Thanks to the daily bombardment of ads I see on social media, I discovered there was something called The Lake Superior Circle Tour and ordered their free guide earlier this year. This 1,300 mile self guided tour around the world's largest fresh water lake was the perfect excuse to occupy some quality time with my daughters now that they were out of school. With about 1 day of preparing and packing, we started our journey.
We left during a long weekend and having no real idea how far we would drive or any campsite reservations I was a bit worried about where to stay. My fears were unwarranted as I found a privately run campground by the Serpent river that fit the bill.
This campground was mainly occupied by larger trailers and seasonal campers so our small VW was quite an anomaly and we had several people dropping by to talk. The next morning we were up early and off to our next stop after some breakfast.
Our second day of driving took us past Sault Ste. Marie. We were able to stop for some lunch at a beautiful beach spot and had our first sighting of Lake Superior.
Almost 700 miles into our trip had us staying overnight at Neys Provincial Park. Situated on the north shore of Lake Superior, this large park features some of the finest sandy beaches as well as former German prisoner of war camp. It was still a long weekend and the campground was busy but we were able to find a nice non-electric site.
The next morning we dropped by the visitors center to discover more of this great park.
Our next stop was a small privately run campground and the most expensive camping overnight of the entire trip as there were only the higher end electric and water hookups left. It was a pretty nice campground despite the bugs and rain.
I was driving quite long distances travelling West in case I needed to get back home quickly so was able to take more time on the way back home. First up was Sandbar Lake Provincial Park. We arrived late and the gatehouse was already closed but were told we could we could set up at one of 3 reserved campsites and either pay on-line or pay in the morning.
Both girls really "pulled up their pants" trying to avoid all the bugs.
Although there was some fighting along the way, the girls were pretty good at entertaining themselves during all the long daily drives. It also helped that they had a convenient table with tablets and books.
I had noticed that the times on my phone was off but thought it might be due to lack of reception, I later found out we had crossed into the Central Time Zone.
One of the final (and arguably most scenic) stops was to Kakabeka Falls. Nicknamed "The Niagara of the North". With a 130' drop, these beautiful falls cascade into a gorge carved out of the Precambrian Shield. We enjoyed it so much that we had to stay for 2 days!
It was also the weekend so this well run Provincial park had plenty of activities for the girls
We didn't complete the U.S. side of the Lake Superior Circle tour but it was nice to be able to visit different locations on the way back home. Here are some parting pictures along the way:
The Terry Fox Memorial just outside of Thunder Bay (a very emotional stop)
The Schreiber Railway Museum.
Another beautiful shot of Lake Superior in all it's majestic glory.
Did you know that the birthplace of the original Winnie the Pooh bear cub was born in White River Ontario? Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, a young veterinarian from Winnipeg, Manitoba purchased the cub while on route to the First World War. He named the cub Winnie in honour of his hometown, and the young bear soon became the regimental mascot. The same bear cub that was later adapted into the Disney character that we know today.
This trip marks the longest and furthest we have travelled in the van. It was also a good distraction for us all while mom was working in California and a great time to get out of our empty home in Mississauga. Hopefully one day we can complete the U.S. side of this wonderful journey in the future.
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