Pancake -Neys Bay, - Kakabeka Falls Ontario

9/9/16

My plan was to spend 6 days and 5 nights traveling around the North Shore of Lake Superior...this would put me just right for the closing dates on some of the parks of Sept 18th.  After Pancake Bay Casey and I continued to head West on the Trans Canada Highway around the lake.  The amount of wilderness is just amazing! Miles and miles of raw and untouched wilderness. 

...I saw signs for Agawa Native Rock Art Park.  So I decided to make the hike.  A day use fee was paid to an iron ranger of $7.50 CA...After the first section of the hike came upon this sign!!

Hmmm.  I just happened to be hiking at the same time 2 other ladies, a mother and daughter from Manitoba were hiking,... so we arrived at the rock wall at the same time... 

The hike was tough! All rocks and boulders and pretty steep! 

Once we got to the rock wall where many years ago Ojibwa people had canoed up to this rocky shoreline and drew their renditions on the rocks, we found this chain it was a safety hold chain.  Unfortunately the lake is very close to this rock ledge one has to walk out on and it's extremely slippery!! I held onto the chain you see here and still I slipped and fell...Fortunately I held on and didn't fall into the water!! Recall the warning sign people have been washed out to sea and drowned off this rock......I got a look at only these 2 glyphs...The chain takes you to where the rock jutts out as you see here.  The mother and daughter decided not to try it...

what I wanted to see but didn't

SO that was thrilling not...I had a nice bruise for my trouble, and scared the B-Jesus outta my hiking comrades! They both thought I was a goner...but I knew I was okay, I got up and slowly made my way back to safer footing after snapping this photo.  If I had been able to continue on around the rocky cliff, dozens more of this fab art was visible...but it was not worth the risk. 

The hike back was uneventful...once  at our vehicles we had a good laugh about the whole incident...but the young girl who looked about 14 yrs old was very distressed when I fell....I reassured her I was not a fool hearted person who takes risks, it was just too slippery for the shoes I was wearing! 

Back on the highway I stopped for the rest of the day at Neys Provincial Park. 

 

I met a woman who was also camping in her Chevy van, she was 73 yrs old and from Toronto and on her way to Vancouver Island to visit her son and his wife.

my spot at Neys

  She said she loved to travel alone, enjoyed the freedom of being solo and I understand that; we chatted about the fear that many have and how we have overcome that fear, travel as far as we like then stop when and where we wish.  It was nice to have someone to compare ideas with and to see her 10 yrs my senior still enjoying solo traveling!

Neys had a cold wind blowing but I did some beach combing and then watched the sunset it was amazing!!

for my son

dogs are not allowed on the beach, so Casey napped and I walked him later before it got completely dark. 

I was amazed by the sunset..

the next morning our westward journey continued...there are MANY pullouts with amazing views of the rocky coastline and the beautiful woods that thrive right by the waters edge of Lake Superior. 

Along the way I pulled into the town of Terrace Bay.  They put this light house up to try and entice tourists to stop! In my case it was the boast of a waterfall and free WiFi in the town center!! I wrote one of my blogs while visiting this town.  I was able to purchase some Canadian stamps to mail some postcards back home...and I got information about the waterfall, got gas for the van, and some more Canadian Currency at an ATM in the bank Foyer, it was Saturday and the bank was closed.  

  

the town had some cool murals I liked this one.

Then I drove to the Aguasabon Falls and Gorge.   A very easy boardwalk to a viewing platform.  There was not a great view of the falls, a better view could be had on the right side of the gorge but that trail was closed. Still it was an amazing view!

Park here then hike to the falls. 

Supplied and rested, back on the Trans Canada Highway it was more wonderful scenery as I continued making westerly progress..

including some amazing overlooks of the Trans Canada Railroad right of way!!

Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park was my next planned area to explore. 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Trans Canada Highway

September 7 & 8
It is amazing to me how fast time is moving...in real time I'm practically HOME, I had an allotment of time to get this trip in and be back because my sis is about ready to head back to her home in Colorado! I was delayed with Annie's surgery and so I "amputated" the NY and Eastern Ontario part of my journey but it seems I just barely got in the rest of where I had planned to go and boy I've been on the move!  But it's all good altho I am now weary and ready to land for a while..If only I did not have a return by date....

Once I left the Pictured Rocks behind I was once again up in the Whitefish Bay area and getting ready to head to Sault Ste Marie and cross to Canada.  

Timing is everything due to the fact that fall comes early to the Northwoods,  and the Provincial Parks where I had planned to camp have early closing dates! There was one more stop for me to make, Iroquois Lighthouse!  I camped at the Bay View Campground near the Dollar Settlement.  

                                                                         Whitefish bay Lake Superior

not much of a photo but it does show the size of the camp spaces! The camp is right on the shores of the Lake and Whitefish Bay, it was one of those rainy foggy days when I was there...

even these common mergansers look lost in the white fog....

one can see why these lighthouses are so important to navigate the narrow bay area...This lighthouse Im headed for is very easy to get to just drive right up to it!!

Iroquois Lighthouse

it was built in 1857 and the wood replaced with brick in 1870, it was replaced in 1962 with an unmanned station out in the bay...and now its a public historic place to see!   It is FREE! I walked up the 75 or so steps to the top...

here's the view the glass could use a cleaning!!

I found the 1950's museum in the downstairs house to be fascinating as that's the decade of my birth!!  It was like going back in time to my childhood.

Casey and I took a stroll along the beach and checked out some rocks....

and Casey sniffed out this dead what looks like a crayfish to me...

then we rolled on down the coast and passed eventually the Soo Locks there is a tour but I didnt stop its a huge place!

not my cup of tea....so onward we went and crossed the border.

and on the other side I was on the Trans Canada Highway #17B.  I did stop in Brimley Michigan and get some Canadian money...I stopped at this view point of the Chippewa River a few miles down 17. 

the trees are amazing I love evergreens and they are in every shade of green along the highway...someone lost their travel trailer to the side of the road!! Probably high winds!

We made our fist camp at Pancake Bay Provincial Park which is similar to our start parks....it cost the same fee in each park, $42.15 Canadian for electric sites, and $36.25 for non electric.  Now with the exchange rate this is about $25-28 US as best I could tell.  Here is my view of Pancake Bay ...we got here in the mid afternoon took a long walk around and then I needed to rest!

My trip around Lake Superior was made up of 3 basic elements....Water, Wind, and Woods! 

the water was about 40F which is about 8C? And yet...

my hat is off to these hardy souls...we had a wonderful sunset that night but before it began to set it set the woods on fire with COLOR!

we watched the sun set and the moon rise it was a perfect half moon...

the perfect way to end a long day! 

Swainsons Thrush 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.