Father's Day - Ouimet Canyon

On Mother's Day we climbed Mt Mackay and enjoyed the views, so for Father's Day we drove to Ouimet Canyon and enjoyed the views there. Another beautiful day weather-wise and a great destination made this a memorable day for dad and the rest of the family too.

The path into the canyon was a pleasant earthern walk through thick undergrowth and tall trees. No mosquitoes or other biting insects bothered us during the walk, making it even more enjoyable.
We only needed to walk for a kilometre in a loop so even the kids didn't complain - bliss.

This strange rock formation is known as the Indian's Head and is related to an Indian legend that describes the formation of the area. Apparently this is the body of a young warrior who killed his love and hid her body in the canyon below. The lover's parent turned the warrior to stone so that he would overlook her body for ever more.

The canyon itself was a surprise when we arrived as it seemed to come out of nowhere. The viewing platforms are built out over the edge of the cliff line giving one a small sense of vertigo when you realise where you stand.

At the start of the walk into the canyon there was a spectacular wooden bridge.

Getting back to the carpark for lunch left us another treat - a small group of chipmunks searched for any food that we might give them. Being so cute we couldn't resist and they ate as much as the kids!

Day to Day in Thunder Bay

Life in Thunder Bay has settled into a pleasant routine of non-routine activities for the family.

The weather has turned very nice indeed with spring now and summer just around the corner. I have been amazed at just how fast the vegetation springs back to life. Literally within days of some good sunshine the trees were fully leaved and within a week the the forest is so thick with undergrowth that you can hardly see through it in places. The front of our house has been revitalised too.

We are certainly busy enough through the week with Ash playing soccer every Tuesday and Thursday evening, and Megan playing each Monday and Wednesday evening. Both are stars in their teams and recently Ian became his team coach for the final few weeks of the season. This happened when the original coaches (two schoolgirls getting their volunteer hours) rang him 20 minutes before a game to ask if he would be coach. While Ash plays well for his team partly because of his season of soccer already, Megan is a 'natural' and shocked her coaches when Jill told them it was the first time she had ever played.

Canoeing is a must in Canada, and as we carried the canoes down to the water I realised that in Australia this particular style is known as a Canadian canoe - not surprisingly it was NOT name they had heard of here. Anyhow we managed a brief 1 hour lesson in strokes and control on the mcIntyre River that runs through Thunder Bay and into Lake Superior. The session was run by Boys and Girls Club (yes it is actually called that) and have another 2 hour session this week. Then we are off on a 2 night trip on one of the many lakes nearby with 2 other families - keep an eye on the blog for THOSE pictures!

 

The reason for all of this activity is of course because spring has sprung and summer is practically upon us. As these seasons are relatively short here, everything is packed into the small window of good weather time.

Paige has been very busy exploring the countryside around Boulevard Lake. This is an man-made lake in a suburb of the city and has plenty of walking/cycling track around it. Jill and paige go there many afternoons of the week to ride (Paige) and run (Jill). She has play dates with a friend and they explore the rivers and forests too.

School is almost over for the year in Canada, we don't return until early September which is a strange feeling and one that hasn't fully registered with us Aussies just yet. Ash and Megan have been experiencing the joy of North American school buses - the design of which has not changed since they were introduced. Recently I saw an obviously new model of the classic yellow school bus and it was exactly the same design!

Because school is nearing it's end for this year, excursions are common for both of the kids. Ash recently went on an excursion to a pioneer village, Jill and Paige tagged along and enjoyed themselves too. Megan wentto the Historical Fort William Park with a VERY small group from her class. The small group was because many parents kept their child home for the excursion as a small child was killed at the park only a couple of weeks before in a freak accident. Megan enjoyed her trip anyhow, although the horses and other animals were not to be seen.

These are a couple of pictures from Ash's excursion. Jill was amazed that the kids were allowed to touch, play and interact with practically everything in the museum exhibits. Ash tried morse code, pumped an old fashioned water pump and much more.
Paige played piano.

Walking the line

The line is the Canadian-United States border, and it's not quite a line, more of a river. Pigeon River to be exact and coincidentally straddled by a nature reserve.

We wanted to explore some the nearby bush of Canada some more and this area was definitely on our to do list for a short walk.

As with many of our weekends of late the day started late after a late night for everyone. With the sun not setting until 10pm and still light in the sky for another half an hour, getting kids to sleep is a battle. So moments before the crack of midday we set off to explore along the border and parts leading up to it.

A short stop at Little Pigeon Bay (the geographical naming committee for this area must have been pigeon fanciers I reckon) we drove down to a couple of hundred metres shy of the international border and walked off into the bush.

We intended to cross the border and get cheap fuel and other gear, but during the walk we noticed a long queue of traffic stretching back across the border bridge - which meant a long wait in all probability. The reason as it turns out was the opening of the fishing season days before and every US fisherman bar none was attempting to cross and pillage the waters of Canada for their fish. We checked with a 'survivor' of the crossing who confirmed a one hour wait at least! The petrol wasn't worth the wait.

The walk sure was worth the visit though, even with the constant company of 3 ft. mosquitoes, our irrational fear of bush ticks and the myriad of other little bugs that pop out to visit you after a recent rain shower. In fact the rain was what made the walk all the better - the soil was damp and fresh, silver raindrops clung to leaves and spider webs and everywhere had that newly cleaned freshness to it.

The falls were exciting too, especially when you have 3 daredevil children all vying for the opportunity to be the closest to the edge of the 'certain fall of death'. Naturally the only way to compete in this lemming-style sport is hurry with no apparent awareness of your impending doom towards the crumbling cliff edge ignoring all screams from parents having serious heart palpitations. Oh! Did I mention that it's an individual sport? This means that EACH child has to rush at the precipice at a completely different spot to the others. The end result is like trying to herd suicidal cats AWAY from an unfenced cliff edge. The kids are of course oblivious to all of this except for the fact that their parents are grumpy spoilsports.

With our hearts safely returned from our mouths we walked along the river glancing over into the 'Land of Opportunity' a few hundred metres away. It seems so strange to think that is another country - I wonder if the mosquitoes carry passports?

Grand Marais for a Grand Stay

There was a recent long weekend here in Canada so we took a short trip into the States and stayed at a little lakeside town called Grand Marais. The town is in Minnesota and has some very beautiful surrounds to visit.

We 'camped' at the Aspen Lodge in a family suite that had connecting rooms with 2 queen beds in one room and a king bed in the other. With a TV in each room and a door that could be closed between the rooms- everyone was happy.
On the first night after a meal at My Sisters Place across the road, we geared up for a swim in the hotel pool (having being disappointed to find no working spa. What we didn't realise was that we needed drysuits to go swimming! The water was FREEZING. Thankfully, the sauna was hot and just what Ian needed as he was feeling unwell. The kids swam for short periods and then heated up in the sauna.

Lake Superior bright sunny day with thick fog!

On Saturday we made a late start to the day (which became a habit)by going for a walk along the shore front to Artists point, a small peninsula out from the township.
Along the way, we had to remove a bush tick from Megan's scalp - ugh! and met a Travel writer - wow!
Of course there were the normal toilet scares that we always seem to get with a 3 year old in tow.I need to go...no I don't now that we can actually SEE a toilet, then I have to go NOW mum - well of course you do we are as far away from a toilet as we can be!
Artists point is aptly named, with gorgeous vistas of the coastline, textured rock formations and fairy garden grotto's amongst the trees. We didn't make it any further as the whole area was a child magnet for adventure and imagination.



Jill surveys ampsites                                                                  

After an extended lunch and slow afternoon we headed out along the Gunflint trail to see what we could see. Twin Islands Lake was one of the things that we saw - and it was well worth the effort. With the sun low over the horizon and sending long softly warm rays across the water to be filtered by leafy green trees, we decided that camping there is a must for us in the near future. Deciding which camping site is best was a different matter - the kids want site 10 but dad thinks site 34 is best. We will have to see who has the best memory when we return.
Dinner at the Blue Water cafe was a filling ad casual affair - good meals for kids made this place a good family choice. It amazes me how many condiments the Americans put on the table for their diners to select from. There were 3 kinds of steak sauce, mustard, Tabasco, salt & pepper and even more.
The night ended with staged goings to bed for the kids. I played Monopoly with Megan and Ash while mum put Paige to sleep first, then Megan while Ash and I played Skipbo. We played in the lobby which left the room quiet.
Sunday was meant to be cycling, but the day looked too cold so we opted for short walks instead. The hotel had a book that listed and described short walks close to the highway between Duluth and the Canadian Border - perfect for families.

Superior walking trail section

So, armed with notes from the book we drove along the lake shore towards Lutsen and pulled over for short walks along the way. This was just perfect as we had wanted to see the countryside away from the lake.  Many of the walks connected to, or followed part of, the Superior walking trail which runs through the state. There was such variation on the theme of beautiful that you would have to take a thesaurus opened at that word to try and explain each walk. There was a distinct change in temperatures too. Away from the shoreline of Lake Superior and the climate is dramatically changed. We started with plenty of warm clothing and ended up sweating and hot, trying to peel off excess layers. Back to the shoreline ad ALL the layers were needed again! It really highlighted how much the lake influences the climate.       



                                                    

                                                     Mountain Tramway Lutsen

We eventually made Lutsen with the intention of one last walk and then a loop drive along the Caribou Trail back to Grand Marais. During the walk the sun emerged from behind clouds and we couldn't resist the cable cars called The Mountain Tramway.
The kids absolutely loved the ride and so did the adults. The view from the top of Moose Mountain (I'm not making that name up!) was stunning and worth the trip. A great way to end the days exertions.
We drove back to Grand Marais for a spa at Super 8 motel (owned by same company as Aspen lodge) and then diner at The Angry Trout cafe right on the waterfront of the marina. The highlight apart from the most delicious food in yonks, (Jill ate fresh Lake Trout and loved it!!)were the wild otters that came onto the rocks a couple of metres away to be fed. For the first time I was able to appreciate why overseas people get excited at seeing a kangaroo in the wild in Australia. The kids and I did our total tourist bit and goggled excitedly at the otters for ages.

                          The Angry Trout Cafe with special guests