Canada, Michigan, Chicago, Oh My!

After spending a few days in Stillwater hanging out with CD's parents, Paige and Dave, we gathered our stuff and our wits and headed north. Ever since I've known CD, he has promised to take me to northern Minnesota- Duluth, the Boundary waters and Lake Superior. Going to the Boundary waters has always seemed daunting- the traveling, the canoeing, the camping, the food, the permits and licenses. The list is endless and I am sometimes not well organized- so, we have never gone to the Boundary waters. Duluth, has always loomed as a possible daytrip- it is less than 3 hours from Stillwater, yet we had never made it "north".

So we headed to Duluth, where we spent some time hanging around Canal Park and were tempted by cheese curds and crab cakes. We continued through the north shore area where CD recalled adventures with his high school friends. Our bladder-motivated stops included Gooseberry Falls and Grand Portage, the last town before crossing the Canadian border. Nowadays, passports are required to go to Canada which feels like it should be 'just like the US', but upon closer inspection it proves to be a very different country indeed. When I think of Canada, I just think 'our cousins to the north', but they're different: much more friendly, direct and eager to meet newcomers!

So we cruised into Thunder Bay, a large yet sleepy town with over 100,000 residents. We stopped at the Terry Fox Memorial to get a view of the bay from above and met a man who wasn't sure where Louisiana was. (A bit of background- our rental car had LA plates.) In all honesty, I'm not sure I could have named all 10 Canadian provinces 2 weeks ago! (Newfoundland and Labrador always escaped me.) He was just so straightforward in approaching us- just wanting to chat! I like Canada! It always amazes me that there are only 33 million inhabitants, a third of which live in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. Yet their land area is great! And while there, we definitely felt the isolation. Most towns were very small and you'd never guess that it was the middle of summer, i.e. prime vacation/tourist season.

That night we felt slightly different when we camped at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. It was packed with lots of families. We didn't stop to get dinner before procuring the camp site and realized too late that there wasn't an open store anywhere close by. Our dinner that night consisted of a couple of ears of corn that we cooked on the fire, pistachios, pineapple, carrots, chocolate and almonds. I know, good stuff!

The next day, we continued east passing through more small towns. We stopped in Wawa, Ontario for dinner before going to look for a campsite. As we walked thru the town, a downpour started and we rushed into Woody's Pub. There we enjoyed some delicious hamburgers and cold drinks, although it wasn't too warm. Here, we were instantly spotted as outsiders yet were made to feel quite welcomed. We stayed at this spot for quite a while enjoying a long conversation about politics with 'Pete' until we finally had to go. But alas, the rain continued and since we were carrying minimal camping equipment, we decided to bag it and head for indoor lodging.

We arrived in Sault Saint Marie around 10:30 pm, but it was still light out. SSM is a cute town, although it seems to have a lot of industry. Before leaving on Friday, we went to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center. We had limited time, but it was interesting to see all the planes thru the years with added improvements. I had never considered the important role they played not only providing supplies to isolated outposts, but also in fighting wildfires. Canada has lots of forested land (as if you didn't know that, eh?) We missed out on checking the locks that connect Lake Superior to the north channel of Lake Huron. If I haven't said it, the lakes are amazing! So big and blue, just like the sea.

We continued south on our way to Mount Pleasant for cousin Justin's wedding. The weather was rain-free (although a bit hot, especially for the guys in tuxes), the gardens were beautiful, but not as beautiful as the bride. The reception was really fun, the food was delicious (the cake too!) and it was awesome to spend time with family and meet some new friends. We truly enjoyed ourselves and were so glad that we made it to the wedding. In hindsight, we should have planned to stay longer and continue visiting- we just hope to make it back to Michigan soon!

Our travel plans involved flying home from Chicago which was the perfect opportunity to see our friends Rebecca, Dan and J (so good to see them all!!) Last time there, we didn't enjoy Chicago style pizza, so we made our 36 hours there pizza-centered (almost). Our first evening we ate at Coalfire where the pizza is thin and actually cooked in a coal oven. Delish! I could have kept eating there forever, if my stomach had allowed it. The next day, we took a long walk out Northerly Island- it's been restored to prairie grass and wildflowers. My only mandatory stop was that beloved metallic jelly bean in Millenium park. It was the perfect day to see the clouds reflected and the sky was a deep blue! That evening we met up with our friend J and finally ate that deep dish pizza. It was very very tasty, but too heavy for my taste. I think I'll stick with the thin crust!
Here are the pics .