August 17, 2010

We made it to Canada!!!

Passing through Grand Portage was very nice. We were able to see the Witch Tree, Suzie Islands and at last Pigeon Point. Being chased by a storm as we rounded the point, we ducked into the hole in the wall and took refuge in the cabin there.

Once in Canada, we were making great headway. We paddled along Victoria, Jarvis, and Thompson Island. The crossing over to Pie Island went very well, so well in fact that we were tempted to cross right over to Thunder Cape. Lake Superior had other plans. She blew us off the water just before Turtle Head Point and we holed up on the beach until morning. We knew there were going to be strong wind warning in effect the following day and planned to hit the crossing hard in the morning before the big blow.

5 am, weather radio comes on. "This is the forecast for Friday, August 13, 2010"... what?!? I had no idea it was Friday the thirteenth. Great. They were still calling for big winds in the afternoon so we rolled out of the tent to pack up. The sun was just beginning to light the sky when it happened....bright red sky. Crap, that's strike number two. Try as we might, we swallowed our superstitious ways and headed out for the crossing.

We made it about two miles in when we first heard rumbles. Thunder? Thunder Bay grain elevators? We had no idea but pressed on. More rumbles came and went with nothing too threatening in the clouds. Three miles passed and that was great... no turning back, the crossing was half way over. Just about the time we reached the freighter channel we saw a freighter on the horizon. Perfect. We had to adjust our heading a tad to avoid collision (minor detail) but all in all things went well. We landed in Thunder Cape with nothing more than a few rattled nerves and thanked the lake for being so kind for our crossing.

When we pulled out of Thunder Cape the winds started. We battled a headwind and hit the shore for the occasional thunderstorm and eventually landed in Silver Islet, Ontario. The smell of  "Sin" buns filled the air and we found the most fabulous people in the General Store on the water. They have a Tea Room open from 1-5 and serve soup, coffee, and desserts. Great food and people were just what we needed after a cold rainy day.

As the case may be...we have been at Silver Islet since August 13. The high wind warnings turned into gale warnings and as of today the winds are still blowing. Waves were kicking up to 12 feet and wind gusts up to 35 knots. We visited the Tea Room daily and have met some great people from the town. We even had a sauna. For being wind bound, things are not too shabby.

It is also a good thing the winds kicked up for mom. Apparently sometime between Grand Portage and Pie Island she acquired a small blood blister on her hand. The small blister turned into a large blister, ruptured, and caused swelling up her hand and finger. We are thinking a spider is to blame and we were fortunate enough to find someone willing to drive us into Thunder Bay to visit the hospital. She is on antibiotics and we are waiting to see if they work before heading on our journey.