Fireweed
is in full bloom, and the mountain ash berries have turned from a dusty green
to a bright orange-red. This can only indicate a change of seasons.
This
area never disappoints us, as the weather changes daily – sometimes a few time
a day—and today is no different. We woke Monday to find heavy fog on the lake
(again) and temperatures in the high 50s. That said, it did warm up to the high
60s by noon, with lots of sunshine peeking through the clouds. We decided to stay around “the neighborhood”
today, have lunch at the Community Center, and enjoy a quiet time. Late Sunday,
Bill and Coral originally from Maine pulled in across from us. They’re also
full-timers, and have been since about 2002. What a fun couple; they’re heading
to Missouri to attend a reunion of military/RV folks.
Tuesday
we head for Canada, ultimately to Ouimet Canyon. The weather promised to be
sunny with temps in the high 80s so we thought we’d take advantage of the
gorgeous weather and do some more sight-seeing.
Ouimet
Canyon is a nature preserve provincial park, located a little over 40 miles
east of Thunder Bay, offering one of the most spectacular landscapes in eastern
Canada. Originally a lava flow covered this area; then the molten rock
crystallized and was later exposed when softer, over-laying sedimentary rock
eroded. Later, ice, wind and rain chiseled this canyon deep into the north
shore of Lake Superior.
From
the visitor’s booth, we trekked about ¾ of a mile through boreal forests to the
lookout platforms located along the rim of the canyon. From the platforms, the
gorge drops about 300 feet straight down to the canyon floor, which reaches 450
feet across. Vertical columns of rock are visual across the canyon, creating
quite a photo op! The canyon twists and turns to the north into surrounding
hills, and gradually opens to a broad valley eventually reaching Lake Superior
to the south.
The
bottom of the canyon receives barely any sunlight, providing a moist habitat
where cold, still air and insulating moss allow ice to remain beneath large
boulders year-round. In these shady depths, several Arctic plants usually found
about 700 miles to the north, survive. Not surprisingly, in order to protect
this environment access to the canyon floor is prohibited.
One of
the free-standing rock formations in Ouimet Canyon is called “Indian Head.”
Here’s
the legend:
“Long ago there were
giants.
Omett was one who helped
Nanna Bijou a great spirit of the Ojibwa people to raise mountains, and make
lakes. Omett fell in love with Nanna Bijou's daughter Naiomi. One day Omett was
moving mountains when a piece broke off and fell upon and killed Naiomi. Afraid
of what her father would do, Omett laid her down on a shallow lake and covered
her with a rock shield. Nanna Bijou while searching for his daugher felt her
presence beneath the rock shield. He caught a thunder bolt and cast it down
splitting the rock and revealing Naiomis body.
He buried the body at
the bottom of the canyon and to punish Omett - he turned him into stone and
placed him on the canyon wall to watch over Naiomi forever.”
During our walk through
the woods I pointed out wild blueberry bushes and wild raspberry bushes where
we were able to sample the fruit. YUM! I also tasted wild currants, which
weren’t quite ready to be harvested, as they were quite sour.
Leaving Ouimet Canyon,
we headed back to Thunder Bay, stopping at the Terry Fox Memorial along the
way.
We were impressed with
this young man’s accomplishments, and although the following is quite lengthy, we
wanted to share this amazing story of courage and determination with you (compiled from Wikipedia, and other online
resources).
Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. Born on July 28, 1958, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Terry was an
enthusiastic athlete, playing soccer, rugby and baseball as a child. His passion was for basketball and though he stood
only five feet tall and was a poor player at the time, Fox sought to make his
school team in grade eight. His physical education teacher and basketball coach
in junior high school felt he was better suited to be a distance runner and
encouraged him to take up the sport. Although he had no desire for
cross-country running, he respected and wanted to please his coach so he
started running. He was
determined to continue playing basketball, even if he was the last substitute
on the team. Terry played only one minute in his 8th grade season
but dedicated his summers to improving his play…and by the 12th
grade he had won his high school's athlete of the year award jointly with his
best friend Doug Alward.
Terry was a distance
runner and basketball player for his Port Coquitlam, British
Columbia, high school and Simon Fraser University. Though
he was initially unsure if he wanted to go to university, Fox's mother
convinced him to enroll at Simon Fraser
University,
where he studied kinesiology as a stepping stone
to becoming a physical education teacher. He tried out for the
junior varsity basketball team, earning a spot ahead of
more talented players due to his determination.
On November 12, 1976, as Fox was driving home
to Port Coquitlam, he became distracted by nearby bridge construction, and
crashed into the back of a pickup truck. While his car was left undriveable,
Fox emerged with only a sore right knee. He again felt pain in December, but
chose to ignore it until the end of basketball season. By March 1977, the
pain had intensified and he finally went to a hospital, where he was diagnosed
with osteosarcoma, a form of cancer that often starts near the knees. Terry believed his car accident weakened his
knee and left it vulnerable to the disease, though his doctors argued there was
no connection. He was
told that his leg had to be amputated, and he would require intensive
chemotherapy treatment. Recent medical advances meant he had a 50% chance of
survival. (He learned that two years before the figure would have been only
15%; the improvement in survival rates impressed on him the value of cancer
research.)
The night before his cancer surgery, Terry had been given
an article about Dick Traum, the first amputee
to complete the New York City
Marathon. The article so
inspired him that he embarked on a 14-month training program, telling his
family he planned to compete in a marathon himself. In private, he
devised a more extensive plan. His hospital experiences had made Fox angry at
how little money was dedicated to cancer research. He intended to run the
length of Canada in the hope of increasing cancer awareness, a goal he
initially only divulged to his friend Douglas Alward.
With the help of an artificial leg, Terry was walking
three weeks after the amputation. He then progressed to playing golf
with his father. Doctors felt that Terry’s positive outlook
contributed to his rapid recovery. He endured 16 months
of chemotherapy and found the time he spent in the British Columbia Cancer
Control Agency facility difficult as he watched fellow cancer patients suffer
and die from the disease. Fox ended his treatment with new purpose:
he felt he owed his survival to medical advances and wished to live his life in
a way that would help others find courage.
In August 1979, Fox competed in a marathon in Prince George, British Columbia. He finished in last
place, ten minutes behind his closest competitor, but his effort was met with tears and applause from the other participants. Following the marathon, he revealed his full
plan to his family. His
mother tried to discourage him, though she later came to support the project.
She recalled, "He said, 'I thought you'd be one of the first persons to
believe in me.' And I wasn't. I was the first person who let him down." Fox initially hoped to raise $1 million, then $10 million, but later sought to raise
$1 for each of Canada's 24 million people.
In the summer of 1977 Terry was invited to try
out for a wheelchair basketball team, through the Canadian Wheelchair Sports
Association. Although
he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the time, less than two months
after learning how to play the sport, Fox was named a member of the team for
the national championship in Edmonton. He won three national
titles with the team, and was named an
all-star by the North American Wheelchair Basketball Association in 1980.
On October 15, 1979, Fox sent a letter to the Canadian Cancer
Society in which he announced
his goal and appealed for funding. He stated that he would "conquer"
his disability, and promised to complete his run, even if he had to "crawl
every last mile". Explaining why he wanted to
raise money for research, Fox described his personal experience of cancer
treatment:
“I soon realized that that would only be half my quest, for as I
went through the 16 months of the physically and emotionally draining ordeal of
chemotherapy, I was rudely awakened by the feelings that surrounded and coursed
through the cancer clinic. There were faces with the brave smiles, and the ones
who had given up smiling. There were feelings of hopeful denial, and the
feelings of despair. My quest would not be a selfish one. I could not leave
knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I would be set
free from mine. Somewhere the hurting must stop....and I was determined to take
myself to the limit for this cause.
Fox made no promises that his efforts would
lead to a cure for cancer, but he closed his letter with the statement:
"We need your help. The people in cancer clinics all over the world need
people who believe in miracles. I am not a dreamer, and I am not saying that
this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer. I believe
in miracles. I have to." The
Cancer Society was skeptical of his dedication, but agreed to support Fox once
he had acquired sponsors and requested he get a medical certificate from a
heart specialist stating that he was fit to attempt the run. Fox was diagnosed with left
ventricular hypertrophy, an enlarged heart, a condition commonly associated with athletes.
Doctors warned Fox of the potential risks he faced, though they did not
consider his condition a significant concern. They endorsed his participation
when he promised that he would stop immediately if he began to experience any
heart problems.
A second letter was sent to several
corporations seeking donations for a vehicle, running shoes and to cover the
other costs of the run. Fox sent other letters asking for grants to
buy a running leg. He observed that while he was grateful to be alive following
his cancer treatment, "I remember promising myself that, should I live, I
would rise up to meet this new challenge [of fundraising for cancer research]
face to face and prove myself worthy of life, something too many people take
for granted." The Ford Motor Company donated a camper van, while Imperial Oil contributed fuel, and Adidas his running shoes. Fox turned away any company that requested he
endorse their products and refused any donation that carried conditions as he
insisted that nobody was to profit from his run.
The Marathon began on April 12, 1980, when
Fox dipped his right leg in the Atlantic Ocean near St. John’s Newfoundland, and
filled two large bottles with ocean water. He intended to keep one as a souvenir
and pour the other into the Pacific Ocean upon completing his journey at Victoria,
British Columbia.
Fox was supported on his run by his friend Doug
Alward, who drove the van and cooked meals.
Fox was met with gale force winds, heavy rain
and a snowstorm in the first days of his run. He was initially disappointed with the
reception he received, but was heartened upon arriving in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, where the town's
10,000 residents presented him with a donation of over $10,000. Throughout the trip,
Fox frequently expressed his anger and frustration to those he saw as impeding
the run, and he fought regularly with Alward. By the time they reached Nova Scotia, they were barely on
speaking terms, and it was arranged for Fox's brother Darrell, then 17, to join
them as a buffer. Fox left the Maritimes on June 10 and faced
new challenges entering Quebec due to his group's
inability to speak French and drivers who
continually forced him off the road. Fox arrived in Montreal on June 22, one-third
of the way through his 5,000 mile journey, having collected over $200,000
in donations.
Around this time, Terry Fox's run caught the attention of Isadore Sharp who was the founder and CEO of Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts—and who
had lost a son to melanoma in 1978 just a year after Terry's diagnosis. Sharp was intrigued by the story of a
one-legged kid "trying to do the impossible" and run across the
country; so he offered food and accommodation at his hotels en route. When
Terry was discouraged because so few people were making donations, Sharp pledged
$2 a mile [to the run] and persuaded close to 1,000 other corporations to do
the same. Sharp's
encouragement persuaded Terry to continue with the Marathon of Hope.
Fox crossed into Ontario at the town of Hawkesbury on the last Saturday
in June. He was met by a brass band and thousands of residents who lined the
streets to cheer him on, while the Ontario
Provincial Police gave him an escort
throughout the province. Despite the
sweltering heat of summer, he continued to run 26 miles per day. On his arrival in Ottawa, Fox met Governor
General Ed Schreyer and Prime
Minister Pierre Trudeau and was the guest of
honour at numerous sporting events in the city. In front of 16,000
fans, he performed a ceremonial kickoff at a Canadian
Football League game and was given a
standing ovation. Fox's journal reflected his growing excitement at the
reception he had received as he began to understand how deeply moved Canadians
were by his efforts.
A crowd of 10,000 people met Fox in Toronto, where he was
honoured in Nathan Phillips
Square.
As he ran to the square, he was joined on the road by many people, including National Hockey
League star Darryl Sittler, who presented Fox
with his 1980 All-Star Game jersey. The Cancer Society estimated it collected
$100,000 in donations that day alone. As he continued
through southern Ontario, he was met by Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr who presented him
with a cheque for $25,000. Fox considered meeting Orr the highlight of his
journey.
The physical demands of running a marathon every day took
its toll on Fox's body. Apart from the rest days in Montreal taken at the
request of the Cancer Society, he refused to take a day off, even on his 22nd
birthday. He frequently
suffered shin splints and an inflamed knee. He developed cysts on his stump and
experienced dizzy spells. At one point, he
suffered a soreness in his ankle that would not go away. Although he feared he
had developed a stress fracture, he ran for three more days before seeking
medical attention, and was then relieved to learn it was tendonitis and could be treated
with painkillers.
In spite of his immense recuperative capacity, Terry found that by late August he was exhausted
before he began his day's
run. On September 1,
outside of Thunder Bay, he was forced to stop briefly after he suffered an
intense coughing fit and experienced pains in his chest. Unsure what to do, he
resumed running as the crowds along the highway shouted out their encouragement. A few miles later,
short of breath and with continued chest pain, he asked Alward to drive him to
a hospital. He feared immediately that he had run his last mile. The next day,
Fox held a tearful press conference during which he announced that his cancer
had returned and spread to his lungs. He was forced to end his run after 143
days and 3,339 miles. Fox refused offers to
complete the run in his stead, stating that he wanted to complete his marathon
himself.
Fox had raised $1.7 million by the time he was forced to
abandon the Marathon. He realized that the nation was about to see the
consequences of the disease, and hoped that this might lead to greater
generosity. A week after his run
ended, the CTV Television
Network organized a
nationwide telethon in support of Fox and
the Canadian Cancer Society. Supported by Canadian
and international celebrities, the five-hour event raised $10.5 million. Among the donations
were $1 million each by the governments of British Columbia and Ontario, the
former to create a new research institute to be founded in Fox's name, and the
latter an endowment given to the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research
Foundation. Donations continued
throughout the winter, and by the following April, over $23 million had been
raised.
In September 1980 he was invested in a special ceremony
as a Companion of the Order of Canada; he was the youngest
person to be so honoured. The Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia named him to the Order of the Dogwood, the province's
highest award. Canada's
Sports Hall of Fame commissioned a
permanent exhibit, and Fox was named the
winner of the Lou Marsh Award for 1980 as the
nation's top athlete. He was named Canada's
1980 Newsmaker of the Year. The Ottawa Citizen described the
national response to his marathon as "one of the most powerful outpourings
of emotion and generosity in Canada's history".
In the following months, Fox received multiple
chemotherapy treatments; however, the disease continued to spread. As his condition
worsened, Canadians hoped for a miracle; Pope John Paul II sent a telegram
saying that he was praying for Fox. Doctors turned to
experimental interferon treatments, though their
effectiveness against osteogenic sarcoma was unknown. He suffered an
adverse reaction to his first treatment, but continued the
program after a period of rest.
 |
| Terry Fox Memorial grounds |
Fox was re-admitted to the Royal
Columbian Hospital in New Westminster on June 19, 1981,
with chest congestion and developed pneumonia. He fell into a coma and died at
4:35 a.m. PDT on June 28, 1981,
with his family by his side. The Government of
Canada ordered flags across the country lowered to half-staff, an unprecedented
honour that was usually reserved for statesmen. Addressing the House
of Commons,
Trudeau said, "It occurs very rarely in the life of a nation that the
courageous spirit of one person unites all people in the celebration of his
life and in the mourning of his death ... We do not think of him as one who was
defeated by misfortune but as one who inspired us with the example of the
triumph of the human spirit over adversity".
His funeral, attended by 40 relatives and 200 guests, was broadcast on
national television; hundreds of communities across Canada also held memorial
services, a public memorial
service was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and Canadians again
overwhelmed Cancer Society offices with donations.
---
We soon realized we were pretty hungry, since
it was late afternoon and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We found a little
Chinese restaurant on Cumberland Street in Thunder Bay, where we had our first
Asian food in a good long while. YUM! I’m still wondering about my
fortune: “Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder: wonton or dumpling?” Hmmm…
Wednesday was a day of rest for us. We had
lunch at the Community Center, where we dined with our friend Marie, sister to
a good friend Agatha, whom we enjoyed being with during PowWow and Rendezvous
Days. The Community Center makes a mean meatloaf! The day was wonderfully sunny
with temperatures in the high 60s at 7 a.m., reaching to the high 80s by noon.
The shade offered a wonderful reprieve from the heat, so we read and relaxed
for the afternoon.
We woke Thursday to 64 degree temps, and
sun—no clouds. A trip to Grand Marais was in the plans for the day, to visit
the library and catch up on emails. We made plans to meet friends Ron and
Kathryn in Grand Marais for dinner, and then at their trailer to resume our
competition of “Pegs and Jokers.” (If you remember, we played last week, and
the women were ahead in the standings.) Not to disappoint you women friends,
“women rule, men drool!” We tromped the men—again—3:0. Whoohoo!!! We Rock!!!
Friday morning we say goodbye early to George
and Sheri from North Carolina, who had arrived in the park last Sunday. They
were heading to Grand Marais for a few days before hitting the road again.
As Dick and I were sitting outside having
coffee, we noticed a kayak club of about 2 dozen kayakers arrive at the marina,
for a day trip to the Suse Islands. The Grand Portage Bay was calm, as was the
big lake, all boding well for the kayakers. They looked like little ants out in
the bay as they left. As Dick was taking photos of them preparing to launch,
the U.S. Coast Guard launched their boat for a trip to Isle Royal and the mouth
of the Pigeon River.
I was sitting outside reading and noticed a
beautiful bald eagle flying around the marina. He landed in the very top of a
pine tree about ¼ mile from our trailer. He sat there for about 15 minutes, taking
in all there was to see. I apologize for the quality of the photo (our camera
needs to grow up); it’s not powerful enough to take photos at that distance.
Later in the afternoon we welcomed Lorna and
Roger from Thunder Bay, who remembered us from last year. They come down a few
times every summer. Although they don’t travel much in their motor home any
more, they do travel to the Dominican Republic every winter to soak up the sun.
The weather report for Saturday and Sunday is
50% chance of thunderstorms, so we were expecting a really ugly day for the
annual classic car show, scheduled to be held at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino
on Saturday. It was a bit cloudy when we got up, but turned into a beautiful
day with plenty of sunshine and blue skies. We took a little walk around the
show, photographing the ones we thought were really cool.
 |
| Early '50s Chevy with sign below in the back window. |
 |
| This says it all! |
 |
| The owners said it's done being restored...really?? |
 |
| '49 Chevy attempt at humor...? |
 |
| My parents had a '49 Hudson like this in gray when I was growing up. |
 |
| '52 Chevy |
 |
| '55 Mercury |
Later we walked back to the car show to have
a late lunch: Dick had the hamburger platter, and I can never pass up a BBQ rib
platter. Both came complete with red potato salad and baked beans. YUM!
Early this week at the Community Center, we
signed up to win raffle tickets to see “Richie Lee” in concert, at 9 p.m.
Saturday night at the Casino, never thinking we’d win. We did! (Richie pays
tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Ricky Nelson, Roy
Orbison, Chuck Berry, Dion and many others.) 9 P.M.???? We’re almost in bed at
that time!!! We decided to pass on the
concert, and gave the tickets to the winners of the car show, who happened to
be parked behind us in the park.
Sunday morning came too early. We had to
leave Grand Portage for Grand Marais by 7:45 a.m. since I was scheduled to play
keyboard for the church service: prelude, worship songs and offertory, and the
postlude. Afterwards we went to Bernice’s for dinner; I supplied the main dish
(Mulligatawny) and dessert (strawberries and whipped cream on angel food cake).
Bernice provided the green salad and crusty bread. YUM! My uncle Erland and another friend Jerry joined
us, so again we had great conversation and wonderful food. What a wonderful
day.
We hope this week has been a good one for
you. We pray that you stay healthy and well; hope to see you down the road.
Luv ‘n’ hugs,
Dick and Gail
