Thunder Bay–Our 1st Stop in Canada

 

From Duluth we headed north where we crossed into Ontario at Pigeon River. 

         

We were welcomed to Thunder Bay at the KOA campground where we stayed.

         

Fort William, the original name of Thunder Bay, was the largest fur trading post in colonial North America.  It was operated by the Astor family under the name Hudson Bay Company.  We visited Old Fort William portraying the settlement in times past.

         

                             

         

We also visited Kakabeka Falls, the second highest waterfall in Ontario, and a beautiful area. There were two large viewing areas with boardwalks for easy access. 

                

           

         

         

We also enjoyed bicycling in an area along the lake near downtown, beginning in Marina Park.  We passed by a nice restaurant where we ate dinner with Rod (Yankee RV Tours) the evening before.

         

         

We visited the former Thunder Bay train station where we stopped on our trans Canadian trip on the Canadian Pacific around 1977.  It’s well maintained but “train-less” – no passenger trains stop in Thunder Bay now.

         

                      

We went in a gallery next door to the former train station which had an elevated outdoor area great for observing the sights:  oncoming freight trains, a bagpiper, and skateboard/BMX plaza at Marina Park. 

         

                         

         

Looking opposite the train tracks – toward the lake – we could see and hear the bagpiper who played periodically during the afternoon.  He walked back and forth in a small area as he piped.

         

                              

The 25,000-square-foot state-of the art skateboard/BMX plaza at Marina Park really caught our attention, and we watched the riders circle the wall and fly out of the “pit” for quite a while.

         

         

Our next destination was Mount McKay Scenic Lookout.  Mount McKay, towering 1,000 ft. over the city, is the most outstanding feature of Thunder Bay's landscape. .    

         

Half way up - at the end of the road - is the scenic lookout with a viewing scope and skyline walkway, offering  an excellent view of the city and harbor,   Located on the Fort William First Nation Reserve, McKay was originally known as "Thunder Mountain" and is used by the Ojibwe tribe for sacred ceremonies.

         

         

We enjoyed Thunder Bay and all there was to see and do there.