Shuniah and Thunder Bay 1

On arrival at Thunder Bay we shopped for the first time at a Walmart Super Centre for our provisions. This shop was somewhat of a culture shock and we wandered around like lost pilgrims. Aisle after aisle of strange (to us anyway) food stuffs. Not knowing quite what we had bought or if it was the right quantity, we finally found our way to Shuniah. The photos for this post - by Graham this time - give a little impression of our first few days at Shuniah. Our little abode, called the Cove, is centrally heated, almost brand new, and fully equipped. We love it. We have had a chance to do our washing (so we are happy to go out again now); had a chance to catch up on sleep and rest - not the same thing but close; cook and eat a spaghetti bolognaise from scratch; and just generally be in our own space. We are surrounded by nature here at the very end of Mackenzie Beach Avenue - water at the front and bush at the side. Of course the weather is against taking full advantage of the options available here in Summer - I ain't going swimming while there's ice floating in the water! Likewise I will not canoe or sailboard. But at least we can walk.
Yesterday we took a walk to the abandoned railway walking track as far as the old rail bridge over the Mackenzie River where it enters Lake Superior. Then today we went into Thunder Bay for the first time after visiting the Terry Fox Monument and Lookout. Terry Fox's is a remarkable story of human courage and generosity. In 1977 Terry Fox had lost his leg to cancer at 18. Galvanised by seeing the suffering of other cancer patients, he decided to walk across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research. We were told by the woman at the Tourist Office there that his 'Marathon of Hope' actually ended at Shuniah after 143 days of walking. Thunder Bay took this man to their hearts and they dedicated this lovely park to him and his quest. She also told us the base of the Memorial is made from amethyst, and you can see the beautiful purple crystals in it. Much moved, we also found the view out over Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant quite stunning. But even more stunning we were approached there by a young woman who overheard in the Tourist Office that we were from Australia. She asked questions about our trip and had some advice about Ottawa which was great, but almost as an afterthought she invited us to stay in her B&B for free in Toronto if we thinking about visiting that city. Sadly we are not going via Toronto, but thanked her for her generosity, and in parting she wryly observed that there really wasn't much to see there anyway. Tomorrow we are planning to walk all the way to Mackenzie Point, weather permitting.Weiterlesen