2011-51 Scenic Ontario, Canada
Hello
All,
Our next stop on our trek around Lake Superior was at Magpie High Falls on the Magpie River near Wawa, Ontario, Canada. The river drains the rugged Canadian Shield landscape along its route. It was an overcast day with light drizzle. From Trans-Canada Highway 11 we took a turn and followed a gravel road for about a mile and a half to reach the falls—we found it quite impressive.
Our next stop on our trek around Lake Superior was at Magpie High Falls on the Magpie River near Wawa, Ontario, Canada. The river drains the rugged Canadian Shield landscape along its route. It was an overcast day with light drizzle. From Trans-Canada Highway 11 we took a turn and followed a gravel road for about a mile and a half to reach the falls—we found it quite impressive.
Bedrock
at the falls is pink granodiorite from the Precambrian Era and is more than 250
million years old. The falls have been formed by bands of jointing within the
bedrock which were eroded by the Magpie River. The river bends sharply at the
base of the falls to follow one of these bands into a narrow gorge.
After
a short visit at the falls we backtracked to Highway 11 and resumed our
easterly heading. As we traveled east the trees started showing more fall colors.
Although the overall landscape was not yet in its prime, the occasional splash
of bright color was still quite lovely.
Occasionally
the overcast cloudy sky would break open and show a beautiful blue sky above.
The further east we traveled the more blue sky we saw—we were thrilled, as
there is nothing better than a beautiful blue background for shooting colorful photos.
We stopped
whenever we found a wide spot in the road to take a few photos. At one such
stop Barb spotted this fungi growing from a stump. We thought it was an
interesting specimen.
Katherine
Cove on the shoreline of Gitchee Gumee was a picturesque stop. Here in the
shelter of the Lizard Islands, bathers can find warmer shallow waters. From the
cove backpackers, canoeists, and kayakers find countless opportunities to
explore the world’s largest fresh water lake.
Some of you may be asking, “What’s with this Gitchee Gumee stuff?”
The Ojibwe (Native North Americans) call Lake Superior, “Gichigami,” meaning “big water.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the name as “Gitchee Gumee” in the poem, “The Song of Hiawatha”, as did Gordon Lightfoot in his song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The first French explorers approaching the great inland sea by way of the Ottawa River and Lake Huron during the 17th century referred to their discovery as “le lac superieur.” The lake was also called “lac Tracy” by 17th century Jesuit missionaries. The English, upon taking control of the region from the French in the 1760’s, anglicized the lake’s name to “Superior,” because of it being superior in magnitude to any of the lakes on the vast continent. Whatever the name, we call it “lovely.”
Here are a few shots of the soft blue-green water and sandy beach at Katherine Cove.
Some of you may be asking, “What’s with this Gitchee Gumee stuff?”
The Ojibwe (Native North Americans) call Lake Superior, “Gichigami,” meaning “big water.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the name as “Gitchee Gumee” in the poem, “The Song of Hiawatha”, as did Gordon Lightfoot in his song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The first French explorers approaching the great inland sea by way of the Ottawa River and Lake Huron during the 17th century referred to their discovery as “le lac superieur.” The lake was also called “lac Tracy” by 17th century Jesuit missionaries. The English, upon taking control of the region from the French in the 1760’s, anglicized the lake’s name to “Superior,” because of it being superior in magnitude to any of the lakes on the vast continent. Whatever the name, we call it “lovely.”
Here are a few shots of the soft blue-green water and sandy beach at Katherine Cove.
Once we got out of
the cove the shoreline quickly became rugged and rocky. This ruggedness is typical
of most of Lake Superior’s shoreline.
Our
next stop was at the Chippewa River about 25 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie,
Ontario. This would be our last stop before crossing the border back into the
state of Michigan.
Bet
the increased volume of water flowing down this river would be spectacular
during spring runoff.
We
thoroughly enjoyed our ride through Canada and along the northern shore of Lake
Superior. It is a trip that we would recommend.
One thing we should mention that we observed along the sides of the highways--rocks were neatly stacked in various ways on outcroppings of larger rocks. This fascinated us to the point that we had to research the practice.
We learned the stacks of rocks were called Inukshuk (pronounced In-OOK-Shook) and were originally erected by the Inuit. The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, the United States, and eastern Siberia.
They were erected to make the way easier and safer for those who followed and represented safety, nourishment, trust, and reassurance. They guided people across the frozen tundra and gave them hope in barren places which aided them in handling hardships encountered. There is something very mystical and alluring about an Inukshuk. These incredible pieces of art are not just piles of stones but figures holding spirit, sacred meaning, and direction. In modern times they are being erected by all those who feel the need and want to erect one--including governments.
One thing we should mention that we observed along the sides of the highways--rocks were neatly stacked in various ways on outcroppings of larger rocks. This fascinated us to the point that we had to research the practice.
We learned the stacks of rocks were called Inukshuk (pronounced In-OOK-Shook) and were originally erected by the Inuit. The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, the United States, and eastern Siberia.
They were erected to make the way easier and safer for those who followed and represented safety, nourishment, trust, and reassurance. They guided people across the frozen tundra and gave them hope in barren places which aided them in handling hardships encountered. There is something very mystical and alluring about an Inukshuk. These incredible pieces of art are not just piles of stones but figures holding spirit, sacred meaning, and direction. In modern times they are being erected by all those who feel the need and want to erect one--including governments.
In
our next little blurb we’ll share our adventures after crossing the border into
Michigan.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns