Mile 10801

 This morning the sky is gray, temperatures have somehow dropped to the mid 60's, and we leave Thunder Bay, ON with drizzle rain, sometimes some more, sometimes less.  It is an indication of how the rest of the day will shape, but we don't mind as we are about to make some mileage today.  We zig-zag through town and find Rt-17, the TCH again and turn our car West.  The drizzle changes to some steady rain, before returning to drizzle again, and the view through the forrest and mountains is pretty much obscured by the low hanging clouds.  We see again warning signs telling us that there is limited service and one should check the gas tank, an indication that we will be crossing a terrain with very little townships.  First we pass is Ignace, ON, before coming to Dryden, ON and then Kenora, ON.  Here the rain / downpour stops, for awhile and we can enjoy the town and the islands along the way.  But not for long, and the heavens open up again, but it just stops in time for a rain free picture of the Longitudinal Center of Canada, before entering Winnipeg, MB under rain of course.

Here we are, at the Longitudinal Center of Canada

Unfortunately closed when we arrived, the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg, MB

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

To my friend Dave, a happy birthday from the distance, and slainte.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  -  Martin Luther King Jr., American minister and civil rights activist, 1929-1968

"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty."  -  Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US president from 1801 to 1809, 1743-1826 ; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1993 to 2020, 1933-2020

Mile 10310

 It has rained all night, and this morning the sky is not very inviting.  We nonetheless head out of town and find Rt-11 to the Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park.  We hit the trails and learn a lot about the fur traders and the voyageurs as they traveled along the portage here, heavily used by the North West Company before they merged in 1821 with the Hudson Bay Company.  

Kakabeka Falls

From here we trace our way back along the TCH to the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park for a late lunch and a seat in the sun.  

Sleeping Giant from Thunder Bay and from Lake Marie Louise

Enjoying the sunshine in Silver Islet, ON

After that it is back to Thunder Bay and the Fort William Historical Park.  Here the story of the fur traders and voyageurs portages continues and we get a good inside into the living at Fort Williams at around 1815, the peak of the fur trading.  Forth Williams was a kind of exchange fort, where trappers and indigenous people be coming form further West would trade their fur for goods of daily life, and the NWC would take the furs from here to Montreal to be shipped to England for further processing into clothing and articles of luxury.  At its peak, Fort Williams would process / handle about 200,000 pounds of fur per year.  Due to increasing competition with the Hudson Bay Company, the NWC was 1821 absorbed by the HBC, but the Fort continued trading fur till the 19-hundredth.  Very interesting and educational afternoon.

Fort William, Entrance and map of America 1989 to 1793 with Mackenzie's Track

House of the merchants, fur storehouse and boots builder workshop

"Ghosts of those days of the voyageur stalk the portages, and phantom brigades move down the waterways, and it is said that singing can be heard on quiet nights."  -  from Bill Mason's 'Song of the Paddle'

Mile 10188

 We are up early this morning and are surprised to see sunshine since the forecast called for rain.  We have a quick coffee, break down camp and head back to the TCH.  We cross the Little PIc River at the western end of the Neys Provincial Park, and continue toward Terrace Bay, ON.  Here we have a brunch and freshly energized we head to Thunder Bay, ON.  

Morning over Lake Superior

Little Pic River

But not before coming into the rain which was forecasted, and so the view of the beautiful bridge in Nipigon, ON was a little clouded.  

Bridge to Nipigon, ON; Statue of Terrance Stanley Fox

Terrance Stanley Fox, 1958-1981, lost at the age of 18 his right leg to cancer and decided to raise more awareness to this illness by doing a run from St. John's, NL to Vancouver, BC.  He started in April 1980, running 26 miles a day, but had to give up to recurring cancer after 3,339 miles in June 1981.

Shortly after that the rain subsided, and the sun broke through again.  We roll into Thunder Bay, ON, first a little disappointed by the sights the city offers, perhaps we took the wrong turns and ended up in the lesser nice areas, but soon we find some nice corners and enjoy the afternoon.

Prince Arthur's Landing

Marina and Waterpark

Chen Wangtin (1600-1680) founder of Tai Chi martial arts

Jiaozou City and Thunder Bay City established 2017 an International Friendship City Relationship

Anchorage Memorial

Historical Thunder Bay Railway Station

"Dreams are made if people only try.  I believe in miracles ....  I have to .....  Because somewhere the hurting must stop."  -  Terrance Stanley Fox, 1958-1981

Mile 9963

 This morning we are crossing back into Canada as we had left it yesterday because of me having made a mistake when booking a hotel room.  When I selected a chain hotel for Sault Ste. Marie in ON, I didn't pay attention that this hotel was actually located in MI.  Since the booking was non-refundable, we crossed the border for the night to return this morning again.  Very annoying, but my own fault.

Bridge to Canada over St. Marys Falls and River

Being back in Canada we pick up Rt-17 or as it is called the Trans Canada Highway (TCH) again and make our way towards Thunder Bay, ON.  We pass through many First Nation Land and pass the midway point between St.John's in Newfoundland and Victoria in British Columbia of the TCH at Chippewa Falls.  It is quite an interesting story about a person called Dr. Perry A. Doolittle, "the Father of the TCH" and his determination to have this road built.

Midway Point Marker for the Trans Canada Highway

Chippewa Falls, and interpretative panel for 'Canada's Group of Seven' more than 100 years ago.  

It was a group of painters between 1918 and 1922 who painted the rivers like the Batchawana, Montreal, and Agawa.

Of course we have to make a stop at the Agawa Arts and Craft Store.  It is  still the same tourist trap as it has been, and so we don't spend much time here.

Agawa Arts and Craft Store

We continue along the lake shore to Wawa, ON, but not before making another stop at the Agawa Rock Pictographs.  They allow us a glimpse into traditional Ojibwe life, and are records of ancient dreams, visions, and events generated by the Ojibwe people portraying mystical beings, animals, and humans.

Pictographs made by the Ojibwe People

Passing Wawa, ON, we turn a bit inland, passing more lakes and rivers, and after crossing the White River we head for Marathon, ON to call it the day.  even though that it had rained in the early morning hours, and a low mist was laying over the Batchawana Bay earlier, the day turned out gorgeous by midday with blue skies, but temperatures stayed only in the mid 60's. 

Morning mist over Batchawana Bay,  White Lake

Going down to Wawa, ON, meadows by White River, ON

"The passing of every old man or woman means the passing of some tradition, some knowledge of sacred rites possessed by not other."  -  Edward S. Curtis, American photographer and ethnologist whose work focuse on the American West and the Native American people, 1868-1952