Saturday June 11th turned out to be a very beautiful day...but the morning was a little rainy and most definitely foggy as I left Sault Ste Marie at 5:30 am for a trip to Manitoulin Island. I also brought along my little Nikon point and shoot just in case I wanted to take some photos.
This was not a planned trip as the girlfriend and I had other plans that fell through the day before. We didn't know it at the time, but this trip would have a strong First Nations theme.
Second stop other than Iron Bridge for a washroom and leg stretch visit, was Mississagi First Nations. We drove past this little scenic highway stop countless times but never took the little detour. Happy that we did as I never knew of the large waterfall located here on the Mississagi River. My girlfriend's parents used to fish at this location for Sturgeon ages ago.
There was a park bench located here that caught my attention. Once I got home, a quick Google pulled up some interesting back history.
On page 8...
http://www.mississaugi.com/pdf/summer2015.pdfNext major destination was to locate Wiki reserve. Last summer, we traveled over a lot of Manitoulin Island but never did go towards the Wikwemikong First Nations. The main reason why I wanted to go there this time aroun, was that I was invited to their Pow wow by a former student of mine. I thought it might be a good idea to located the Reserve before heading down for the event this Summer...well at least that is the current plan.
http://www.wikwemikong.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=119Before reaching Wikwemikong, we had to drive through Manitowaning. This is a very nice little town with some nice sites. It was around noon when we reached this location, and it was time to stop for some lunch. Had one of the best home fries and burger at Queen Street General Store. My girlfriend noted how good the home fries were, and how it reminded her of a closed restaurant in the Sault...and after talking to the store owner and cook, it turns out he is from the Sault as well...and there was a connection. She even knows some of his relatives. It amazes me just how small Northern Ontario is at times.
Anyhow, whilst eating in his establishment, and enjoying some of the tastiest home fries I have ever eaten in my life, I spy a photo of an old ship with a few hundred folks standing in front of it. I ask the proprietor about the photo, and he informs me the ship is sitting at the harbor. I ask if it is related to the Norgoma docked at Sault Ste Marie, and he said yes, they are sister ships. Yeah, this visit just got a little weirder. We just had to visit this ship as our next destination.
A short drive down the street and a turn brought us up to Manitowaning's picturesque harbour front with the SS Norisle quietly rusting at the docks much like the MS Norgoma is doing in the Sault.
If you are interested in a little back history to the ship...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_NorisleAnd some more modern photos of the ship.
Showing the losing battle with the elements.
I liked the buildings and the whole design of this small harbour.
Inside one of the buildings was a used bookstore trying to raise funds for the local Library. There was a single dedicated senior aged women standing vigil over the small store. The presence of this small store did allow me to get a closer look at one of the beautiful harbor buildings. It turned out that a group of theater folks held plays inside the building, but with new government laws, the building was deemed unsafe for larger groups. This might explain the amphitheater that was being built at the entryway to the harbour.
Now that the visit to the harbour was complete, onto our primary goal of the trip. Along the way, we encountered Manitowaning's Assiginack museum. Unfortunately, they do not open on weekends. I was able to take a few outside photos however.
Next stop was our primary destination, but this necessitated a nice drive around the beautiful Manitowaning Bay. After a 12 minute drive, we found ourselves in Wikwemikong. Many reserves in Canada aren't rich, and are located in very poor lands. Wekwemikong is a different story. The main buiildings are beautiful. this is the first reserve I have seen where there are commercial stores such as The Source, and a Dollar Store. This is a very nice place to visit.
Driving around looking at the sites, we came across this shell of a building. This is the Holly Cross Mission Residence.
Some background history...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Cross_Church,_Wikwemikong
Not much left of the residence. Oddly enough, there is an old tea pot laying at the front entry.
First time I have ever seen stop signs with Ojibwa written on them.
On the way out, there was a little picnic area. I took photos of the sign and giant inukshuk.
Thus concluded our short visit to Wikwemikong. On the way back, we took our usual Elliot Lake turn off washroom break. There are many deer statues located here.
Due to the Deer Trail.
Either way, this is the nicest highway rest room in the area, and because of that, always worth a stop. While there, I saw a women take a tumble off of her motorcycle across the little park on the highway. Before I could get there to assist her, another motorcycle stopped to give her assistance and to help her lifted her motorcycle off the grass. I got two thumbs up from the rider after I shouted if all was well, and off she went down the highway once again closely followed by her new fellow motorcycle friend probably to ensure that everything is ok with rider and bike.
The rest of the trip back home was uneventful.
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