July 11: Lake Superior

Sunday morning dawned with the smells of baconny breakfasts and sounds of a few hungover or still-drunk young ‘uns. I postponed my planned morning yoga practice so that we could leave earlyish. Our goal today was Katherine Cove in Lake Superior National Park, at the opposite end of the lake from Thunder Bay. It was recommended as a lovely place to stop. Typically we hadn’t been arriving at campsites until 9:00 p.m. or later. Today I wanted to arrive early enough that we could enjoy the destination before bed.

Our drive took us around the top of Lake Superior and through a relatively mountainous (hilly?) area. The mountains here are much older than those on the west coast, and completely covered with, you guessed it, trees. In some places the highway cuts through banks of red rock, and there were many lovely views of Lake Superior, its islands and peninsulas.

As Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world at 12,100 km³ (2,900 cu mi), the drive took a long time. At 7:00 we finally saw the sign for Katherine Cove – and there was no campsite icon on it. Drat. We pulled over anyhow, and it’s true, the cove was lovely, the beach sandy. I went for a wade, we stretched our legs, and then it was back on the road to search for places to camp and eat. Rain was threatening.

Guided by a young woman at the visitor information centre a few kilometres down the road, we found the Voyageur Cookhouse at Bachawana Bay. It was such a treat. Log tables and chairs, old snowshoes and other outdoor paraphernalia, Hudson Bay blankets, maple syrup for sale. The menu featured traditional local fare: tortière, baked beans, bannock, pickerel, bison. Yes, it was touristy, and maybe we had just seen too many rundown cafés in tiny towns by this point, but I appreciated the bright, clean, entertaining atmosphere.

By now, the rain had more than threatened: It had poured down dramatically and persistently with both light and sound effects. We surrendered to Mother Nature, and checked into Smith’s Motel just ahead of a young couple from Vancouver Island cycling across Canada who had been on the road for a month.

Copyright © 2010 Lynn Thorsell, All rights reserved.