Ontario - Thunderbay

Dryden to ThunderBay Driving Distance: 350 km

Today was a reasonable drive from Dryden (Holly's hometown) to ThunderBay. The roadways were lined with trees and waterways. I had no idea that Ontario was filled with so many lakes. ThunderBay is located on the west end of Lake Superior.

It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario with a population of 120,000 and the second most populous in Northern Ontario; with the municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge and Neebing, the

townships of Shuniah, Conmee, O'Connor, and Gillies, and the Fort William First Nation.

European settlement in the region began in the late 17th century with a French fur trading outpost on the banks of the Kaministiquia River. It grew into an important transportation hub with its port forming an important link in the shipping of grain and other products from western Canada, through the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the east coast. Forestry and manufacturing played important roles in the city's economy. They have declined in recent years, but have been replaced by a "knowledge economy" based on medical research and education. Thunder Bay is the site of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute.

The city takes its name from the immense Thunder Bay at the head of

Lake Superior, known on 18th-century French maps as Baie du Tonnerre (Bay of Thunder). The city is often referred to as the "Lakehead", or "Canadian Lakehead", because of its location at the end of Great Lakes navigation on the Canadian side of the border.

An interesting fact about ThunderBay:
On 1 January 1970, the City of Thunder Bay was formed through the merger of the cities of Fort William, Port Arthur, and the geographic townships of Neebing and McIntyre. Officials debated over the names to be put on the ballot, taking suggestions from residents including "Lakehead" and "The Lakehead". Predictably, the vote split between the two, and "Thunder Bay" was the victor. The final tally was "Thunder Bay" with 15,870, "Lakehead" with 15,302, and "The Lakehead" with 8,377.

We arrived into town and decided to take a stroll around the

waterfront. They have a wonderful promenade and marina that draws many locals and visitors alike. The weather was fantastic and the old downtown has many historical buildings; including an old train station building.

After our stroll we decided to head over to Phil and Kristine's place to get settled in. We are so fortunate to have met so many great couples down in Sosua and now we get to see their local hangouts while we are here. Once we got settled Phil and Kristine took us out for a drive to see a couple of the local areas. First we headed over to the Bluffs Scenic Lookout for a panoramic view of the Black Bay Bridge, Boulevard Lake, and the Sleeping Giant. It is quite the view point of ThunderBay.

Down the road from the view point is Centennial Park. Developed in 1967, Centennial Park is a large park area that follows the shores of the rocky Current River in the north end of Thunder Bay. The park was built to represent the history of logging in Port Arthur (Now part of Thunder Bay). The family friendly park features many replicas of the equipment and living conditions on logging camps in the early 20th century. The park also features recreational facilities, such as recreation trails, an animal farm, and a toboggan hill. Kristine mentioned that the park has fantastic cross country ski trails in the winter time. Something I would love to get involved in - maybe this winter.

Our last stop before heading home was to a park I think was called Current River. It is a quiet little park that is on the opposite side of the grain silos on Lake Superior. Apparently the fish are abundant in the river head here and the park is a hidden gem for those looking for a quiet place to relax in the summer. A place to come back to next time we are out this way.

Phil and Kristine had organized a wonderful dinner at their place that night. Appetizers at 5-530 with dinner at 630 ish. Randy and Raquel, Duff and Holly, Barry and Janice, Phil and Kristine and us all enjoyed a wonderful pasta dinner night. Roxy was so happy to see everyone again from Sosua. What a great day!

We are in ThunderBay for 4 nights and look forward to spending time with everyone while we are here.