North-West Ontario Drive - In Search of Big Things

The search for big things while driving through North-West Ontario en route to Sioux Lookout has had some ups and downs.  Planned sightings did not always pan out, either because the attraction no longer exists or we just couldn't find it.  Such was the case for the horse, rider and moose that were supposed to be in Massey, the trout in Nipigon, Indian Head in Dorion, or the Paul Bunyan sculpture in Blind River (although we do plan to take another crack at this one on the way home).

Or in the case of the "Big Apple" in Meaford, it really did not seem that big to me after my first sighting of the enormous trumpeter swan in Midland, shown in an early blog entry.   The apple turned out to be the Meaford tourism booth and initially I didn't believe this was the actual landmark and kept asking people where the BIG apple was.  This structure was not much larger than an Orange Julius stand.  Oh well...

On the other hand, there were some unexpected big things encounters.  In Tobermory, I found a huge teacup and saucer in a sweets shop.  And driving in Thunder Bay, we spotted what looked like a huge Shriner's Fez hat being transported on a flat-bed truck.

Echo Bay was home to the giant Loonie, marking the home of the designer of the coin, Robert-Ralph
Carmichael.

A massive baseball is located in the Sinclair Yards, home of the Soo Minor League Baseball Association in Sault Ste Marie. 

In Wawa I took a photo with the huge elegant goose at their tourist centre, and then found out that this was the second edition of the goose.  The original one, which was constructed in 1960 as a tourist attraction to cause people to stop in Wawa, was much plumper and was designated as the "pregnant" goose by the townspeople.  However its plaster surfaces could not withstand the weather and eventually it fell into disrepair.

The new slimmer sleeker goose (sounds like a younger replacement trophy wife) is built of more durable steel.  The old goose was moved outside of Wawa for many years but has since been restored and returned to sit in front of Young's General Store. 

White River's main claim to fame is its whimsical statue of Winnie the Pooh.  This was the location where the real live bear that inspired these classic stories was from.  A solider from Winnipeg being deployed during WWI stopped by White River and bought an orphaned bear cub from a hunter.  He named it Winnie after his home town and it became his troop's mascot as they travelled to London, England en route to France.  Once there, Winnie was donated to the London zoo where A.A. Milne was inspired to write his Winnie the Pooh series for his son Christopher who loved to visit the bear.

The huge curling stone sculpture in front of Thunder Bay's Fort William Curling and Athletic Club includes plaques denoting the club's past winners of curling championships.  The Canadian Mixed Curling Championship of 1981 was held in Wildwood Curling Club, Winnipeg, which is the club that Rich's parents curled at.

Upsala, Ontario which is between Thunder Bay and Dryden was quite the score since it had not one but two big things standing side by side on two competing gas stations.  First was the monster mosquito holding a knife and fork, in flight with a  frigthenedlooking man (his dinner) in his grasp.    Next was a giant fish which even has a name .. "Waldo The Great", and is featured on post cards in the gas station.  A folklore about Waldo sinking ships in the 1800s stands next to him.

The two gas stations also had competing butter tarts, and Rich (the butter tart connoisseur) felt obligated to taste both to compare.  He was also surprised by the fine selection of cooked foods offered at one of the gas stations including pulled pork sandwiches.  Not bad for being in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere (hmm.. wonder if I'll raise the ire of the townspeople like Jan Arden did regarding Oshawa when she got kicked off of Via Rail for having a dog on board).

More big things to come in another blog, but for now, we're heading up to English Island where I hope I don't become a tasty snack for actual monster mosquitoes!!

Manitoulin Island - Kagawang

One of the main tourist attractions on Manitoulin Island are the Bridal Veil Falls and hiking trails leading down to the village of Kagawang.  The falls can be viewed from above and then stairs lead you down to its base where there is a small pond for swimming.  You can even climb onto some rocks and edge in behind the falls for a unqiue experience.  We were not dressed to do any of this, but envied the people who were, since it was a hot day.  On the trail towards Kagawang, we saw much wildlife including beautiful butterflies, scampering chipmunks, and large frog sitting right in the middle of the path that was so camouflaged I almost stepped on it.  We also saw smaller waterfalls including one that provided a marble bench for you to sit and admire it, as well as many colourful wild flowers.

Kagawang has a pretty harbour with a lighthouse so small that Rich would have to stoop to enter through the door.   Not sure how useful this would be since boats would need to be quite close in order to see the light.  Near by, a paved area called the "game board" has a variety of games drawn on it, including a chess board with giant chess pieces, Tic Tac Toe, a maze, and Twister.

There were some interesting stores in Kagawang.  A candy store called Boo-Bah-Loo sold "candy cigarettes" in retro-packaging including "Madison Avenue" featuring a character that could be right out of Mad Men, and "Just Like Dad" with a picture of a Father Knows Best type character.  Even though these are just candies, somehow this marketing seems to romanticize cigarettes for children.  The store also sold fizzy fruit pop drinks with interesting names and flavours including Kitty Piddle (Pineapple /Orange), Bug Barf (Kiwi/Pineapple), Dog Drool (Orange/Lemon) and Monster Mucas (Strawberry/ Blue Raspberry).  With names like that, we had to get some and tried the latter two flavours.

Chocolate Works had a good selection of chocolate varieties.  Rich bought a bag of "Dirty Mints" which were spearmint candy coated chocolate balls, while I got some hazelnut crunch truffles that were amazing, as well as some iced chocolate drink mix.

We found an interesting church called St John Evangilist Church which clearly had a nautical theme, highlighted by the pulpit which was built from the bow of a boat which had previously sunk.  There were also an anchor, several steering wheels, a life preserver and ship's bell on the walls and ship bumpers hanging from each pew as decorations.  Even the stain glass window had more to do with ships and lighthouses than religious imagery.

 The Old Mill Heritage Centre was filled with artifacts and stories relating to local history.  On display were the wedding dresses of women from the area, ranging from 1930s-1950s.  Some were accompanied by photos of the brides in tbeir dresses while others show the women in current times. 

An entire room was dedicated to photos and videos of the North Wind, which sunk in the 1920s off the northern coast of Manitoulin Island.  A poster labelled "Lake Huron, Graveyard of the Great Lakes" highlighted the numerous wrecks that occurred in this body of water.

A display containing a pair of soldiers' uniforms told a touching tale of two war heroes from WWII and Iraq/Afghanistan, who unbeknownst to each other turned out to be father and son.  The elder man from Manitoulin Island was unaware that he had fathered a child until his son tracked him down years later.  Reunited, they learned that they were both decorated soliders.  When the son died, he asked that his uniform be sent to the Kagawang Heritage Centre to be shown next to his father's. 

The highlight of this museum dealt with the sensational story of Daniel Dodge, the 23 year old hier to the Dodge automobile empire.  He fell in love with a local Manitoulin Island girl named Laurine and married her in 1938 against his family's wishes.  In midst of their honeymoon, Dodge accidentally ignited some dynamite and seriously injured himself, his wife and several other bystanders.  His wife tried to drive a speed boat to the mainland to get them medical attention but was having difficulty operating the boat since she was also hurt in the explosion.  Danny tried to help her but instead fell overboard and drowned.  Dodge's family accused Laurine of murdering their son and fought against her inheriting his fortune.  This tragic tale was well documented by many newspaper clippings and photos.  The museum curator took great glee in telling his visitors the details of this story and informed us that a movie was being planned to document it.

For such a small area, Kagawang was an extremely interesting village to visit.

Manitoulin Island - M'Chigeenga

 Manitoulin Island is home to multiple Indian tribes of which M'Chigeeng (part of the Ojibwe First Nation) is one of the largest.  At the M'Chigeeng reserve is located the Ojibwe Cultural Centre which promotes the language and culture of its people.  It was unfortunately closed for a private event when we went to visit, but we were able to see various hieroglyphics painted on stones around the grounds.  Of particular interest was a large drawing of what looked like a family unit holding hands.  The father and mother had what appeared to be horns on their heads and the father had a little white cross on the left side of his chest.  To my western culturally-trained eyes, the "devil horns" vs "religious cross" seemed to convey mixed symbolism.  I wondered what it actually meant in the M'Chigeeng culture.

Across the street from the Ojibwe Cultural Centre is a uniquely beautiful church called Immaculate Conception Catholic Church which was built and decorated to reflect a fascinating blend of both Catholic and native Indian faiths and cultures. The outer panels of the doors were painted in vibrant colours with a symbol that looked like a sun, while the inner panels sported intricately carved animals including the eagle, moose, deer, etc.) representing each of the clans. The church is 12-sided to simulate the shape of a wigwam, with an opening at the top, reminiscent of the structures we saw at Sainte-Marie Amongst the Hurons.  Planks are artisically arranged over the opening so that when the light shines through, it looks like a star (of Bethlehem?).  Instead of pews, there were weaved mats placed on the tiered steps surrounding the altar to denote seating positions.

A native youth from the area was on hand to provide a tour of the church and to convey its eventful history.  He explained how this was a replacement church since the original one blew up in a propane explosion.  The remnants of a mangled bell sits outside to the right of the church as a reminder of its sad past.  Miraculously, the white statue of the Virgin Mary remained unscathed and still stands in its original position to the left of the church.

Our tour guide described the various native artworks that made up the altar and pictures on the surrounding the walls representing the stations of the cross.   On each of the four pillars holding up the ceiling was hung a different coloured dream-catcher, with each colour representing different races (Red=native, Yellow=Asian, Black=Africans, White=White Man).  The guide's own grandmother weaved the dream-catchers.  Each individual weaving tells a different tale, although he did not know himself how to read them.

The Indian influence on the Catholic religion was apparent in the art work.  There were the typical renderings of Jesus on the cross, but in these versions, the Jesus figure is dressed in native robes.  On the floor stood statues of religious saints next to ones of an eagle and tortoise. 

We went into Lillian's Crafts to buy hawberry and wild blueberry jams and while inside, visited their museum of native arts.  There we saw beautifully crafted quill baskets with intricate designs on the lids, made from dyed porcupine quills.  Outside, and in front of Maggie's Cafe were more examples of totem poles and sculptures made from various iron and wood pieces.  There was a particularly whimsical one that looked like a turkey..

Manitoulin Island : South Baymouth

The Chi-Cheemaun ferry from Tobermory docks on Manitoulin Island at a village called South Baymouth which literally consists of a couple of blocks, filled with restaurants, galleries and vacation rentals.  We stayed there only one evening and still were able to walk around the entire village 3 times. 

We stayed at the Buckhorn Inn, located on the highway just outside of the main drag.  This motel was not as quaint and picturesque as the lodgings in the heart of South Baymouth, and lacked both air conditioning and internet.  But it was a great price for one night and the hospitality we got the next morning at breakfast more than made up for it.  We were met with fresh home-made strawberry-blueberry muffins and had the greatest conversation with the extremely friendly host.  He gave us tips on what to do on the island for the few hours that we had to sightsee and regaled us with stories of past guests and happenings at the motel, including the discovery of a prehistoric squid fossil on the property.  It is currently displayed on the front lawn and looks a bit like a huge carrot imbedded in stone.

Not only was there no WIFI at the motel, but cell service did not work at all on the island, so we were without connectivity for the whole day.  We are now so dependent on internet access that we actually found the only internet cafe in town and spent the latter part of the evening after dinner there.  Imagine being "forced" to eat ice cream just so we could surf the net... life is hard when you're on vacation!   We also wandered around a few art galleries that sold mostly native Indian art and learned that we had just missed Manitoulin Island's major island-wide art show by one day!

For dinner we continued our quest for local fresh fish and found it at Island Fish and Chips.  Before reaching the restaurant, we first came across their quirky advertisement truck which was populated by a couple of stuffed dummies in plastic halloween masks.  The accompanying sign read "Fresh white fish .. if it was any fresher, it would still be swimming."   We each got two huge chunks of lightly battered fish and shared a bag of freshly home-made potato chips.  Both were delicious as was the butter tart that Rich got for dessert.  Eating all this on a park bench by the water while we watched the sun go down completed the experience.  The only irritant was trying to keep the seagulls away.

Riding the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry to Manitoulin Island

We rode the Chi-Cheemaun ferry from Tobermory to reach Manitoulin Island, the next destination on our road trip.  This huge multi-leveled ferry carries vehicles in the bottom deck and then has two more decks that include indoor and outdoor seating, a video games area, full cafeteria and dining area, a gift shop and even a little museum display about WWI hero Billy Bishop.

Those in the know quickly scampered out of their cars and snagged the few adirondack chairs that faced the stern of the ship for a stellar view departing from Tobermory.  We straggled but still managed to secure the first row of bench seats, since it was Monday early afternoon and not that busy.  The cool lake breeze was so refreshing after a very hot day of driving and the ride felt very smooth and pleasant.

I was just congratulating myself on not feeling motion sickeness when I decided to wander around inside the boat to see what was there.   As soon as I entered, I could feel the ship rocking back and forth and found I could not walk in a straight line.   However I perservered and continued my explorations.  I did wonder though about how the people could eat in the dining area.  That would have tested my stomach a bit too much.  After a few minutes, I returned to the safety and stability of the top deck of the back of the boat for the rest of the two hour ride.

North-West Ontario Drive : Midland

While in Midland to see the giant Trumpeter Swan, we stopped by  "Sainte-Marie among the Hurons", where French Jesuits settled in the mid 1600s on a mission to convert the native Huron Wendat tribe to their faith.  The site has been reconstructed to illustrate what life was like back then for both the French and the Native people.  The outer walls are fortified by spiked logs, while inside are found both European and Indian styled buildings and dwellings as well as a "waterway" thought to be used as a lock system for traversing canoes.

The compound includes several churches and chapels (for Christians and non-Christians), soldiers quarters, a cookhouse and garden, blacksmith, carpenter shop, shoe maker, apothecary, farm areas and more.   Summer students are hired to dress up like former inhabitants, providing tourists with historic information and demonstrating trades or crafts related to their roles.  I felt sorry for the girl who's job it was to chop logs in the blazing heat, as opposed to another, who got to sit in the shade embroidering.  Two fellows were working on constructing a birch-bark canoe, as well as weaving baskets.  In the cookhouse, the cook used ground corn to make bread, which she described as tasteless because in those days, there was no sugar or other usual ingredients to add to it.

There were several examples of Wendat-styled "Long Houses", made from wooden slabs tied onto an arching frame, which could span over 50 feet and acted as homes for multiple families within a clan.  Holes in the ceiling let in rays of light and provided an outlet for smoke from the fires that are burned inside the dwelling.

Outside the compound, a museum contains archealogical and historic artifacts, displays and videos that provide further details about the period in history when Sainte-Marie Amongst the Hurons was active.  Rich liked an excerpt from a pamphlet which indicated that "a husband should keep his wife in fear ... while a wife should not reply to him at all when he is angry.".  Too bad for Rich that he was born in the wrong era where women no longer hold their spouses in such high reverence.

In downtown Midland is a beautiful building that used to be the public library in the early 1900s.  Changing hands several times, it is now an elegant restaurant called "The Library Restaurant" in honour of its origins.  It seemed out of place to see a sign in front advertising "Texas Hold'Em Poker Night" on Sundays of all nights (the night that we were there).  We didn't see signs of any poker matches though.

Not sure if we would be able to catch much fish at our cottage this year, we are determined to eat as much fresh local fish as we can find en route.  We had a lovely pickerel dinner at The Library Restaurant, which consisted of two plump, sweet slabs of fish in a vegetable gazpacho sauce, served with grilled vegetables and roasted potato.  For dessert, the pecan pie had a light flakey crust and was bursting with pecans, although a bit light on syrupy filling.

North-West Ontario Road Trip 2012: Biggest Roadside Attractions

This year rather than flying to Sioux Lookout to get to the family "cottage" on English Island, we decided to take a slow drive up through North-West Ontario, visiting as many " World's Largest ..." roadside attractions along the way.  This will include giant sculptures of everything ranging from moose, goose, swan, fish, a baseball, a curling stone, etc.  We found a website that lists these attractions and have used it to identify the ones that will be on our route:

http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/tch.htm#ON. 

We eased into this huge excursion by staying for the weekend at our friends' beautiful cottage near Midland/Penetanguishene.  From there, we plan to head to Tobermory, take the Chi-Cheemaun ferry across to Manitoulin Island, then continue the drive to Sioux Lookout via Sault Ste Marie, Marathon, Thunder Bay and Dryden, Ontario.  On the way home, we will visit Marquette Michigan and Sudbury to see the Big Nickel.

 So I guess there will be many photos of myself or Rich posing in front of big things.  I've already taken my first one, which is the Trumpeter Swan in Midland.  I hope Rich doesn't intend for me to imitate each big sculpture, like he did for this swan, since I'm not sure what I'd do for the nickel!