On to Lake Superior

Shortly after leaving Sturgeon Falls that afternoon, the engine temperature light went off in our station wagon. That's why we stayed in Sturgeon Falls, as our plan had been to hit Sudbury, and meet up at Science North. But there is a Ford dealership in Sturgeon Falls, so we were all underway the next day, although our beloved Bob (that's what my wife and I named our wagon when we bought it) was a couple of hours behind. I ended up in my niece's car for this day's journey.

So on we went, past Lake Huron and the Sault, and we were upon it: the coastal highway (that's what they call the stretch of Highway 17 that overlooks the lake.) It is - in a word - breathtaking. The only other roadway I've ever seen like it is the Cabot Trail. Who knew? Ontario is many things, but I didn't realize that there was spectacular breathtaking beauty - the sort of show-off beauty that Nova Scotia and British Columbia have on their coastlines.

But we had it, too - the road traveled up and down a coastal mountain range, and down below were rocky islands, beaches, and water, water... clear blue water way out to the horizon. Tall and stately pines graced the other side of the road. There were times when I wondered if we'd made a wrong turn and actually gone to the Cabot trail!

The girls and I set up camp, waiting for the other adults. First came my brother in law on the bike (along with the dog), and then my wife and my sister in law. I laughed - I knew they'd eyed the tourist trap we'd seen on the way in.

That night we walked on the beach to the sunset. It was spectacular. The beach was covered with the most beautiful and varied rocks I'd ever seen... well, since my childhood. I vividly remembered the rocks on this beach from when I was ten.

In the morning, we went to Agawa rock along the coastal hiking trail, and looked at the pictographs. The picture below is my daughter standing next to the clearest pictograph I have ever seen. Portrayed is Misshepezhieu, the sea god who the local natives believed would protect those in canoes, and who could be invoked to change the weather. Signs at the site warn you to be careful - people have been swept off the site by Superior's huge waves and killed you are graphically warned. Pictures of Agawa rock confirmed the real possibility of that ( a scene that showed waves striking right where we stood.)

That afternoon my wife and the other ladies went to the craft boutique they'd seen en route the day before. My brother in law and I hiked with the dogs to the Agawa river. We admired the group camp sites, thinking we could gather our whole clan there.

In the evening, I cooked hamburgers and we brought them to the beach. We drank wine and watched the sun set over the flat and calm water. The Lake Superior web site warns that "only the hardiest swimmers" brave Lake Superior. My daughter and I are definitely among the hardiest swimmers, and we were in like dirty shirts. If anything, the water is even clearer on Agawa beach than at my parents - but the water is fresh, with not a hint of salt. It is a strange and wonderful feeling to swim in such an ocean-like place with no salt taste to the water, no jellyfish to try not to step on.

Though the days are warm and not, the nights in Northern Ontario are cold, so we kept close to one another. And in the morning, I went down to the beach before anyone else woke up. The sky was clear, clear and blue. The moon hovered in the blue sky over Montreal island directly out in front of me. The water was like glass, and the mountains rose on each side of Agawa bay.

In short, this was a postcard. A real live postcard, and I was in it. I wordlessly thanked God for letting me be not just witness to it, but in it. I dove in the water, and underwater the sun sparkled down through the clear water onto the rocks. I could have wept for the beauty. But it was time to go.

Next.... our time at Bon Echo provincial park.