Day 10: Vertigo

[vaneramos]

Sleeping Giant looks like its name. It is a mountainous peninsula entending into Lake Superior, visible from Thunder Bay. Yesterday morning we went there. After touring around an enchanting cottage community near the tip, called Silver Islet, we drove up a steep gravel road to Thunder Bay lookout. A small viewing platform extends from the edge of the cliff. Below lies a boulder beach and the waters of Lake Superior. I was unable to walk beyond the edge, but Danny took some pictures from the end of the platform. It was a glorious spring day and we were utterly alone.

paulintoronto had recommended Ouimet Canyon, so we drove there next. It was well worth the trip, but once again vertigo got the better of me. To get to the main lookout points we had to cross a bridge over a small side ravine. I managed that. The viewing pods extended over the brink of the canyon edge. The information panels helped. By reading aloud and focusing on those I was able to pull myself into the middle of the platform, over the 100-metre precipice, but I could not walk up to the railing. Again, Danny took pictures like this one of me.

It's a fascinating place. The deep, narrow canyon provides shelter from the sun, so the bottom provides rare habitat for sub-arctic fauna much further south than its usual range. Access there is not allowed.

Of course I dreamt of falling into the canyon, but only once that I remember. We were exhausted and fell easily asleep.

Comments

[nzbear5.livejournal.com]

Sounds like an amazing place Van. When we headed across Canada in 2008 on the train I hoped we would get a glimse of Thunder Bay but it was not to be as we never got that close. For me the place is famous for its truly ancient bacteria fossils in the Gun Flint Chert! I learnt about these as an undergrad student in the late 70's.
Cheers,
Nev

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

The city of Thunder Bay itself is ugly (more about that in my post about the best and worst), so if you had a glimpse of Lake Superior somewhere else it is just as well. Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park website makes mention of some ancient fossils, possibly the same, but I think they're in the canyon where access is not permitted. We stopped only briefly at the falls and didn't have time to explore.

[nzbear5.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I only got to see Lake Ontario, I think he train lines are too far north to see any of the others. Another time, maybe next year if Tim gets a fellowship he has applied for.