Ontario

It's is the 4th of July...in Canada. And not much fanfare, rather the opposite.

It was cool and breezy this morning. The clouds still moody and the shoreline still dangerous. The waters of Lake Superior after all are bone numbing nearly year round and through storms, shipwreck, or chance taken the lives of many a soul.

I like its moods though and like daydreaming walking along its shorelines. I like getting to know one place or one thing intimately. And so I am excited and increasingly enamored to be discovering all the nooks, crannies, and nuances of Gichigami from one shoreline to the other. Walking along the beach over boulders and driftwood its easy to let my overactive imagination wander imagining sea monsters off the distant waters and beasts brooding in the dark forest. I have been thinking a lot about mythology and science after all with our new film project coming up. There is no shortage of creative potential seemingly everywhere around me.

When we packed off the tent and continued our journey towards Thunder Bay we passed more towns as we headed West and just outside of Thunder Bay we even found a hostel. One of the strangest, most eclectic hostels i've ever stayed in too. Run by an elderly couple out of a combination restored motel and home, Lloyd and Willa were some interesting folks. They lived in Malayasian Borneo for many years as part of Canada's version of the Peace Corps and there home was decorated with art from all over South Asia and the world. They also host many refuge children from all over the world giving them opportunities for a fresh start, including one friendly boy from Somalia living with them. We also met our first other backpacker international travelers. A young guy from Germany, girl from Spain, and another guy from India.

Thunder Bay wasn't much to look at. However, for whatever its worth it was interesting that there were lots of people from Finland living there. Apparently it is the largest center of Finns outside of Finland. Finnish town halls, resturants, and shopkeepers lined the small downtown streets. Meanwhile at our funny hostel outside of town Becca and I indulged in the comforts of having hot water showers and enjoyed a home baked Ontario rhubarb pie picked up along the way.

Tomorrow we head South into Minnesota.