September 4, 2025
41 degrees at 6:00, high of 54.
We booked a campsite at Fort William in Thunder Bay on advice from Airstreamers at Terrace Bay and from Sandy at the Silver Islet store. There was no need to hurry, so I went down to the South Kaybeyun parking lot to see if I could get some posts done. Nope. Surely it is a good idea to just allow enough to get messages and email. It forces you to concentrate on the outdoors.
It was a raw, cold morning as we started to get ready to travel. Our poor tenter neighbors were sitting outside all bundled up. I took our firewood out and offered to build a fire for them. They were thrilled. They were from Quebec on a trip across the country to Vancouver. Their names were Gatinau (?) and Leis. They met 32 years ago, each camping, so they are used to this.
They related their issues with their new GMC electric car that gets 375 miles/charge. They started to buy a Prius that gets 500 miles/charge, but they wanted more room. They searched for charge stations and travelled accordingly, but there were issues. They would arrive and the station wasn’t working, out of order or all being used. They had to be towed at one point, and had to backtrack a few times. I told them they need to write this up. I would love to know if they make it to Vancouver.
We hooked up and just barely made the turn out of the campsite. Our nice neighbor across the street offered to move his truck, but we were OK. Traveling with three young girls, I offered him the prize for neatest campsite in the park. They were there for 10 days and had a big time. Canadians are different. On a chilly morning with it spitting rain, one of the little girls, maybe 4 years old, was dancing around in her rubber boots, raincoat and little umbrella.
It was only an hour to Thunder Bay. Sandy, at the Silver Islet Store, had told us to go to The Fish Store, following a big sign on the side of the road. We did that and it proved to be a great place. Liisa owns it and showed us frozen, wild blueberries. She said it was a tough year for them due to several major weather changes. Bears were having a hard time finding enough to eat, so they have been coming to town.
We bought a bag of candied smoked salmon chunks. Sandy said it sounds weird, but they are great. We bought a smoked Rainbow Trout, Pickerel cheeks, blueberries, a loaf of bread and some local Gouda cheese. She was interesting to talk to as she meets all kinds of people, many coming from Europe to do the big loop – across Canada, down the west coast of US, across the south and up the east coast. Some do an even bigger one, using the Pan American Highway that goes all the way to the tip of South America. This one takes two years. We thought we were doing well to go around the big lake. Martha asked what to do with the smoked trout. Another customer named Laura was contributing to the conversation.
It was a bit of a trick getting out of the parking lot, but we made it. Across town, we found our site at Fort William. After getting settled on a damp and chilling day, we went to the Visitor’s Center to register and look around. It’s a very interesting place that was in competition with the Hudson Bay Company for this part of Canada. We watched a good video on how they carried furs and other goods in big canoes with 8 or more men on board. They paddled incredible distances this way. We never did see the fort, as we had a lot to do.
First, we were off to a laundry. It seemed like everything useful was dirty. It was a busy little place with the owner, Cosmo, coming in to help people. Someone came in with a great-looking sandwich from next door. After loading the wash, we went next door to Cosmo’s other business, an italian bakery, deli and grocery store – Agostino’s Deli.
We were like kids in a candy store looking at all the good things when we saw Laura from the Fish Store. That started a whole conversation about the great food in the deli. Martha asked about where to get a “Persian,” and she told us. She told us about a local coffee roaster. She told us about the best hot sauce, so we bought some. And then she told us about a good fresh seafood market. She had come in to look for some little round red peppers in a jar that a friend had put on a salad. She found it and showed us. Then she gave us her phone number in case we had any other questions.
The help in the Deli were great – friendly, helpful, patient. We kept adding things and putting them on the counter. The girl said that was fine, as she called out to Cosmo for a price for a box of plum tomatoes a regular customer was buying. A man in line said we were going to love that hot sauce. Martha asked what he put it on. “Pork chops…everything,” he said.
It was like a friendly whirlwind of regulars who all knew Cosmo. Back to the laundry, then back to the deli. Even the people in the little laundry started friendly conversations. Martha spun the washing machine drum because she heard change in there, but couldn’t find it. An older guy sitting behind her said, “Oh that doesn’t come out. Only Cosmo can get that money.” A lady found a sock on the floor and asked Martha if it was hers. There was some debate about no, it wasn’t hers because it has an L on it, and she wore a medium. “Maybe it’s your husband’s.” I said, “Maybe it’s for Left foot.”
We loaded up our laundry, deli meat, pasta, bread, chicken pot pies, frozen meatballs and sauce, and biscotti and headed out. We went to the LCBO for wine and our favorite bourbon, Makers Mark. “We don’t buy anything from the states,” the nice salesperson said, but she recommended some good wines.
Next was the fish market for some fresh steelhead trout for tonight’s dinner.
Then off to the grocery store for a few things. I mean we are only going to Quetico Provincial Park for 5 days! I was ready for a drink when we got back, but Martha said, “Don’t you love that kind of day? It all fell into place and we got so much done!”
