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Sunday, June 17, 2007
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We left the cottage today and headed up to Sault Ste. Marie, MI. It was a long drive, dotted with, “I have to go potty really bad!” and of course, “Are we there yet?” Before we actually got to the city, we went to Brimley to see the Point Iroquois Lighthouse. It was quite impressive. We climbed the tour, and for Emmaline’s effort of counting all 72 steps, she received a Smokey the Bear Frisbee from the live-in caretakers (they closed up their home for a one-year commitment at the lighthouse). We enjoyed walking on the boardwalk, looking at the lighthouse from the lakeside. We were also able to see the Gros Cap Reef Light offshore.
Point Iroquois Lighthouse, Gros Cap Reef Light
We then headed into SSM and checked into the Holiday Inn, which overlooks the St. Mary’s River. We had a corner suite with windows that afforded us great views of ships both coming and going to the locks all night long. After eating supper in our room, we went down to the locks. Emmaline was fascinated with the huge freighters and changing water levels in the locks. In fact, using her kiddie 35mm camera, she shot lots of pictures, which much to our surprise, turned out fairly well! We also saw the Frying Pan Island Light, which is now in front of the Sault Ste. Marie Coast Guard Station. Once we were done at the locks, we enjoyed the pool and celebrated Father’s Day.
Frying Pan Island Light
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Monday, June 18, 2007
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This morning we went back down to the locks. After watching a ship go through, we headed over the International Bridge and saw it from above. About an hour east of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, we came upon the North Channel of Lake Huron. There we sought out the Shoal Island Lighthouse, which was across the channel from St. Joseph Island. It was a cute little light and offered us our first glimpse of the beautiful blue of Lake Huron and the rocky islands and shorelines characteristic of this area. After leaving St. Joseph Island, we stopped on the bridge back to the mainland to take pictures of the Wilson Channel Range Lights. Again, it was just a beautiful sight of those two red and white Georgian Bay-style lights across that blue, blue water. The final lighthouse that we had to see was the McKay Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse can be rented as a cottage, and we had considered it, but it wasn’t in quite the right location. After seeing the beautiful area, I wish we had just done it anyway. We could have driven over the bridge onto the island, but we didn’t want to intrude on anybody renting the lighthouse. Instead, we had to settle for a shot of it across the water. It was difficult to find, but the binoculars helped us locate it.
Shoal Island Lighthouse, Wilson Channel Range Lights, McKay Island Lighthouse
Our next stop was a gas station where we tailgated. There were all sorts of waysides before that, but Jon figured that if we waited for the next one it would be far away. He was wrong. There were any number of beautiful waysides just a bit down the highway. I made sure to point them all out. Then, a million miles later, we finally made it to Sudbury. No, we weren’t staying there, but we did have to see the Big Nickel. I had seen this when I was 18 and since I don’t think we’ll ever be up to Sudbury again, I wanted Emmaline to see it too. It was pretty cool to see, and there was a park there, which was desperately needed by a little girl in our truck. In retrospect, we should have stayed in Sudbury, but according to Mapquest, North Bay and Sudbury were equidistant from all of our destinations. They weren’t. Oh well, what’s an extra hour here or there? A LOT! Anyhow, we finally arrived in North Bay and checked into our motel. It was pretty decent. We had a suite, which is always nice when traveling with a child, although for as tired as we were, we could have just all gone to sleep at the same time!
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
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In celebration of our 9th anniversary, we headed down to Pointe au Baril today. What better way to celebrate our marriage and our family than to visit little Emmaline’s namesake, Emmaline Madigan. Our Emmaline was so excited to meet Emmaline. She doesn’t quite remember the first visit at eleven months old! It poured rain nearly the entire drive there. But just like last time, it cleared up when we arrived. I love it when God plays weatherman! When we knocked on the door, Emmaline came running out and scooped up little Emmaline in a huge hug! We then got in her boat and headed out to the lighthouse. The entire ride is so beautiful and picturesque. Our Emmaline kept shyly looking over at Emmaline Madigan while she sang “Emmaline.” When the lighthouse finally came into view, little Emmaline got a huge smile on her face.
Pointe au Baril Lighthouse
The first thing we did was climb the tower. Emmaline thought it was pretty neat. Then we showed her the rest of the lighthouse. After the inside tour, we went outside and took lots of pictures. Our Emmaline kept going back inside. She was really fascinated by this lighthouse that is so much a part of her story. Emmaline Madigan even has a scrapbook of Emmaline at the lighthouse so she can share the story of how our Emmaline got her name. We ate a delicious lunch and had Emmaline’s famous butter tarts. Emmaline Madigan then gave our Emmaline a birthday present—a butterfly wand, a pink lei, a musical book, and a Pointe au Baril T-shirt. Then Emmaline shared a really special video with us. It’s called Our Pointe au Baril, and is a beautiful compilation of stories and home videos of those who have called Pointe au Baril home, or vacationed there for generations. Of course there was a segment on Emmaline Madigan, and they even shot footage of her playing her violin up in the tower. The Tanglefoot song was used in the video, and I was brought to tears as I sat between the two Emmalines who were singing the song together. Earlier while we were watching a different part of the video, little Emmaline was getting bored, so Emmaline Madigan took her outside to blow bubbles. What a precious site!
Emmaline enjoying the tower, Tara and the 2 Emmalines, The Van Dyke family
While we hated for the visit to end, we knew it had to. Maybe we’ll get back there again. Once we left Pointe au Baril behind, we went north and got on a never-ending road to Killarney. Fortunately, this road was beautiful and we saw a lot of beaver huts and dams, and were thrilled to see a bear along side the road. A bit further down, we saw two cubs on the other side. Being from Wisconsin, we know there’s a bear presence, and I have seen them before, but somehow being in the Canadian wilderness, this was especially neat. Heck, even the deer was fun to see (and we never see those at home)! Our only regret is that we didn’t see a moose after all of the moose crossing signs. Anyhow, this road finally did end, and I was prepared to see an average little wooden lighthouse. The lighthouse was pretty average, but the setting was spectacular. It was up high on a rocky outcropping. The sun was shining and the water was sparkling. We climbed up to the lighthouse and felt the wind blow through our hair. I even had a butterfly land on my shoulder, and Emmaline found a turtle. It seems like the best lighthouses are at the end of the longest roads—sounds a lot like life. This became one of the highlights of the trip.
Killarney East Lighthouse
Our original plan was to go back to North Bay and have dinner at a restaurant for our anniversary. We did. Jon and I had Value Meals, Emmaline had a Happy Meal with a penguin toy, and we played in Playland after dinner. Laugh, but it was a step up from three years ago when we played cribbage in a hotel bathroom while Emmaline fell asleep in the room (that’s why we get suites now).
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
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Today we drove to Manitoulin Island. Miraculously, we arrived in the afternoon and didn’t drive all day. The drive from Espanola across the bridge to Little Current was beautiful. The La Cloche Mountains offer beautiful scenery, and interestingly enough, they used to be as tall as the Rocky Mountains before the glaciers came through. The Little Current Bridge is an old railroad bridge that has been turned into a one-lane wooden bridge. It opens up every hour on the hour to let boat traffic through. Once we arrived at the house we were renting in Providence Bay, we were thrilled. While the house’s décor was dated, it was so neat, and clean, and homey. It even had an attached garage for the new truck—we don’t even have an attached one at home! After unpacking, I sat on the deck and read. While reading, Blair Sullivan, who owns the house stopped by to welcome us. He and his wife Lillian are probably in their upper 70’s and own four rental properties in Providence Bay. I think he told us his entire life story before he left, but we really enjoyed meeting and talking with him. Later we played ball and Frisbee in the large backyard, grilled out, and watched a lot of monarchs in the butterfly garden in the front of the house. After supper we went down to Lake Huron, which we can see from our house, and walked the boardwalk. Unfortunately, it was cold and windy, and it started to rain. But we were so grateful to not be driving during the evening that we just used umbrellas and enjoyed the fresh air. After Emmaline went to bed, it stopped raining, so I read on the deck and then went back down to the shore and collected driftwood.
Providence Bay Light
Thursday, June 21, 2007
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This morning we ate and then left for South Baymouth to take a round trip cruise on the Chi-Cheemaun car ferry. It went right past the Cove Island Lighthouse—a beautiful Imperial Tower. We enjoyed spending time on the ship, although it was pretty rough. I was feeling a bit seasick. Lake Huron is so beautiful with its turquoise water. It was fun going back to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. We had enjoyed our time there three years ago.
South Baymouth Range Lights, Cove Island Lighthouse
When we arrived back at the house, we saw that Lillian had brought a small patio chair by for Emmaline, so we sat on the deck for a while. We also played in the backyard. After supper we went down to the boardwalk and enjoyed the warm, sunny evening. Emmaline played in the park and the sand. We also put our feet in the water. For once she didn’t run away from the cold water. Then I started wading in the water, and pretty soon a wave go my shorts wet, so I just went all the way in! Now I’ve swum in three Great Lakes!
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After putting on dry clothes, we drove to Simcoe Point, the westernmost point of Providence Bay, to visit the Sullivans. They are so nice and welcoming. We found out all about their lives, including the fact that he is a former teacher and principal and she was a school nurse. She paid me a pretty special compliment. She asked if I was a stay-at-home mom. I said that I was, and then told her that I would be returning to teaching in the fall. She said she suspected that I might be a teacher. I think when people can identify you as a stay-at-home mom and a teacher, you must be right for the jobs!
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Friday, June 22, 2007
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We headed out to see the Manitoulin lights this morning. The first light we saw was the Manitowaning Light. We stopped down by the marina to look at an old and ship and then headed up the hill to see the lighthouse overlooking the water. It was really pretty with lake Huron sparkling behind. Next we went to Kagawong. There we stopped at the Bridal Veil Falls and hiked along the river. Once done, we went into town and saw the light up on the hill by the beautiful harbor. There was even an old little light on the pier.
Manitowaning Lighthouse, Kagawong Pier Light, Kagawong Lighthouse
After Kagawong we went to Gore Bay to see the Janet Head Lighthouse. It is a private residence so we could only look at it from the road. After driving back into town, we walked along the boardwalk. Gore Bay was really beautiful. Our final destination was Meldrum Bay—the westernmost point of Manitoulin Island. Once we reached the town, we still had a really long drive down a gravel road to get to the Mississagi Strait Lighthouse. Once we got there, we were again reminded of how isolated some of these lighthouses are. The lighthouse has been turned into a museum by the Meldrum Bay Historical Society. It really has that lived-in feeling. Emmaline was quite interested in this lighthouse. She wanted to keep going back in to see all the rooms. I think it reminded her of the Pointe au Baril Lighthouse.
Janet Head Lighthouse, Mississagi Strait Lighthouse
After enjoying the lighthouse and grounds, we drove back out to Meldrum Bay and ate at the Meldrum Bay Inn (the only restaurant in town). It is a bed and breakfast and they serve meals inside the house’s dining room as well as on the wrap-around-porch. Delicious food, great atmosphere, and wonderful hospitality—very homey.
This evening, Emmaline wanted to go swimming. It wasn’t nearly as warm as last night, but she wanted to. We ventured into Lake Huron a little bit, but then decided to go swimming in the Mindemoya River that flows into the lake. It’s much warmer and she had a ball swimming around in the deep parts. After drying off and putting on warmer clothes, we went back to the beach to watch the sun set and play in the sand and playground.
After Emmaline went to bed, I sat on the deck and looked through a flower book that some long-time guests of the Sullivans wrote with the aid of Blair’s dad.
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Saturday, June 23, 2007
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Unfortunately today we had to leave Manitoulin Island behind. But before we did, we enjoyed breakfast on the deck and then walked on the boardwalk of Providence Bay one more time. On our way over the Little Current Bridge, I looked to the right because that is the general direction of Strawberry Island. On Strawberry Island is another lighthouse, similar in style to Janet Head. The books all say it is accessible only by boat, and none says that it can be viewed from land. Well, I happened to see something white out on an island, and as we got over the bridge, I could clearly see that it was the lighthouse. Using binoculars I got a good view of the Strawberry Island Lighthouse, and I was able to photograph it and check it off the list. It was a fun little bonus.
Strawberry Island Lighthouse
We drove for a while and then stopped and enjoyed a picnic (at a wayside!) near a river and some waterfalls. We finally got back to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, but could not head into the United States yet. We had one light yet to see, which was “approximately 55 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie.” With those vague directions, we headed north along the shores of Lake Superior. The vistas were beautiful—sparkling water and mountainous areas—however we were tired and sick of driving. Fifty-five miles came and went, and by the time we reached the 60-mile mark we decided to turn around. We hated to drive that far without finding a light, especially if it was just up the road a bit, but we had to draw the line somewhere. The directions said that it had been moved to a restaurant that was now closed, so we didn’t even know if it was still standing. Heading south, at the 55-mile mark, I spotted the light off to the right. It turns out we couldn’t see it coming from the other way, and the restaurant was hardly recognizable as such. The light was a sad reminder of the state of many lighthouses, but we were happy to at least have seen it.
Coppermine Point Lighthouse
Now we could head back to the States and our hotel! That evening we again went down to the locks to watch some ships and enjoyed the pool at the hotel.
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Sunday, June 24, 2007
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This morning we surprised Emmaline with a Soo Locks boat tour. She enjoyed watching the ships so much and was fascinated by the locks that we thought she would enjoy going through the locks. We were right (although when faced with the choice of watching the water rise versus eating peanut butter crackers, the crackers won!). Once the tour was over, we headed for home. It was a long drive—it’s amazing how many potty breaks a four-year old needs! We finally arrived home in the early evening with a lot of great memories.
