The Great Lakes, USA and Canada. (Sep 22)

Second leg – Road trip around the Great Lakes of Northern USA and Canada.

Breathtaking views, unspoilt wilderness, endless expanse of forests, wide open roads, crystal clear waters, huge freshwater “seas”, long sandy beaches, deep blue skies and crazy temperatures.

We headed for the remote Bear Head Lake in Northern Minnesota for our first stopover, then along Highway 1 to the north shores of Lake Superior and into Canada. The canoe adventure on day two was our first taste of what was about to become normality – just the two of us, being pretty much alone and surrounded only by nature’s raw beauty and wilderness.

The remoteness of this region is something to behold and gives a real sense of perspective; dense forest in all directions and lakes everywhere (not just the ‘Great’ ones but many smaller ones too). The five “Great Lakes” (or inland freshwater seas) are just unbelievable in scale, stretching well over the horizon.

We hadn’t planned on doing so much hiking and camping, but that’s what we ended up doing after a last minute tent purchase and realising we’d been gifted some great weather.

Rainbow Falls, Rabbit Blanket and Agawa Bay were our overnight Canadian destinations on the north shore, all sitting within different provincial parks. We also stopped at places en route after receiving recommendations from people we had met. Every day we’d hike on trails cut into the wilderness, not coming across another person all day. We were rewarded by incredible views. Senses are heightened given this is bear, wolf and mountain cat country… we came across bear scats on the paths, huge paw prints in the mud and on one occasion near Danny’s Cove, a strong, unpleasant ‘wet blanket’ smell that may well have emanated from a nearby bear, according to a local we spoke to later. We didn’t stick around for long in any case – just kept walking and talking.

The shoreline of Lake Superior is simply spectacular, with pristine sandy beaches, complemented by piercing blue skies and crystal clear waters – and with the high temperatures and calm “seas” it felt like we were in the Caribbean. We were often the only people on the beach walking for ages along the shore and stripping of for an occasional swim.

When we crossed back into the USA and into Michigan State, the temperature increased even further, so we decided to stop for a few extra days on the west shores of Lake Huron. The first night we rested in a motel in Alpena before heading for a state run campsite at Tawas peninsula. I hadn’t realised until now that this State has more shoreline than the East and West Coast combined – and with shells dotted along the shoreline and nothing but water to the horizon it is hard to believe the lakes aren’t seas.

Back into Canada after a brief stop over at Port Huron (and a last minute covid status declaration as we crossed blue water bridge) we headed for another night’s camping at Long Point Provincial Park where we experienced some local street food called Poutine (cheese curd, gravy & chips) and Pickerel (small pike) before watching yet another stunning sunset. Being a hot Friday night with temperatures only dipping to 21 degrees Celsius over night, it had more people and RVs than we’d experienced so far, but absolutely beautiful nonetheless. A bird and wildlife haven, where snakes and turtles abound.
Final stop Niagara Falls which were as awesome as I I thought they’d be. The small town of Niagara on the Lake is a time capsule, so glad we visited it to sign off our lake experience. Now back to the USA via Buffalo and onto the final leg of our trip.