Thompson - The End of the Road

We are currently in Thompson, Manitoba, which is the end of the paved road north. Thompson has two claims to fame, a wolf habitat area that is encouraging the reintroduction and maintenance of an expanding wolf population and a nickel production mine that is one of the largest in Canada. The nickel mining is the reason for Thompson's existence. 

The first thing you see as you drive into town is their statue saluting the miner. 

Then you start seeing wolf statues everywhere. The local museum is the place to start your exploration of the wolf phenomenon. There is a GPS geocaching hunt that you are encouraged to follow. 

But the most interesting wolf is the one painted in the style of Robert Bateman on the side of an apartment house. It is visible from the road and very impressive from both far away and near. 

Thompson has an accommodating public library that has great wifi and a nice staff. So I am posting before we head to the train that will take us to Churchill. I have been told that I will definitely see belugas. Hopefully I will also see polar bears. 

Along the North Side of the Great Lakes

We are making our way across Ontario, traveling along the northern shorelines of the Great Lakes. The Canadian highways appear to be carved out of granite and limestone rock formations. Almost everywhere along the road people have built little "Inukchuk" monuments out of whatever rocks they find.

These rock sculptures were originally used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The traditional meaning of the Inukchuk is "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path."

We were driving so fast I had difficulty taking a photo of one, but eventually managed. 

We stopped at a tourist trap named Agawa Crafts in Pancake Bay, Ontario. It was an interesting place. 

Then we drove to Lake Superior Provincial Park. This is an absolutely beautiful place along the shoreline, with a great interpretive center. 

Mike had to get his hands in the water. 

We keep seeing warnings about moose, but the only ones we have seen so far are on the signs. 

Tonight we are staying in a campground near Nipigon, a small town with a surprisingly good restaurant ( I was reluctant to try it, but Mike talked me into it), where we ate dinner and enjoyed a peakaboo lake view. 

Tomorrow we drive through Thunder Bay and on to Manitoba. 

 

North to Canada Again

We will eventually end up in Churchill, Manitoba in a little over a week. But we are taking our time and stopping at quilt shops and other places along the way.

Our first major stop was the Corning Glass Museum. The glass sculpture in the foyer is a Chihuly, but this museum has much more than just modern glass. It contains a history of glass making that is incredible, with pieces from the beginning of the art to the present time. I could easily have spent the full day there. 

Their hot shop and other demonstrations were also terrific. I always thought the Tacoma Glass Museum in Washington state was the best until I visited here. And I loved the tower of Corning glass dishes to ceramic dishes. Impressive! 

 

We stopped in a town that we had never visited previously, East Aurora, NY- just "west" of Aurora, NY😜. It is a quaint town with lovely shops - including a quilt shop, naturally. We ate a late lunch there in a restaurant called Rick's on Main. If you find yourself in that area, do yourself a favor and stop! 

We camped along the shore of Lake Ontario last night, in 50 Point Conservation Area. It is both a marina and a campground, with a nice restaurant, too. Worth its high price - for a campground!