. We spotted a Northern Flicker which is a beautiful type of woodpecker but again they are fairly common in Ontario. Untroubled by our presence, he jumped around pecking at the ground while Fred tried to get some shots.
We could hear the roaring of water so followed the sound until we reached the falls. Not quite as dramatic as Niagara, it was still a lovely waterfall and it was devoid of people so we enjoyed it. We walked down the steps of the wooden walkway to get a better view of the violent waters and were surprised by the sheer loudness. We took a few photos and explored the area for a while before returning to the van for some lunch.