Grand Portage - August 18-25

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 8^th grade season but dedicated his summers to improving his play…and by the 12^th 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.

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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