Mini Road Trip - Feb. 18th - Day 3

Mini Road Trip - Feb. 18th - Day 3 

Ashland, WI - Thunder Bay, ON

Having decided that we have an extra day or two, we set off through Duluth, Minnesota, to turn north towards Thunder Bay, Ontario. 

Just around the area of Duluth, there was a fog which not only created a beautiful hoar frost effect on the trees, but also brushed the cold road surface resulting in very icy conditions. 

Several accidents held up traffic for about 30 minutes, but once we turned north, we left all that behind, and were accompanied by a mixture of sun and cloud all the way along the shoreline of Lake Superior.

There were several homes along the scenic route which revealed, once again, the human ability to pick a beautiful spot and turn it into a little piece of heaven. 

The Sawtooth Range is remarkable – especially when the mountains have been kissed by snow and ice. Talk about a Winter Wonderland!  Railroad trestle bridges and tunnels through cliffs made for an interesting journey, and we’re glad that we chose the more scenic route rather than sticking to the main highway.

We stopped at Grand Marais, which is full of artisans and unique shops, and has an impressive collection of restaurants and coffee shops.

A special place for us was the Temperance River Gorge, which Mark spotted among the trees. This could easily have been overlooked, but Mark has an aptitude for finding beautiful scenery. We stopped here, took a short walk along a trail to discover a terrific example of long-term water erosion. 

We had seen these 'snow-bells' earlier on our trip, but at the gorge, we were able to see them up close. They were berries which had remained on the branches since the fall, and had captured the falling snow, giving them an unusual, but charming effect. 

Spectacular views, and running water under the ice and snow made this a memorable stop, and well-worth a visit when we return to the area at a later date.

Crossing the Canadian border at Pigeon River, the scenery continued to extract gasps of wonder from both of us. Lake Superior has to be one of the most picturesque bodies of water, and the shoreline is breathtaking, whichever way you look at it.

Arriving in Thunder Bay, we checked in and then made our way to the monument of one of our heroes – Terry Fox. Marking the spot near which he was forced to end his ‘Marathon of Hope’ in 1981, this stands as a permanent record of courage and honour. 

Having been involved with the Terry Fox Run every Fall while teaching, I was quite emotional while standing in this spot. His courage speaks volumes to all who remember his story.

Now relaxing in our room, and looking forward to our journey tomorrow along the north shore of Superior towards Wawa.

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Mini Road Trip - Feb. 17th - Day 2

Mini Road trip - Feb. 17th - Day 2

Ice Caves at Apostle Islands

The Apostle Islands are the spiritual home for the Lake Superior Chippewa. They were named by a New France historian, who named them after the 12 apostles for the 12 largest islands. (There are 22 altogether). 

The ice caves are near Bayfield, WI.. They are usually viewed by kayak, but winter makes them accessible to anyone willing to walk a little over a mile on the frozen lake ice. 

Nothing could have prepared us for the sheer beauty of the formations sculpted by nature - and the colours of the rockfaces of the caves was breathtaking. Once we had traveled for the first mile to get to the first cave, vista after vista awaited us as we hiked a further 2 miles along the water's edge.

Different Coloured Ice

'Crystal Ceiling'

It was one of those occasions where each time we turned a corner, something even more splendid was there to behold! Thank goodness for digital cameras! (Maybe you remember the days when we had a roll of film with about 32 pics on it, if we were lucky!). We took over 300 photos of the whole experience! Only a few are posted here! We're gonna try to put together a slide show for those of you who would like to see the best 40 or so. 

Superior Meditation!

Together in Joy

Cave 'window'

On the way out, we saw a huge nest high up in a clifftop tree. We guessed that it might belong to an eagle - certainly some bird of prey, if the size was anything to go by. 

After hiking for 5 hours, we journeyed back through the pretty little town of Bayfield, where we were able to see the fir trees that had marked the ski race course from Ashland, across the bay. They were still there in the ice, and can be seen as little dots in a straight line, beyond the pier. 

Beautiful town of Bay

Not that it was cold - in fact, it was quite mild (even when it started to snow) - but we felt like we needed a treat. The Big Water Coffee Roasters provided just what we were looking for! Apart from the exquisite taste of the coffee, we were spoiled with two cups of nicely decorated lattes by the server, which added to the overall experience. 

We thoroughly recommend this place for a treat

A quick walk through the small town seemed in order. We found out that this is the setting off point for the cruises around the Apostle Islands and this is something we will do in the summer on our way back from our trip out west - along with kayaking around the caves. 

It was on our walkabout that we discovered a small house tucked away in between two larger buildings. The front yard, including the entrance way, was completely snowed in. I guess they must use a back entrance!

An event we were hoping to get to in Barrie on Wednesday was booked out and so we've decided to continue our tour around Lake Superior, instead of returning along the route by which we came. So, tomorrow, we head north towards Thunder Bay, hoping that the weather will be conducive to traveling and more picture-taking!

Mini Road Trip - February 16th Day 1

Mini Road Trip - February 16th - Day 1

We're on the road again - this time for a short trip to the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin, U.S.A. First stop, Ashland, Wisconsin.

Just over a week ago, a new acquaintance mentioned the Apostle Islands to us as a place to visit and explore. Just two days later, a long-time friend (totally out of the blue) also directed our attention to them and specifically referred to the ice caves that are spectacular! Since we had never heard of this place beforehand, we felt the synchronicity of these two online conversations and decided to go with the flow and see them for ourselves.

The great thing about having time-freedom is that you can make a decision to do something, travel somewhere, take up something new..... sometimes on the spur of the moment.... and you don't have to consider an alarm clock the next day, or need to report to someone else!  It's a state in life I can thoroughly recommend!!

We got up early and left home at 6:15 this morning, after having our delicious smoothie breakfast. 

Whenever we reach Hwy 17 and head west, I always feel a sense of excitement as I feel I'm moving closer to the wilderness that we love. We weren't the only ones who were up early - some local Mennonites were probably on their way to Service.

Mennonites - rushing through the cold

Crossing the border in just a few minutes, we headed south, then west in Michigan, passing through some interesting scenery and places.

Flags of two countries

One of the most intriguing, was a little hamlet with the following street names: St. Nicholas St., Jingle Bell Ln., Northpole Rd., Tinsel Dr., Mistletoe Ln., Holly Dr..... etc.    You've guessed it - the name of the hamlet is 'Christmas'! There was a huge Santa that greeted us midway through the village, but we missed it on the camera! However, we did get the village sign!

Indian Head Resort in Michigan seems like a place we'd like to return to at some point. The wood carving gave a sample of what was on offer in the way of culture.

Indian Head Sculpture

Entering Wisconsin (new territory for me), we made our way to Ashland, which is nestled along the south shore of Lake Superior's Chequemegon Bay. We were thrilled when we were told that we could upgrade to a lakeview room on the top floor of our hotel. The Best Western has beautiful spot in the town, overlooking the harbour and the bay across which can be seen the City of Bayfield.

View from our hotel room

Best Western - Ashland, Wisconsin

After settling in to the room, we wanted to venture out on to the frozen lake before the sun dropped below the horizon - and the temperature dropped to join it!

Alan on Lake Superior

People sleep in their trailers on the frozen lake!

Waves - caught and frozen

Mark - about to be befriended by excited canine...

Apparently, the night before, there were over 4000 people on the spot below - folks who were participating in the 'Book Across the Bay' race for charity. A delightfully pleasant skier stopped to chat with us about it. They lined the ski trail with fir trees and lit up the route with candles. It must have been a wonderful sight... and we've already put it in our calendar for next year - on President's Day weekend. Wanna be part of that!

Groomed Race Track on Lake Superior

Mark's exhilaration can be seen in this short movie clip. He is such a happy camper when he's either in, or on, water!

Click here ->   Mark - Star Jumping on the Lake

As the sun dipped closer to the horizon, we were treated to a Superior Silhouette, of which the photo below does not really do complete justice.

Sunset over Superior

That being said, it's gonna be my cover photo on Facebook for the next while!

We are aiming for an early night so that we can rise early to beat the tourists to the Ice Caves tomorrow morning - weather permitting.

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Crazy?? You bet! But so much fun!!!

Crazy?? You bet! But so much fun!!!

So, he says, "How about going out on the lake tonight with our snow-shoes? 

So, I say, "Do you wanna?"

So, he says, "What d'ya think?"

So, I say, "I'm game, if you are!"

Done!  Originally planned for 10:00. We'd do this after we had listened to an amazing call about our friends' story, (Pam and Kevin), about how they became financially free in just 18 months!! 

However, the phone rang at 9:55 and the call was from a young man - actually an old student of mine - who wanted to know more about how to become financially free!  After 45 minutes, and setting him up for future success, the conversation resumed:

Me: "So, do you still want to go out?"

Him: "Uh.... I dunno! Are you tired?"

Me: "Obviously, YOU are. Would you rather stay in?"

Him: "If I don't go out tonight, I'll go out while you're doing your spiritual reading for your client tomorrow afternoon."

Me: "Aw - don't go out there without me... why don't we go now?"

Him: "Do you wanna?"

Me: "Might as well."

Him: "OK - let's do it". 

DONE. DECISION MADE - NOW ACTION!

Although it was freezing cold, the stars were amazing. We were out on Elliot Lake for about 30 minutes, not far from the numerous ice-huts that dot the lake at this time of year. We got back indoors at about 12:30, got into our housecoats, made some herbal tea, and watched Jeopardy before going to bed. Exhilarating - and so relaxing!

Boy, it was dark out there!

Hands out of gloves - momentarily!

I didn't think it was going to be this cold!

Having fun!

We're going out next week during the day and are going to try to make it to the end of the lake to see a waterfall that we've been longing to see since we got here. 

It's so much fun having the time freedom to choose WHAT we want to do and WHEN we want to do it. After all, we can always sleep in the next morning!



Happy, Fit, & Free!

Looking Back....

Looking Back....

There have been times when I haven't been happy with Facebook - and the continual changes to policies that had to be carefully negotiated - especially around the issue of privacy. 

Yesterday, I noticed something that was beautifully done - the Facebook Look Back Movie. 

I just noticed one of my friends had posted one, took a look, and then followed simple instructions for my own. Within an hour, I noticed that countless other people were doing the same - and so it spreads!

It's very clever as they've used their computer data to reproduce the most liked pics, posts, and comments. Tracing from the time you signed up with Facebook to the present, it is very well done, starting and finishing with a collage. 

Here's mine: 

It's great to look back - some of the times had receded in my memory and it was good to see them again, and be reminded of some of the things that give joy and meaning to life. 

I always thought that once I went digital, I would solve the problem of photos staying in boxes and neglected for years. Last year, when we moved from Barrie to Elliot Lake, we went through at least 20 boxes of photos that had not been looked at for over 10 years or more. Surely, once they were on my computer, they would be visited frequently!  Not so! There are some folders that have been left unopened for a longer than I wish to admit! 

What the Facebook Movie Craze had done for me is to ignite the desire to open those folders and take a pleasant, nostalgic walk down memory lane. 

What better to do on a cold, winter's night?

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