It
was as if the Gods had wanted me to witness this spectacle. I was in deep sleep
because I had used up a better part of the early night to complete the lagging
blog notes. I felt an icy hand on my face and I opened the eyes suddenly to see
a glorious horizon that was showing signs of lighting up. The room had nice
view of the lake and therefore, I had let the window blinds be so that I could
see them till late last night. This morning though the view was very different.
It was as if a massive fire had engulfed the distant forests. I jumped out of
bed, brushed my teeth before wearing warm clothing and set out to the lake
front. The dark yellow and orange had started dominating the sky more. There
was no one about and anyone who saw me from their lakefront houses must have
thought I was behaving strangely. In search for an appropriate place to plant
the tripod and mount the camera I was on fours on the sandy beach. The knees
became wet and the shoe started filling up with sand. Finally, that was done
and I stood beside the camera that was set on hyperlapse to cover the Sun’s
arrival from a distant land. What unfolded was Nature’s magic. When I face such
wonders of Nature I realise why our ancestors worshipped her. Once the Sun had
risen in full and complete glory I thanked Him for the experience and moved to
the warm comfort of the room to get ready for the day.
Energised
by a brilliant sunrise over the Wawa Lake I set forth on the drive to Thunder
Bay. As I had driven into the city last evening I had spotted the Wawa Goose
but had postponed the experience for this morning as I was driving out of the
city. Therefore, I stopped at the Wawa visitor centre to appreciate the legend
of the Wawa Goose, whose presence has brought curious visitors to Wawa from the
TCH since 1963 when the 28 feet tall waterfowl with a wing span of 20 feet was
installed. The strategic positioning of the goose at the intersection of two
major highways, I must say, was a masterstroke. It was the brainchild of Al
Turcott who had campaigned vigorously for the TCH to be routed through Wawa.
When the route bypassed the downtown core he and other like-minded Wawa
citizens struck upon the idea of the Wawa Goose Monument to attract travellers
to their city. Wawa stands for “Wild Goose” in Ojibwe language. The original
monument made of plaster did not withstand the rigors of the weather and had to
be replaced with one made of steel. The Wawa Goose has spawned a song and
children’s books besides bringing business to the city of Wawa.
The
drive to Thunder Bay was superbly scenic with trees of different shades of
green, coloured rocks and an abundance of lakes. Canada is home to more than
30,000 lakes and about 10% of her territory is covered with water. Being one of
the largest reservoirs of fresh water anywhere in the world it will be the envy
of nations that are short of this precious life source. The return leg to
Victoria has shown me a different country. The landscape has changed so much in
the last two weeks. It is as if I am witnessing a different canvas on which a
vastly different palette of colours have been used. 
The
city on Lake Superior, Thunder Bay is an old fur trading post that saw the
first white settlers in the 17th century. It became an important
port for trade with the east coast of the country with its position at the head
of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. The successful harbour not only
served the interests of the World War but also continuing commercial interests
for transportation of grain and other forest products. It developed into a
multi-modal transport hub with the establishment of the Canadian Pacific
Railway line through Thunder Bay. The old railway station and office built in
1905 is under renovation as prime real estate. The government office of Canada,
the newly inaugurated Delta Hotel and waterfront attractions are all within a
stone’s throw away.
I
was booked to stay at the Haven Hostel in Thunder Bay. When I reached the
Hostel at 2 pm I was informed that I could have access to my room only by 3 pm.
I had an hour on hand and I decided to explore the waterfront that was not very
far away. I located a Visitor’s Centre near the waterfront and parked in the
premise. The very pleasant lady in the Centre told me that the waterfront would
be my best bet to spend an hour and showed me a map of the attractions there. She
also showed me a secure place to park the car and I took the skywalk across the
rail and road tracks to the waterfront. The skywalk floor had been painted with
gay colours and footsteps indicating a walkway.
The waterfront turned out to be a lovely
walkabout with its marina, memorials and gardens. The Anchorage is a memorial
to the men and women who served the country with pride during WWII. The premise
also has a canon that served during the era of Admiral Nelson and the Battle of
Trafalgar. A small marina stands profiled against the breakwaters of the port.
This location was where at Port Arthur, the Navy’s stone frigate HMCS Griffon
was established to recruit men and women for the war. Port Arthur had been a
successful boat building and launching dock in the past. All that is the past and
Thunder Bay is now more a knowledge economy with emphasis on medicine and education.
The Regional Health Centre is based out of the city and the Care Home, Hospital
and Church are important landmarks here. An interesting part of the waterfront
is the Taiji Garden, a memorial to the founder of the Tai-Chi, Tsang Sangfen
with two of his students in different poses that showcase the importance of the
martial art form for defence, meditation and health.
It
was time to head back to the Hostel. This time it was manned and I was shown
into my room once the payment was made. The bright hostel has a common living
area and a kitchen with plenty of sitting area. That the hostel is a favourite
with youngsters visiting the city is evident from the messages left by them on
many walls of the hostel. After a short nap I ventured out for a walk on the
two main roads of the city. It did look a bit sleepy at 6.30 pm. I walked into
a shop that had a lot of beautiful paintings and art works. The lady who runs
the Gallery told me that she started it to honour her husband, Roy Thomas, who
was a renowned painter from the Ojibwe community. She supports more than 300
indigenous artists through the Gallery and thanks to visitors from all over the
world they fetch a decent price for the artists, too.
The Care Centre and hospital that lie on one of the arterial roads of the city was busy. Some of the inmates were out on the street in wheelchairs for a smoke. The city also has a popular Public Library. I found a Safeways store on the way and stocked up for the next few days. When I returned to the room by 8.30 pm the bright sunlight still engulfed it. It was still bright after a couple of hours when I went to bed after the last of my boutique beers from the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company in Newfoundland and a noodle dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment