Thursday 9 August 2012

Ok so last night August 8th I had done a complete update was doing spell check when I hit a wrong button and lost it all. Hopefully that won`t happen tonight.
We are on our second night camped at an rv site at the historic Old Fort William in Thunder Bay. I am outside at the picnic table for now but if the bugs persist I will head in.
So before TBay we did a long drive (for me 424km) from Sault Ste Marie to Neys Provincial Park which is just west of Marathon Ontario on the north shore of Lake Superior. Beautiful park. We had stopped there on our way to S Ontario and decided we would stay two nights there on the way back.
Part of the park during WWII was a German POW prison camp. After that it became a camp for misplaced Japanese who had been interred during the war and all their land taken from them. It was a place where families could get together to start over.
It has a beautiful beach about 3km long. You can go out about 300metres and it is sandy bottom and only up to your hips.
We did a hike up what they call the look out trail where you can see Pic Island. For all you artists out there this is one of the famous paintings done by Lauren Harris of the Group of Seven. On the way down we were just about out when Cash started to pull and bark and I saw a baby black bear scurry up a tree beside the path. I was going to get my camera back out but we felt momma bear may be close so just grabbed a quick shot with my HTC. When we got back to the campgrounds one of the campers told us another hiker had just come out and reported seeing a momma bear and two cubs.
We went down to the interpretive centre and they had a model of the former POW camp. Before the Great Escape of movie fame in Germany there was an attempt here near this camp. A camp called Angler and 26 made it out. Most were caught right away but one pair was picked up in Medicine Hat Alberta. One guy made skates out of his bed boards with the intention of skating across Superior to the states. Unfortunately he did not realise that Superior does not freeze totalling so had to return and turn himself in.
From Neys we drove to Thunder Bay with a stop in Nipigon for gas and to eat lunch. I had last filled up in Sault Ste Marie and was down to just under a 1/4 tank. I may have made it to TBay but it would have been on fumes. Not worth the risk. On the way into Thunder Bay we stopped at the lookout and monument for Terry Fox. Very nicely done. I had been there before but is always a nice stop and they had a info centre with two very helpful young ladies who phoned ahead to the rv campground at the fort to make sure there was room for us. Turns out there is about 6 of us here that could hold probably a couple of hundred.It gets well used apparently when they have a big event on.
It poured rain in the night and when I stepped outside this morning it was like a lake. Cash and I went for a walk in the pouring rain and got to make use of the rain gear I brought with me. Currently on the other side of the field are about 70 Canada Geese all honking away. Six more just arrived. They must be having a convention. 7 more just did a low level over our site to join the crowd. Here come 5  more.
Today we did some grocery shopping and other things. Went to visit my aunt Vera and my cousin Kathy. Could to see them. Anne and I took Vera to Boston Pizza with us tonight. She is quite the card. She, my mom and dad used to sit in my parents kitchen and get into fits of laughter over who knows what until I had to caution them that someone would soon need a sponge between their legs. Another 6 geese just landed so now close to 90.
Today on the laptop we booked a really nice site at Caliper Lake which is where we will head tomorrow. We opted for a non service site so that we could be right on the lake. Should be nice.
Well I will attempt spell check again for my teacher friends. We have two teachers beside us tonight from Quebec. They have travelled out to Calgary, Banff , Jasper and are now on their way home as well.
Until I am back in Internet range, ciao

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