The long and not very winding road

Thunder Bay to Red Lake

Imagine a very long (around 350 miles) and not very winding road, with very little traffic on it. You're at one end and you want to get to the other... but you can only drive at 50mph. Frustrating eh, n'est-ce pas, innit? 

Apparently the police patrol from the skies. We were prepared to risk it, but Aunt Marj was driving Cousin Robin's car and following us and she is very law abiding and apparently could lose her licence if she was caught speeding - so if we went even 1mph over the limit, she disappeared into the distance behind us.

But we got to Red Lake eventually and it was well worth the effort. And at last I've met my Cousin Robin. She's lovely and, like all my relatives, very welcoming.

Robin with Roger at the Water Buffalo coffee shop

Her house is right on the edge of Red Lake. It was built by her husband Jim, who sadly died a few years ago. It has the most wonderful views.

The view from Robin's living room

The back of the house. The garden leads down to the lake

Red Lake seems to be the generic name for three small towns/villages up here - Red Lake itself, Cochenour and Balmertown. All built around the gold mines which are still producing and are some of the richest gold mines in the world.

One of the several floatplane harbours

It's difficult to describe this area, it's so different from anything we know. It's a bit like the wild west, inasmuch as the villages are unfinished, most of the roads are unmade, the buildings are mainly wooden and seem to grow up ad hoc. There are lakes and trees everywhere. Many people don't bother with the road and fly here by seaplane - known here as floatplane. Well, visitors, miners and hunters.

A view of the lake

In the distance you can see Red Lake's traffic light

As soon as we arrived I told Robin I'd love to see a bear. I saw a pair of bald eagles on the drive up but have been hoping for lots more wild life. First thing this morning we found a pile of bear poo in the garden.

Bear poo

But I wanted more... So she drove us to the local rubbish dump and sure enough there was a big black bear, rummaging around. And a bald eagle and several vultures and ravens and lots of crows - and a big pile of discarded mattresses.

It's a bear - a real, live bear!

And a bald eagle