Today was kind of full of unexpected things. We left Thunder Bay in more weather, this time a combination of rain and freezing rain. We drove out to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, which is supposed to be one of Canada’s natural wonders – it’s this really long peninsula that sticks out into Lake Superior and forms the actual bay, and the rocks look like a giant face:
We drove all the way out to the end of the peninsula. Saw lots of deer along the drive:
As we were turning back at the end, a red fox ran across our path. It was going too fast to get a picture but we did get a great look at an animal you see very rarely.
After leaving the park, we continued our drive along the north side of Lake Superior. You know, you hear all these stories about how big the lake is, but it’s only when you realize that you’ve taken an 8 hour drive and are still looking at the same lake that it really sinks in. The lake itself was a lot prettier than we expected. We stopped for the coldest picnic ever at a lookout, but the panoramic view made up for the freezing temperatures:
After lunch we continued on. We stopped for gas at a small town called White River, and were kind of puzzled about all these signs that said ‘Winnie-the-Pooh, where it all began’. So of course I Googled around, and it turns out this town was the home of the bear cub that ended up in the London Zoo, and was the inspiration for A.A. Milne to write the Winnie the Pooh stories – I found the story here, it’s a great read. Certainly nothing we were expecting to see!
After leaving White River, it started to snow. Fortunately it didn’t stick to anything, but I mean, come on, it’s May 17th! Jon made a comment to a woman about it at a gas station along the way, and she said ‘at least it isn’t June’. Well, okay, I suppose that is a comfort. In a somewhat unsatisfying way.
We saw a bunch of eagles along the way, and they were beautiful to watch. Very pretty drive, but a tough one given the weather – we were fighting a strong headwind most of the way, even passed a few cars being towed out of ditches.
Just before getting to Sault Ste. Marie, we ran across this sign – apparently we’re at the halfway point on the TransCanada Highway, which is kind of cool:
I almost forgot – we passed another animal sculpture, this time of a goose. We didn’t stop to take a picture, because yuck, it was a goose, but it continues to prove my point about Canadian’s love for large-sized animal replicas.