May 12-15
May 12
Sign on the way out of our camp in Sault Ste. Marie.
Rain. Lightening, thunder, fog … on the way to Marathon. We saw two moose at the side of the road. They seemed to have a coating of dried mud on their backs, it made them look speckled. In Marathon, we “mooch-docked” in our hosts’ driveway. Terry and Joan were a great couple and welcomed us to Marathon. Boon Dockers Welcome is part of Harvest Hosts (we are members of both). People can offer a place to park and sleep for free. Harvest Hosts are usually businesses like wineries/breweries/museums/farms etc.
In this case, we were so grateful as our hosts offered their driveway, 30-amp electrical, showers (declined) and laundry (also declined). We did accept coffee and tea though. They are super folks originally from Newfoundland. They came to Marathon via a mining town near Fort Smith, NWT. When it closed, Terry obtained a job at the gold mine in Marathon and they have been there since.
Elizabeth had read about a “not to be missed” gift shop in Marathon and we put the address for May’s Gifts in the GPS thinking it was on the way into town. However, the GPS took us to a derelict gas station! Joan told us the gift shop is actually on the way to Terrace Bay and we should see it on our drive tomorrow.
May 13,
Up early and ready to roll on the way to Thunder Bay. Unfortunately, we were too early for May’s Gifts, they don’t open until 10 a.m. I guess we’ll just have to stop on the way back in October.
Daytime temperatures were in the low 20s but there was still snow in the forest and ice in rushing waterways and on Lake Superior. A small lake we passed looked like a large slushy.
The greenish areas are actually ice!
We always enjoy the drive along Lake Superior … so beautiful. Provincial Parks are still closed but we’re lucky that private campgrounds are opening.
May 14,
We are staying at the KOA in Thunder Bay. We have been here before - briefly. There were two places we really wanted to visit but couldn’t, Fort William is temporarily closed and the Finnish Temple that was destroyed by fire in December, 2021. Sigh. Instead, we went to the Thunder Bay Country Market (kind of a Farmers’ Market).
The KOA is not far from the Terry Fox Memorial Lookout site. We drove there to get info on cycling and on the way to the information center we spotted these two young pretties:
The young lady at the info center also told us about a treat unique to Thunder Bay called a “Persian.” It’s an original made by "The Persian Man" and basically is a doughnut/bun with pink icing. We found the location and will have them for desert tonight. Elizabeth said, “OK been there, done that, we don’t need to have another one.”
The market was interesting and busy but there was more prepared food and crafts than vegetables. Maybe it’s just that time of year. There was some amazing bunches of basil from a greenhouse though! We got some perogies for dinner, some smoked gouda and a bag of mixed greens.
The Persian Man’s other name was Bennett’s Bakery. They also had "Crostoli" which is an Italian cookie/treat. We used to make them with my mom and dad and brother Ron. It was an egg yolk dough rolled out on a special huge wood board using a huge rolling pin. (The board and rolling pin belonged to my Italian nona/grandmother.) A slit in the middle for the tail to be threaded through, deep fried and sprinkled with icing sugar. We used to eat them as fast as they were being made!
That evening we walked around the campgrounds and chatted with a few people. One man told us that people were being evacuated in Kenora because of the flooding. We called our campground in Wabigoon Lake and were assured that all was OK there even though Dryden and Kenora are in flooding areas. I checked and discovered that the Trans Canada is still open through the area – Phew!
May 15,
Today we cycled on paved paths around Boundary Lake and except for the cool wind, we enjoyed it so much we circled it twice including some spurs. They have some art and plaques/descriptions and really enjoyed it. Afterwards, we had Gelato (made on the premises) and toured an art/crafts center that was an old Eaton’s. We picked up a few groceries as we are headed west tomorrow to Wabigoon and have no idea what’s there besides fishing…LOL.
Going to send this out now as the wifi here is very good and who knows what’s next?
The plaque for this giant high chair was missing so have no idea what it means: there are two stones on the seat: one flat and one round. What the?
So that's it for now. Until next time...
Yours,
Jerry, Elizabeth, FJ and the guys, Misty, Miss Adventure Too and Clifford The Big Red Truck.
💏
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