Vermilion Bay to Nipigon Ontario

I was thinking about this blog and realized that this will always be written in past tense.  The stuff I post today will have actually happened yesterday so
the date shown for the post will be the next day. Got that??  Now on with todays yesterdays story.

We managed to get on the road about 8 am.  First stop was a Timmies in Vermilion and eastward we headed.  The fall colours are gorgeous and the sun shone all day but the only picture I got was of just non colourful roadside bush.

The highlight of today was a stop at Kakabeka Falls.  They are just outside Thunder Bay.  We have never been here before so we were quite surprised at how pretty it was. Well worth the stop. At 40 metres high Kakabeka Falls is the second highest waterfall in Ontario.

Kaitlyn & Grace


Here is the story about the Ojibway Princess Green Mantle, and Kakabeka Falls also called the “Niagara of the North”                                                  According to Ojibway legend, the princess sacrificed her life to save her village from invading Sioux warriors. Her father, Chief White Bear, had gotten word that a group of Sioux were further up the Kaministiquia and headed toward his tribe’s camp. Green Mantle, worried about her father’s old age and inability to ward off the approaching enemies, took it upon herself to stop the invasion. She paddled up the river, abandoned her canoe at the foot of the Great White Falls, and hiked to the Sioux camp. There, feigning that she had lost her way and playing up false fear, she begged for her life in exchange for taking the Sioux to her father. The Sioux took off with Green Mantle as their guide, paddling down the Kaministiquia—and straight toward death, with the princess leading her enemies right over the Great White Falls, and dying herself so that she could protect her father and people. It’s said today that you can see the figure of Green Mantle in the mist that rises up from Kakabeka Falls.

Kakabeka Falls

Just north of Nipigon we spotted the red rocks of Red Rock.  Reminded me of Sedona AZ only on a smaller scale.

Because we are on a schedule we didn’t stop again until Sue told me there was a great overnight spot by a lake ahead.  It is just around the corner from this picture.

She found it on her free campsites app.  It was just off #11 highway.  The sign at the entrance says “Cars only” and I thought we ARE towing a jeep… close enough.   The next sign said “picnic area only” so I thought….. let’s have a picnic!!!  So we did.  Now after a long day of driving I had a wee toddy or two and then got to thinking….I can’t drive in case I’m over the limit and neither of the girls have an air endorsed license, so we had to stay for the night.  At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  Hope we don't get the dreaded knock on the door in the middle of the night.

We enjoyed our evening by the lake and watched the sun set from our living room window.

A map of todays travels.  Our schedule is to arrive in North Bay around supper time Wednesday.