Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay sounds like a Bruce Springsteen album, or maybe a novel about 50s USA. But it’s a bay on the northern shore of Lake Superior. We arrived Wednesday evening in a propeller-driven aeroplane, which was a little bumpy. There was a pilot sitting next to me. He was very nervous. Especially just before take off. He was sweating, shaking, holding his head in his hands. After the flight I asked him why he was nervous. “We pilots are only human!” he said. 

Jill creates a wonderful waffle

Today began with a waffle. Jill made her first with the waffle iron. A natural. Marj shared a waffle with another breakfast guest. Then we drove to Thunder Bay Art Gallery. As we crossed the grass to the gallery Marj reminded us to watch out for gopher holes. Apparently they can be a real tripping hazard for the unwary. Unluckily for us the gallery was closed. Undaunted we headed for the Lake Superior Art Gallery – which turned out to be in a rather run-down corner of town. 

Time for some shopping fun

The gallery shared its space with an electric scooter dealership. Jill and Marj had their eye on a rather nifty scooter/trailer combination. After lunch at JJ’s – served by a very friendly waitress with a French name, Rachelle, we headed north to see some lake.

Across Lake Superior you can see a rock formation called the Sleeping Giant. Then to the Terry Fox memorial, overlooking the lake. This one-legged man famously ran across much of Canada and raised lots of money for cancer research.

Surveying The Sleeping Giant

We gave up on the amethyst mine after discovering it was 60 kilometres away and instead retraced our steps to the Amethyst Gift Centre. There you can buy a huge chunk of amethyst for only a thousand dollars. Or various amethyst-themed gifts for less. As you would imagine, Jill loved the little amethyst mice whose plastic eyes moved about when you shook them! 

The Terry Fox memorial

Thence back to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery where we saw a brilliant retrospective of the Ojibwa artist Roy Thomas. Finally supper, with Brett and Leigh at the 5 Forks restaurant next to the hotel. I had ribs. Not as good, I have to say, as Rod’s.

(Click on "Terry Fox" and "Roy Thomas" to find out more.)