FEBRUARY 4th, 2016
By LANA CARBON & JOHN LILIES
[Lana] Since the fall of 2014, John and I had been looking forward to our summer 2015 holidays. We made plans for a road trip to visit some relatives in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We researched things to do in Thunder Bay and also some of the entertaining sites along the way as it was going to be nearly 20 hours of driving… not including any stops. We were ready and truly quite psyched about it.
[John] This was actually a vacation we had intended to have in the summer of 2014 but circumstances forced us to reschedule to 2015.
[Lana] Then April 2015 arrived and life happened. Events occurred which altered all of our plans and unless things improved by June, these events would mean a drive that long would unfortunately not be a possibility. Changes would be needed. Back-up plans would need to be put into place.
[John] We wanted this so badly and we needed it. As the days drew closer it was evident we would have to make some alterations but Lana was adamant that we would not cancel entirely. We did, however, have to make the tough decision to shorten the distance and we had to eliminate Thunder Bay from the equation. It was heartbreaking and it was necessary.
Having already booked our hotel at the half-way point in Sault Ste. Marie, we decided we would aim to go that distance and so we re-configured the rest of our travel plans around that stop, hoping that it would work out and we would reach Sault Ste. Marie without further hiccups.
Knowing that Sault Ste. Marie would be at least a 10-hour drive for us, not factoring in any stops along the way, we decided we would set out early and make our way to Barrie for our first coffee stop and some homemade sandwiches for breakfast. We had planned a number of stops along the way while still holding true to our planned arrival time – we had family to meet for dinner celebrations in Sault Ste. Marie and so we hit the road at 0600.
[Lana] We had set out early in the hope of crossing the city before the morning rush hour traffic had us at a standstill. Luckily, it was just starting to become congested as we turned off the major route and began cruising along, opposite to the flow of the heavier traffic. We knew we had left early enough and we would be able to make good time and enjoy the drive.
[John] Our stop in Barrie wasn’t a long one, but it was perfectly planned and gave us a chance to stretch and re-check our route before settling in for the long drive. Whenever I head north, I tend not to think of myself as being out of the city until I’ve travelled north of Barrie, so I was excited to relax into the trip and begin taking in the scenery I love so much. This province is beautiful and the further north I go, the happier I become.
[Lana] Just over an hour and a half later, we saw a sign for a definite stop in Pointe au Baril called the Moose Lake Trading Post. One of our musts on this journey was to stop at as many trading posts as we could along the way.
[John] I’m in love with Trading Posts… well, the good ones at least. It seems that they are becoming more and more like typical tourist shops and some are even approaching a boutique level, so it’s a bit tougher now to find the good ones.
[Lana] This particular shop was absolutely everything one would expect in this type of establishment. Great gift ideas, souvenirs from the area, items created by local artisans and books telling some of the community’s history, were all available at reasonable prices. Any future trips that bring us even close to the area will force us to return and spend way too much money again… just like we did this time.
[John] I’m so glad I factored the Trading Posts into the vacation budget!
[Lana] We packed our bounty into the car and set off once more. We would only make it another 45 minutes this time however, before seeing the French River Trading Post. While I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Moose Lake, it was still a pretty nice store with some interesting items to peruse. This stop also offered a restaurant and restroom (neither of which we needed at the time). We didn’t spend nearly as long in this location.
[John] Yes… this wasn’t a bad one but it definitely didn’t have the charm of Moose Lake. I had visited this one before with Ma Lilies and I remember loving it at that time… but I hadn’t been to the Moose Lake Trading Post yet. French River comes in at a nice second place to Moose Lake. I think the timing worked well for us too. Perhaps it was the knowledge of the hours facing us on the road and the timeline to reach our destination or maybe we were just really tired, but the short stretch from Moose Lake to French River was perfect in the moment.
After a quick visit here we decided to push on, as we hadn’t even reached Sudbury yet.
[Lana] Even though Sudbury is a fairly large city when it comes to Northern Ontario, we didn’t stop here, as we knew we would be passing through again on our way back. We instead pressed on to Espanola where John remembered a trading post from her last journey through these parts. The North West Trading Company was not nearly what John remembered.
[John] My first visit was with Ma Lilies and I loved it. It had a great feel to it and I found some wonderful treasures. I was there again with a cousin some time later and was still very happy with it. This trip… not so much. There was nothing wrong with it but I think that I was spoiled by Moose Lake and so when we entered on this day, the feeling was very different and everything was too crowded for me.
Having said that, this is a great location for a rest, a stretch and to refuel both body and vehicle. You may also find that special treasure you’ve been looking for.
[Lana] As we were driving up to the trading post, I had happened to notice a bunch of statues in the window of what looked like an old service station or mechanic’s garage. The statues were horror-themed and quite gory. A man was wandering around with his dog and I only really took notice when he unlocked the door and went inside. We decided to stop so I could take some pictures and he informed me that his friend created the statues and that he did custom work. There would be more pieces coming soon so if we stopped in the next week there would be more to see.
I asked about a business card for the artist but this man had none and also never even told me the artist’s name. I didn’t ask anything more as I was picking up a bit of a creepy vibe from the man. We drove a short distance down the road and while we ate our lunch, discussed the strange events that just occurred.
[John] It was weird. I didn’t like it there. I don’t know what that feeling was but to say it was creepy is almost an understatement. I wanted out and was so happy when Lana returned to the car. I was even happier when we were safely out of the parking lot and back on the road. I was not comfortable there at all. At. All. Had it been more isolated, I would have expected the makings of a horror movie at hand. Complete contrast to the beauty of the land.
[Lana] I would just like to add at this point that this part of the drive through the Canadian Shield is absolutely gorgeous. The picturesque rock cuts, thick-forested areas and multitude of lakes makes you want to stop every couple of minutes to take photos. If we had paused every time we saw a worthwhile opportunity, we would have never made it to our first destination.
[John] This really is some of my favourite section of Canada. I absolutely love driving but when I’m travelling through Northern Ontario I do find it difficult to focus on the road and not get lost in the beauty of the Shield. Rocks and trees are some of my favourite things in life and I could drive through this area every day and never be bored of the landscape. It’s also nice to see the wetlands of Ontario and count the Deaver Bams and Heaver Bouses you can catch along the way. Deaver Bams are very cool to see if you’re lucky enough to spot them while driving by and it always amazes me how large Heaver Bouses can be.
Beavers are some incredible creatures and quite cute at that. If you ever see a Bittle Leaver… well if you’re anything like me you will smile for weeks because of it.
[Lana] Our next break came at the Serpent River Trading Post. While it didn’t have nearly the variety the earlier trading posts had, the selection it did have was beautiful. Focusing on local, Aboriginal artists, the items here would make great gifts or souvenirs especially at the reasonable pricing for hand-made art. Also attached was an art gallery featuring larger pieces that aren’t designed for simple passersby but making the location an actual destination in its own right. For anyone interested at all in Aboriginal works of art, this place is a must.
[John] We did pick up a couple of small pieces here and I look forward to a time when we can return. As Lana said, the gallery alone is worth the visit. If you are ever travelling in that area, please do stop and visit the Serpent River Trading Post.
[Lana] Realizing the time, we knew we would have to boogie along to get to Sault Ste. Marie in time to check in and freshen up before meeting our relatives for supper. With no more stops along the way, we made it to the hotel in approximately two hours. Normally I wouldn’t comment too much about a hotel especially when it is basically just a place to lay our head for one night but the service we received needs special mention in this case.
We pulled into the underground parking of the Days Inn on Bay Street and made our way to the main lobby. A busload of people was just finishing up checking in for the night. The woman at the front desk was quite jovial when we approached, even after having rushed through all those people. The process was handled quickly and efficiently and we were soon in our room with our luggage. Fifteen minutes after checking in, we received a call asking us if the room was satisfactory. I was quite impressed as this was the first time I could remember actually receiving such a call. It nearly guaranteed, in my mind at least, that we would most certainly stay at this hotel the next time we were in the “Soo.”
[John] The room itself was nice and very clean and that is always our biggest focus when we stay somewhere. We didn’t need anything fancy – just a nice, clean room and friendly, helpful service.
[Lana] We had a wonderful reunion with our relatives at Aurora’s Westside. I must say it was probably the best panzarotti I have ever had.
[John] Lana knows his panzarottis well – it is a favourite of his and he really was quite impressed. My meal didn’t really stand out to me but I did enjoy it.
[Lana] We hope we didn’t delay them too much in their closing process as we ended up staying quite a bit later than we had intended. It had been way too long since we had seen each other so we had a lot of catching up to do…not to mention that it was the first time they had met John in person. Our waitress was very kind in taking pictures for us with our entire multitude of cameras. With the meal finished, we said our goodbyes to the family and made our way back to the hotel; day one came to a close.
[John] This was such a special night for us both and it really solidified these relationships for us. It was so great to chat and laugh over a nice meal and though the evening was short, the time was endless in our hearts. It was a long drive for a dinner date but it was worth more than we could have imagined. We retired for the evening and woke up early the next morning for another meet-up with more family, after a great breakfast at the hotel café, Absolutely Delicious (seriously… their cinnamon buns are amazing!).
[Lana] Heading out on this morning, this time we met with John’s relatives who were unable to make it for dinner the night before.
[John] My cousin and her husband met us for coffee at the Tim Horton’s around the corner from the hotel. Living so many hours away from us, these moments are few and precious. My cousin was quickly approaching her due date with baby number two and it was such a wonderful time to catch up with them that morning. It’s amazing how time whizzes by when you are rambling on about the life happenings that occur in those months and years between visits; and oh how much life can happen.
After chatting intensely for longer than we had realized, Lana and I decided we had to get back on the road. There were a couple of places we really wanted to check out before leaving the Soo and continuing on our short journey.
[Lana] The cousins suggested stopping at Superior Home Bakery knowing the love we have for éclairs. I must admit they were probably some of the best pastries I have had in a long time. It would be quite the drive just to hunt down an éclair the next time the urge hit though.
[John] True… but we are usually up for an adventure…
[Lana] That is so true.
Our next stop was the “Frontier Village” which is a collection of businesses that are in a strip mall that is designed to look like buildings from the 1800’s. They have totem poles, life-sized (and bigger) statues/sculptures and a giant moose holding a hunter by the back of his pants. I know it sounds cheesy but who doesn’t need a little cheese in their lives.
[John] Cheesy is spectacular.
[Lana] A few of the stores here we may have tried out had we not just had our little snack (The Big Moose Ice Cream Parlour, Sweet Tooth Fudge Factory, Frenchie’s Fries, Jack’s Chicken & Ribs and Wild West Pizza) but we just had no room in our bellies no matter how tempting these places seemed. Three stores did stand out, however. The anchor store is called the Chippewa Trading Post, which in actuality is basically a camping/hunting/fishing/convenience store, a little disappointing considering some of the great trading posts we had visited along the way but had we been looking for these sorts of items it would have been a great place. Luckily there is The Totem Pole, which has much more in the way of traditional trading post fare (at least in the way we have come to know them). This is the stop to grab any souvenirs you may want.
The place we found the most interesting of all was Tarot Ida’s Tea Room. This was our first time in anywhere like this type of business. Ida Miceli does Tarot spreads, reads tealeaves and does palmistry. Both John and I decided to have our palms read (the results of which we are going to keep private considering the personal nature of such a thing). If we had it to do again, we would keep our sessions separate so we could compare notes after the fact, and record them so we would have a copy to look back on just to see how much actually came true. What I would like to do is find another palm reader and see if their results are similar to the ones we received that day.
[John] I don’t know where I stand on palm reading. This little shop was cute though I did feel like we were a little pressured into receiving a service. It was an interesting experience for sure but I was deeply skeptical, though happy to have tried it out. I was certainly curious to hear the reading.
[Lana] With a lot of shopping and eating on the trip so far, it was time to get in a little dose of nature. Just north of town (and I would suggest using a map here) is Crystal Falls at Kinsman Park. Once you find the park, it is relatively easy to get to the falls. A boardwalk has been built to take you to the midway point where you can get some amazing photos. The water cascades down into a large basin which looks as though it would be an outstanding place to take a swim…something which is unfortunately prohibited for safety’s sake. Had we only worn the proper shoes, we could have continued to the top of the falls where a bridge crosses the flowing water. As it was though, this was quite a peaceful and calming experience and one that I think we both needed.
[John] This was exactly what we needed! It was absolutely a perfect experience and gave us the necessary opportunity to open up and breathe. Our shoulders dropped, our minds cleared and we were in the moment. It was so hard to leave this place and it was hard to share too… the more people to arrive and take in the beauty, the harder it was to be in the moment. It really was a spectacular place though and just thinking about it now as I write, I’m transported back to that space and energy. I wish we could go there again soon and have more time to spend just taking it all in.
[Lana] It suddenly occurred to us that it was after three in the afternoon and we had a four-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of us if we didn’t make any stops and that was very unlikely to happen. We had to get moving…North Bay was calling us.
[John] It was really hard to leave Sault Ste. Marie less than 24 hours after arriving and it was harder still to not continue northward as we had originally planned; but we hopped in the car and made our way east on the road we had just travelled the day before… grateful for the opportunity and time we had just experienced and so deeply thankful for the time we had with such incredible family in our short hours there.
Google image, map of Ontario - Toronto to Sault Ste. Marie to North Bay.
