Canada

I finally made it through customs at 6:00 P.M. I drove east on Canada Route 11. I headed out to circumnavigate Lake Superior. I didn’t want to drive too long, but I needed to cover some ground as well. I still had a long ways to go. The country was very farm-like to begin with, with lots of cool old barns. There were signs warning of horse and buggies, so I am presuming there was an Amish community somewhere near, but I saw no evidence of that.

Through much of this trip I had tried to stop before dark and get settled. I didn’t quite make it this night. I stopped in the town of Atikokan and got some sleep. Next morning I was up and rolling by 7:45 and drove hard all day. I drove through some hellish fog into Thunder Bay. In the town of Blind River I had some dinner at a tavern and by the time I finished it was getting dark. I had asked about a place to stay and was directed down the road to a place I “couldn’t miss”. Not a lit sign anywhere, as most places were already closed up for the winter. I saw a sign out of the corner of my eye and headed for the place. It was the Beacon on the River Marina & Campground in Spanish, Ontario. It was a few blocks off the main road, and when I found it everything was totally dark – I couldn’t see a thing. So I drove around a bit looking for signs of life, and eventually the lights went on and a very nice couple appeared. Their names were Russell and Jean, and they put me right next to the main store/office. They were just great, and even invited me to their house the next morning for coffee. Russell was about my height and maybe just a smidge older, both he and Jean were great and the conversation the next morning was totally enjoyable. Turned out his parents were Danish and he spent the first few years of his life speaking Danish. They had only had the place since May and were busy getting the place in shape, rebuilding the docks and so forth. It was a full-on marina with a huge lift for pulling good-sized boats. I got a card on my way out and didn’t realize until I was down the road a piece that his last name was Christensen. Wild.

I was rolling early and making tracks. The country was beautiful, and I kept seeing these little rock cairns by the side of the road. Come to find out that they are called “Inukshuks”. The word means “likeness of a person” in Inuktitut, the Inuit language. They were originally created as directional beacons or aids for caribou hunters. Nowadays, they are more a way to say hello or I was here. They are cool little whimsical things. The other things I was seeing constantly were “Night Danger” signs to get you to watch out for moose. Wild stuff in the real sense of the word. I was seeing lots of fall colors, and was mystified by what appeared to be deciduous conifer trees. Turns out they were Tamarack trees and in fact do shed their needles every fall. I guess I get to learn a few new things on this trip.

Next day I pushed hard again and ended up in a little campground in the town of WaWa. I kid you not. WaWa. I found a really nice campground, and with thoughts of old Saturday Night Live skits in my head got a bit of shut-eye.

Next day I headed down the east side of Lake Superior and when I was in the middle of Lake Superior Provincial Park, I decided that I had to get in it. I found a really cool beach and went in for a swim. Swim might be a bit of a stretch – it’s October in Canada – a dip would be a better description, but I did it. It was great. The bottom went out for a long, long way almost flat. It would be a fabulous lake to swim in with a little sun and some warmer temperatures. I motored around the top of Lake Huron, stopped briefly on the outskirts of Toronto and made it to the border at Niagara Falls, figuring to spend several hours getting back across the border into the states. The guy pretty much just waved me through in a few seconds – go figure.

I drove into Niagara Falls and parked a couple of blocks away from the falls and walked to take a look. Even though I had seen it before, it was still pretty awe-inspiring, even at night. I got some dinner and just popped the camper on the street, figuring I was dangerously tired and any ticket I got would be far better than stacking it up somewhere. The next morning I got up and did the full walk around the park and looked at the falls in the light of day. Really amazing. After driving like a banshee for two days straight my header pipe noise was at full volume again, so I set off for Buffalo and a muffler shop.