Ely MN to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park ON

We had originally planned to stay in Ely 5 nights after our departure from the BWCAW. After leaving Ely we planned to cross the Canadian border and travel the north shore of Lake Superior and Lake Huron and re-enter the US at Niagara Falls NY. Finally, we would land in Watkins Glen NY for a Country Coach rally. Following our original schedule, our Canadian leg would be fairly rushed. Consequently, we decided to leave Ely 2 days early and head on into Canada on Saturday 9/12.

A view of Lake Superior from the road

  

We departed Fall Lake Campground about 9:00 on Saturday morning. We took SR1 south out of Ely and headed for Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior, a really pretty drive. We topped off with diesel in Tofte, MN the last cheap fuel for many miles. We have a cruising range of about 1100 miles; if we are lucky we won't have to buy any fuel in Canada.

  

We made a stop at the Grand Portage National Monument. Grand Portage was the site of an annual Rendezvous during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Trappers would carry furs over a 8 ½ mile portage of the Pigeon River to this site on Lake Superior.   Each man would carry two 90 pound bails of furs. And I thought our portage loads were heavy!  The Rendezvous lasted about 6 weeks and much trading, dickering and partying went on. The goods were then loaded on 33 foot canoes and paddled to Montreal, and then shipped to Europe. There is a reconstructed settlement on the site and costumed interpreters. You can also walk the 7 ½ miles of the Grand Portage, but we have done enough portaging to last us for a while, so we took a pass on that.

A birch bark Tee Pee

A fiberglass replica of a birch bark canoe

A reproduction of the Grand Hall

Furs in the Grand Hall

Crossing the Canadian border

We are always nervous when crossing the border. So far we have never had a problem, but we have had friends who have been subjected to thorough inspections. I knew firearms were prohibited, so I had left the pistol at home. Dorcas had done a lot of research about other restricted or prohibited items. The rules seem to change daily. We had certifications for Matilda and our vehicle insurance coverage. We weren't carrying any prohibited foods, as far as we knew. The only issue was we were way over the limit for alcoholic beverages. Canadian rules allow 2 750ml bottles of wine OR 1 bottle of liquor OR 24 cans or bottles of beer, without paying a duty. Pick one. They gotta be joking! We were way over the limit for spirits.

Oh Canada!

There were about 6 cars in line ahead of us when we arrived at the Pigeon River border crossing. They seemed to move out quickly without a problem. When we arrived at the window I gave the agent our passports and drivers licenses. He was very stern and asked the usual questions: Where were we coming from? Where were we going? What was the reason for our trip? How long would we be in Canada? When had we last come into Canada? Then he got down to the nitty gritty. He asked several times if we were carrying firearms, and he asked us each individually. He asked if I owned a firearm (yes) and what kind it was. He asked if I had carried a firearm across the border when we went through Canada going to Alaska in 2011. I figured this was a dumb question. If we had, he would have had a record of our arrest. He asked if we had any pepper spray or bear spray. We were carrying bear spray and said so. Pepper spray intended for personal defense is prohibited. However, bear spray, that is labeled as such, and has picture of a bear on it, is allowed, even though it has the same active ingredient, has about 10 times the volume of active ingredient, shoots about 10 times further and is much more dangerous than typical pepper spray. Go figure. Finally he asked if we had any alcoholic beverages. I said yes and handed him an honest and accurate written inventory. He read the list and frowned. Then he returned the list and our other documents and bid us on our way. He never asked about any other food items and didn't ask if we had a pet. As is often the case, there was a lot of worry for no reason. Hopefully, our crossing back into the US next week will be as smooth.

The Sleeping Giant

 

Less than an hour after crossing the border we came to Thunder Bay ON. Thunder Bay has the only Walmart for the next 700 miles, so we decided to buy some of those prohibited food items. This was a mistake. We like Walmarts because we know what products they carry and where they are located in the store. Not so in Canada. Most of the processed food items were very different products from those carried in US Walmarts, and the store layout was very different. Also, the store was about 7 km off the highway (however far that is) and we encountered some detours which took us in circles. We ended up approaching an arched railroad underpass with a signed clearance of 4.1 meters. I don't know how many feet that is, but I do know, based on our last trip to Canada, that we are clear at 4.0 meters. However, when we actually saw the underpass it indicated a clearance of 4.1m in the center of the arch, but only 3.8m at the edges. CRAP! The sign advised tall vehicles to pass through the center. No shit. We crept through the center and arrived on the other side unscathed. I guess we're just living right.

We continued on to our night's destination Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The office at Marie Louise Lake campground was closed, but there were plenty of sites and a self-pay machine that took a credit card.   We stayed here two nights

The Sleeping Giant

An Ojibwa Legend

Standing on the shores of the City of Thunder Bay, one can look across the waters and see a great formation of land known as the Sleeping Giant. Mystery and legend surround this strange phenomenon of nature. A great tribe of Ojibways lived outside Thunder Bay on Isle Royale. Because of loyalty to their gods and their industrious and peaceful mode of living, Nanna Bijou, the Spirit of the Deep Sea Water, decided to reward the tribe.

The Great Spirit told the chief about the tunnel that led to the center of a rich silver mine. He warned that if the Ojibway tribe were ever to tell the White Man of this mine he, Nanna Bijou, would be turned to stone. The Ojibways soon became famous for their beautiful silver ornaments. The Sioux warriors, upon seeing the silver on their wounded enemies, strove to wrest the secret from the Ojibways.

Torture and death failed to make the gallant Ojibway tribesmen divulge their secret. Sioux chieftains summoned their most cunning scout and ordered him to enter the Ojibway camp disguised as one of them. The scout soon learned the whereabouts of the mine.

One night he made his way to it and took several large pieces of the precious metal. During his return to the Sioux camp, the scout stopped at a White Trader's post for food. There, without furs to trade, he used a piece of the stolen silver. Two White Men, intent upon finding the source of the silver, filled the scout with firewater and persuaded him to lead them to the mine. Just as they were in sight of "Silver Islet", a terrific storm broke over the Cape. The White Men were drowned and the Sioux scout was found drifting in his canoe in a crazed condition.

A most extraordinary thing happened during the storm. Where once was a wide opening to the bay, now lay what appeared to be a great sleeping figure of a man. The Great Spirit's warning had come true and he had been turned to stone.

Today, partly submerged shaft to what was once the richest silver mine in the northwest, can still be seen. White Men have repeatedly attempted to pump out the water that floods in from Lake Superior, but their efforts have been in vain. Is it still under the curse of Nanna Bijou, Spirit of the Deep Sea Water? Perhaps...who can tell?

Does a bear poop in the woods?  Of course.  He also poops in the camp ground.

A crazy power pedestal location

The electric camp sites all had the electrical post at the road, and they were shared by 2 sites.  Don't those crazy Canucks know that the power cables for RVs are in the rear?  We have a 35' cord and just barely made it.  If we had been in the site to the right we wouldn't have made it because we would need to cross the cable under the RV.  Well actually we could have used our extension cord, as every other camper in the park did.  But still, it's a stupid layout.

We visited the community of Silver Islet at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula.   Silver Islet was the location of a very rich silver mine.  The mine is on a small island less than 100 feet across and only 6 feet above the water of Lake Superior.  The silver was extracted from the bottom of a 1200 foot shaft.

Look ma, no electricity!

There were hundreds of houses and cottages on Silver Islet, and it appeared as though none had electricity.  I saw no power lines and most houses had solar collectors and a wind mill.

Waves at Silver Islet

The wind was blowing fiercely when we visited Silver Islet, casting waves way up on the pier.

Those crazy Canadian measures again

The Sea Lion

We took a hike to the Sea Lion,   In the early 1900s the left part of the formation apparently looked like a crouching lion, but erosion has changed its form.  I think they should call "Sea Horse" now.

Heavy waves on Lake Superior

Dorcas at the Thunder Bay overlook

This overlook jutted out over a cliff.  You could look straight down 300' to the waves on Lake Superior.  Kinda scary.  Matilda was smarter than either of us...she wouldn't venture out there.

An overlook 300' over Lake Superior