Kakabeka Falls, Onterio

      Living in the middle of nowhere is nice for many reasons. Nature is right outside my front door, I don't see people on their phones everywhere I go, and I don't spend my money on stuff I don't need. On the other hand, sometimes you need to get things, and you just can't. We live equal distance between Duluth, Minnesota and Thunder Bay, Ontario. As a result, when I need to go shopping, I go to Canada. Thunder Bay is a nice town, full of polite people. I do wish Americans had such a good stereotype. The thing I like most about Thunder Bay is not the shopping or the people though, it's that it is completely surrounded by the most beautiful nature.

      Just a 15 minute drive or so from the city center is Kakabeka Falls. The drive reminded me of the years I spent driving through southern Montana. I half expected to see a sign saying I was close to Hamilton. The pines are tall and bushy, and in the distance I can see sharp cliffs all around.

     Upon entering the park, you have to pay $3 (CAD) for parking for the hour, but it is well worth it for this view. Not only is the roaring waterfall astonishing, but the glass-like water running over the perfectly cut granite rock is unreal. The view looking down the canyon looked like a painting as the mist from the waterfall creates fog that rolls through the area. Next time I take a trip to Canada, I would love to spend a lot more time to explore this area. There are camping spots right by the falls and the whole area looks fantastic for hiking and swimming. I could not emphasize enough how much I recommend this area.

Autumn Views

I may not be the biggest fan of fall because of the whole no snow/no swimming thing, but even I had to appreciate this beauty is something you just have to appreciate.I even had to embrace the small plants.

I don't know what type of fern this I

 is, but it makes for a beautiful contrast to the fall colors.

Panorama from high cliffs near Gunflint Lodge

Hanging out in Ontario

I go to Canada all the time, but I've never been across an official border crossing. It was such a beautiful province. 

I just couldn't quit taking photos it was so pretty.

With fields of flowers all around...

And beautiful valleys. 

Little Rock Falls

So I've had a lot of people tell me that I need to go check out Little Rock Falls. It was a nice little area and not too far. If I didn't have someone with me then I never would've found it. You can't see or hear it from Magnetic Lake, but it really isn't a big walk at all. The swimming was nice but don't get your hopes up too much about the size of the falls. I think it was slightly exaggerated by whoever named it. It is more of a little rock rapids then a falls but I digress. The views were peaceful and the water was nice. Next time you're in the north woods, check it out!

Fishing!!!

I have been ntroduced to the wonderful world of fishing! I've gone many times before and never really felt a big draw but now that I have a good catch, I'm just as hooked as this Pike. The fishing is great up here in the boundary waters, especially if you are set up for a beautiful, semi-stormy day (that we so often have), a nice little boat to get you around, goodfriends, and a few leeches. My friends were awesome fishermen and we all caught something followed by a fantastic fish feast at my apartment building to celebrate our sucesses. If you have lots of fishing experience, or basically none like me, I'd still highly recommend this to you if you are heading up to the North Woods of Minnesota.

Kayaking to Canada

Yes you heard me right.  My new thing is kayaking to Canada. Gunflint Lake is a boundary water and in less then 30 minutes of relaxing kayaking, you can arrive (illegally) at Canada. I love it! It is so relaxing and the views are hard to beat.

Remember that spike in this post? Here it is close up!

I think I got a droplet on my lense but the water was clear as glass.

If you look real hard at the shore in this picture you can see Gunflint Lodge from Canada. 

This cute little place was on the Canada side of the Magnetic Lake and Gunflint Lake border.

Oh Canada Oh Canada and additional hiking

I live on the border. I literally look at Canada every day. But it wasn't until this month that I finally made it. Just across from the Gunflint Lodge, is what we call "the narrows", a view of where Gunflint Lake goes into Magnetic Lake. That is our border.  The left is the United States,  the right is Canada. And I was so excited to explore a little bit of Canada. Now you are supposed to get a little hiking visa before you do this so don't go getting yourself in trouble because this excites you too, but I dropped on over to the Canada side for a nice little hike. I went to the highest point in the immediate area for these views and my oh my I'm sure glad I did.

I also dropped by the historic  Dutch Ovens. Next we moved on down the lake to check out a mysterious ladder on the US side.

It led us to a beautiful little trail.

And an adorable,  completely off the grid cabin.

Since obviously this little place has an owner out there, we abandoned our snooping to head on down to Bridal Falls. They aren't too big but oh my how I love something about falling water always.

I just had to climb it.

Watch out for tics though, I found them all over me, and for days after searching myself, showering and all.

Oh and I made a friend- I call him Buddy, but I scared him and he pee'd on me a little.

Last stop was a nice glance at Galliger Island . After passing the marker noting where the US-Canada border is, in Magnetic Lake, is this beautiful little private island owned by some awesome guys I've had the opportunity to visit with a bit. They claim the island has some mysterious things go about with it, but to me I do nothing but admire the history and architecture that has been preserved so carefully for our viewing.

Overall it was a wonderful venture on a rented boat through Gunflint Lodge. Good company, good views, good times.