Usually, when I come up to Wisconsin from Texas, I know Thunder Bay is within proximity of driving, so I like to visit. I know for most people, driving 7 hours is a long ways, but that kind of driving doesn’t really phase me. I got up early and hit the road in the new Focus. It was definitely a lot colder than when I left Texas.
I make sure to stop by Kwik Trip and get some breakfast, along with a little caffeine for the drive.
The closer I got to Superior, Wisconsin, the more the clouds looked threatening.
It actually started to snow a little out of Superior. It took until driving a ways into Northern Minnesota that it stopped and cleared up.
I figured, since I didn’t have permanent plates on the Focus yet, I might get hassled a little bit at the border and probably brought into secondary questioning. I was right, but the whole experience was pretty quick and painless.
After crossing the border, I was soon into Thunder Bay. I was definitely hungry, so I stopped by Joey’s Seafood for a quick bite to eat. After that, I checked into the Prince Arthur Hotel. I started to make plans on what I was going to do. I figured it was actually a pretty nice day, so I’d drive to Nipigon. I started my drive, and ironically when I first turned on the car, the Barenaked Ladies were playing. I plan to visit Thunder Bay for Bluesfest to see them headlining.
On my way to Nipigon, I noticed the Terry Fox Memorial Lookout. I stopped to check it out. After doing this, I continued my drive to Nipigon. I made it to Paddle to the Sea Park and relaxed there a bit. After relaxing a bit, I started heading back towards Thunder Bay. I stopped when I saw these cool murals.
I was a bit tired from all of the driving I did, so I stopped by Tim Horton’s to get a cup of coffee. The coffee gave me some energy, and then I made it back to the hotel. It was a cool view as the sun was going down.
After sitting down a little bit, I took a short walk to Red River Road to hit up The Sovereign Room.
After meeting Ryan at Sov, we decided to meet Kal at Waterhouse. We stayed there for most of the night. We decided to finish our night at On Deck. The next morning I woke up and it had snowed outside. Kind of crazy for late April, but I guess par for the course for Canada.
I was kind of hungover, so I went back to sleep again. When I woke up a few hours later, the snow was pretty much gone, but it was pretty windy.
I decided to get a Coney Dog and Coney Burger at McKellar Confectionary for brunch. After that, I headed to The Persian Man, for a Persian for dessert. While eating my Persian, I figured it would be cool to see Kakabeka Falls, so I drove there. After hanging around there a while, I drove back to Thunder Bay and then went to Metro to pick up some more Tim Horton’s coffee and also some ketchup flavored Pringles.
I later met Ryan that night and we hung out for a couple drinks at On Deck. I didn’t stay out too late, since I knew I would have a long drive ahead of me the next day. The next morning, I headed out around 7-8 in the morning. When I made it to the border, I was asked about my car with the temporary plates, but I wasn’t pulled inside, like when I came across into Canada.
For a fast and impulsive trip, this trip was great. I was definitely able to see a ton of stuff and also hang out with some good friends. I always enjoy my time up in Thunder Bay and I can’t wait for my next visit for Bluesfest. I have a feeling it’ll be a great time again!