Nipigon, Ontario

Friday, August 28, 2015

We arrived in Nipigon about 2PM for our stay at the municipal marina / campground.  The marina looks nice with an adjoining park that is nicely landscaped.  The campground…. not so much.  The campground consists of the gravel parking lot used for parking boat trailers.  We have 20 amp service and water, and amazingly, WiFi.  There are bathrooms and showers on the other side of the parking lot. 

Surprisingly, all 10 spots in the joint are taken.  This just supports the fact there aren’t too many places around here to RV camp.  For a couple of nights it is doable. 

Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, we plan to drive the 40 miles north to Lake Nipigon.  There are a couple of hikes we want to take, if we can handle them.  This is rugged country.  Lake Nipigon, actually considered here to be the sixth of the Great Lakes.  When you are watching the weather on TV sometime, notice the blue blob above Lake Superior, that is Lake Nipigon.  Its 1800 sq mi, making it bigger than Lake St. Clair.  There are three dams / falls between it and Superior, so if you want to boat on it, you need to haul it up there.

It forms the head waters for all the Great Lakes.  Here in town the big deal seems to be their new Paddle-To-The-Sea Park, based on the children’s story of a young boy in Nipigon who carved a little boat and dumped it in the Nipigon River.  Since all the Lakes flow to the Sea, little Paddle-To-The-Sea, so the story goes, travels all the way out to the Atlantic.  Google it if you are not familiar with the story.  Lynn had heard of it but never used it in her lessons.

More tomorrow.