The First Step: Goodbye Pratt’s Island

A journey of a thousand miles, they say, begins with a single step. We made that step earlier today, just that it’s not a single one, because it’s two enthusiasts setting out to explore Alaska.

We set off from Pratt’s Island exactly on time on June 21. Everything had been carefully packed and planned, and it was a beautiful driving day. 

We were cruising down the highway in Portland (about 60 miles from home) when we noticed we were having a radiator cooling problem. Ever the resourceful couple we are, we turned around and headed to our Ford dealer in Yarmouth. Yadda yadda ya, two days later, we left their parking lot in a new truck! 

Trying to get back on our tightly choreographed schedule, we hightailed it for western PA (650 miles) and spent the night at an Airstream park. We left the next day (6/24) and headed for Holly, MI. Holly is home for fellow Airstreamers Chris Cherry and Bernie Gundlach, who graciously provided us with a place to park our rig and grab a peaceful night’s rest.

North Shore of Lake Superior

From Holly, MI, we continued due north and entered Canada at Sault Sainte Marie ( the Soo). We chose to cross into Canada at Soo so that we could travel the Circle Route around the north shore of Lake Superior, ending in Thunder Bay. To provide some perspective, this trip was entirely within the province of Ontario, which is larger than Texas. Lake Superior is gigantic. In fact, Superior holds about 10% of all the surface freshwater on the globe. With its size, the lake greatly influences regional weather. During our week in the region, all nights dipped into the 40’s F. One spot of particular historic interest was Neys Provincial Park. This park was originally the site of a WWII POW camp established by the Canadian military in 1940 ( Camp 100) and held some of the most ideologically committed Nazi officers. During its six years of operation, one escapee got out and somehow made his way through the US and S America, where he caught a freighter back to Germany. He rejoined the Luftwaffe and lost his life on his first mission. Sweet justice after all, aye? 

Neys Provincial Park ( the only remains of Camp 100 are these workboats used for logging)