Canadian sojourn: Thunderbay and around

This summer we took a one week vacation to the town of Thunderbay in Canada. Thunderbay is a town in the state of Ontario close to the US border, and on the banks of one of the Five Great Lakes: the Lake Superior. Our week long trip there was more a family trip, visiting relatives but we did some touristy stuff there too. And it turned out to be such a delightful place! Was quite a welcome surprise!

Thunderbay is quite a small town, with a population of about a lakh or so. So with so few people around, you can imagine how much untouched beauty there would be, specially given how much Canada is known for its natural beauty? Huge pretty houses with well maintained lawns, just staying there is an undefinable luxury.

Just next to where we were staying was a ski trail through the jungles, which during winters is used for cross country skiing, and in the summer is good for walks in the woods. The jungle was dense, with some small wildlife like jackrabbits, bears, hedgehogs and different types of birds. The walks in those woods were the best part of the days, Quiet walks with just nature around..

Stunning views of the jungle and around. And scary too, especially if you hear about how dangerous the bears there could be! We many times did find the bear paw prints too, but managed to avoid any encounter with them:)!

Of the places to see nearby, we visited the Kakabekka falls one evening. (A lot of the names in this area are the original Red Indian names itself, and sound quite different!). The falls were not huge, but so pretty and calm. (I think after the lack of calmness in the last falls we had seen, Niagara, this place seemed like heaven). The area around was green and the pleasant weather added to the perfect ambience! The water in the falls was yellow in colour due to the minerals flowing through them. Here are some photos.. showing the surreal ethereal beauty of this area...

Our second touristy visit was to the Ouimet Canyon. It is a 100 feet deep canyon and the interesting fact about this Canyon is that the vegetation at the bottom is Tundra vegetation which is found at much higher latitudes, in the Arctic region. This is so because the plants at the bottom of the canyon never get sunlight and so have the characteristics of those growing in the Tundra region without sunlight.

Within the canyon also is this natural rock formation, similar to a human figure and was formed over the centuries by water and wind.

We also went to see the Mount Mckay Lookout, which is one of the highest mountain in the area. It is also an Indian reserve where the Indians are allowed to stay as they want without interference from the Canadian government. It was interesting to know how the reserve functions: the Indians who stay there don't pay taxes, and are not governed by the normal laws of the state. They are even allowed to run casinos in the reserve! The view from the top of the mountain was pretty, you could see the entire city from the top, as well as the Sleeping Giant park and the Lake Superior. The Lake Superior is near the city, and apparently there are lot of water based activities to do there which we were not able to do.

Other than that we also visited a cheesefarm, which was a normal Canadian animal farm. The whole visit was very relaxing and fun. And am definitely impressed with Canada, such pristine beauty at every turn! Am sure a lot more Canadian trips are to follow soon:)