Lake Superior

We left the hotel by 6:11am this morning, and just down the road we saw......

We listened to Gordon Lightfoot's song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" which is about the sinking of the ship in Superior down from the Chippewa River, where we stopped to have our muesli breakfast at 7-7:30am. 

It was really cold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And here's our own resident "Strider"

 
Lake Superior has been known traditionally by the Ojibwe as Gitche Gumee (Big Sea Water).  This lake of freshwater is the largest in the world by surface area, and although it is sometimes benign, often turns brutal.  It can appear calm, and you can see down 10m through pure, clear water.  But one must 'show respect for the water spirit Misshepezhieu (mish-ih-puh-shoo).  For when Superior gets angry there are disastrous shipwrecks, none more a part of Canadian folklore than the Edmund Fitzgerald, an ore carrier sunk with all souls lost in 1975." (Lonely Planet, "Canada")

Today's route was Sault Ste Maria to our friends place in Thunder Bay which is a 690km drive.  Alot of the drive is along or near the lake, but no big towns or cities along this stretch of the Trans Canada.  They say that the best way to enjoy this part of Ontario is to leave the hwy and go by foot.  We don't have that luxury except for the quick little pit stops.  Forget the little towns.  Enjoy the nature.

While driving today I've also been reading aloud to Everette (and whoever else wants to listen) from a blog of a youngish Irish couple (with their dog) who travelled by camper van from Chicago (where they'd been living) to east coast USA, to Nova Scotia & Cape Breton, Newfoundland, PEI, across to BC up the Alaskan Hwy, all the way to Inuvik, all over Alaska, to Vancouver Island, west coast to California, to Phoenix (and a flight to Italy for a sister's wedding) then thru Mexico, Central America and the whole drive to the southern tip of Argentina.  We can identify with many of the places and experiences they've had in Canada & the USA, and one day might identify with some of the rest of their adventures.  The only place Everette and I've been to in Central America is Belize, and that's the one country this couple didn't go to.

We made a stop at Old Woman Bay at 9ish for a break.  They say that you can see the face of an old woman in the rocks.  We didn't see much but a deserted beach and some dead wildlife.....

Gaelyn didn't do a burial this time though!  At first she did believe it was a real dead penguin when I first discovered it!!



Everette snapped pics of me doing my Hoe Downs, and then later a video when I was trying to teach them to Rauchelle, but found it hard to keep upright while watching her and standing uncertainly in shifting sand.

We made a quick stop at White River about 10:45am, where we saw that gas was $1.16 so instead of fueling up we took the children over to the park to freeze in the cold (!) and where I discovered what was behind the town's signs that proclaim......

When we got back on the Hwy, it was snowing!!!  Tiny flakes, and not staying, but darn cold.

We stopped at the ski hill in Marathon for lunch at 12:10-12:40 and saw a silver fox but didn't get the camera out in time to get a photo.



On the outskirts of Thunder Bay is a Terry Fox Memorial at which we stopped to have our supper.

After all these years, I still felt emotional telling my children again about Terry, and how he had moved the hearts of Canadians by how he spent his life.

We arrived at our friends, the Davenports around suppertime, and Mark made us eat supper with them even though we'd just eaten!  He can be so bossy sometimes ;)  but he is such a wonderful person!  And Karen, too (the other Karen).

We are thrilled to be spending a few days with D's, and getting to celebrate Rauchelle's Birthday tomorrow with them.

The dc enjoyed the hottub tonight before bed, and I hope its not too late now for Everette and I to take a dip.

I'm sure I'll get to post more pics of the Davenports family and our visit with them.   Until tomorrow.....