What's in a Name...

Canoeing past the city of Thunder Bay was a unique experience. Up until this point, we hadn't paddled through many large ports so we were happy to have a calm day to canoe the fourty-five kilometer stretch to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Although we passed some towering structures such as the power generating station and numerous grain elevators, the city itself looked so small compared to the wilderness that surrounded it. While tucked away in our tent on Caribou Island, a series of thunderstorms awoke us from our much-needed sleep. The loud crackling bolts reverberated off the cliffs reinforcing the appropriateness of the bay's name.

Three Degrees Celsius

Spectacular cliffs and bountiful wildlife highlights the coastline from Pigeon River to Thunder Bay. We were delighted to have spotted two Peregrine Falcon nests perched along towering cliffs - a sign that their populations are hopefully rebounding. This year, we purposely departed on our expedition in June instead of May thinking that it might be warmer. Unfortunately, summer on the northern shore of Lake Superior doesn't seem to be here yet. The temperature of the lake is three degrees Celsius and it seems the shoreline isn't much warmer. Yesterday, while paddling along, we spotted a huge slab of ice hanging from the rocky shore. We were mentally prepared for summer, good thing we packed for winter! Yeah for down jackets, sleeping bags and booties! We sure hope it warms up soon.

Departure Day!

The weather is looking good for our departure today - sunny and warm with a slight breeze. This week, in Thunder Bay, we experienced everything from snow to plus 27 degrees Celsius in less than two days. Today, we will be departing from the Pigeon River which is where the Canadian and American borders meet on Lake Superior. Our friend Ken will be driving us and all of our equipment to the closest point we can get to the water. From there, we will portage our gear in - a nice reminder of why we paddle on the Great Lakes! We have added a new feature to our website where you can track our progress throughout the summer. Please follow the link on the left hand side of this page to see our location on Google maps.