Photo recap now available

A slideshow recap of the voyage is available at www.glc.org/announce/10/pdf/reduced_Brownbag_recap_8-5-2010.pdf. Thanks to all for the amazing experience!

July 24: My cruise comes to an end

Luggage in the hall by 7:30 a.m.! It was another early morning. After a light breakfast, we were on our way...disembarking at 9 a.m. Central Time. We were broken into groups, based on when our flights departed, so we disembarked in stages. We spent the next 2+ hours at the beautiful Great Lakes Aquarium on the waterfront in Duluth. More than a few of us noticed we were all reading the same novel: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"! For you avid readers out there, definitely pick this one up...it's a page turner. It was rather sad to leave all my new friends on the ship, passengers and crew alike, realizing that our paths may never cross again...but what an experience we shared on the Clelia II! I take many fond memories with me from this trip. Now, homeward.

July 23: Thunder Bay, Ontario

After a leisurely breakfast, we set out to explore Thunder Bay, Ontario, one of the largest port cities on Lake Superior and the largest grain port in all of Canada! I opted for a tour through the city, followed by a lovely walk in a Boreal (aka Northern) forest. A local forester provided insight on the various trees, primarily tamarack, spruce, pines and cedars. We learned that the cedars in many areas are bare up to 8 feet off the ground because of the white tailed deer munching on them. As the snowbanks get higher in winter, the deer can reach higher and higher on the cedar trees! Afterwards we stopped at the Thunder Bay area Fire Protection Headquarters, run by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. There we toured a large yellow plane, specially designed in Montreal to allow the pilots to dip water from local lakes to fill tanks on the plane (more than 1,800 gallons!) for fire dousing. This is one of only four such planes in Canada, which cost more than $30 million each. Our driving tour also pointed out Little Finland in the old section of Thunder Bay, which includes stores and community centers for the city’s Finnish population, which at one point was the largest in Canada. Being Finnish myself, I felt right at home here! Lunch was back on the ship, followed by my last lecture on “Navigating and Fishing on the Great Lakes.” Then we were off to the final reception with Captain Uli and our farewell dinner. At the reception, we were treated to a slideshow of memories from the trip, a compilation of photos taken by the tour managers and guests. It was lovely. And dinner was extravagant: oysters, salad, lobster and baked Alaska!! I sat next to a charming 93-year-lady woman who had more energy and zest for life than most 40-somethings that I know! She was a former computer programmer for an aeronautics company, retired for close to 30 years, and had traveled all over the world. She reminded me that life is sweet at any age and the best may be yet to come. We are now sailing to Duluth, our final port of call.

July 22: Red Rock, Ontario

O Canada! Today we anchored offshore of Red Rock, Ontario, about 1:30 p.m. and boarded the Zodiaks. We donned sleek yellow life vests and boarded in groups of eight, which all turned out to be very exciting in rather choppy Lake Superior waters! Reaching the dock, we were met by a line of greeters from Red Rock and the nearby town of Nipigon, all with big smiles and hearty handshakes. A friendly “moose” even made an appearance. The weather was in the 60s with fog when we had approached Red Rock, but quickly warmed to 80s and bright sunshine when we got inland. We boarded buses for a brief tour of the little town of Red Rock, including the now-closed paper mill, which previously employed many of the residents. We had a choice of easy, moderate and difficult hiking tours today. The most difficult took us up a small mountain for some dazzling views of Lake Superior below and the Clelia II, which looked quite small from those heights. Our guide was Michael Elliott, owner of a Nipigon-based adventure touring company. Along the way we spotted pink and white wild geraniums and other bright flowers and berries (we decided only the raspberries were safe for eating!), smelled the wonderful scent of white cedar, and even posed for a group photo! We also found out that the correct pronunciation is “Nip-i-gen” rather than “Nip-i-gone,” a common American pronunciation. After the hike, we visited the Québec Lodge, a beautiful log hotel built in the 1930s by the paper mill executives as a retreat. Today it has been reopened as a hotel by a young couple. A tall stone fireplace and large open-air porch with dozens of Adirondack chairs really made the place feel warm and homey. Once we relaxed in those chairs looking out over the lake, we didn’t want to leave! We stopped at the fish and hunting club on our way back to the dock, and met many local townspeople who had come out for a special BBQ potluck to celebrate the cruise ship arrival. The people were warm and friendly; it reminded me of home. My dinner companions tonight included Doug & June Wood and their friend Betty Clark from California; Judith Mabry and her 11-year-old granddaughter Sydney from North Carolina; and Charles & Antoinette Patterson also from North Carolina but originally from further south. All of us, except Sydney, enjoyed freshly caught whitefish from Red Rock. I had lax (salmon) to start and a spicy shrimp soup, with a wonderful lemon sorbet for dessert. As I type this, I’m feeling the gentle swells of Gitchi Gumi (that’s the Native word for Lake Superior). The Clelia II is now heading for Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Raccoon Update!

The little critter is still on the ship -- but safely caged now. The well-baited live traps did the trick! The captain reported that a large bowl of water was placed in the cage and the raccoon proceeded to wash itself and then sit in the bowl all afternoon as if it was reclining in a swimming pool! The raccoon will be released when we get to Red Rock, Ontario. The passengers are pretty amused by the entire situation. The lines used to tie up the Clelia II in port generally have some collars in place (so curious squirrels and other small animals won’t climb the lines) but several of these collars were missing, which is how the raccoon apparently made it onboard.

July 21: Mackinac Island

We arrived in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, about 7 a.m. today. After breakfast, we departed by bus to St. Ignace, Mich., to catch the Arnold Ferry to Mackinac Island. The weather looked a bit threatening when some fog blew in but it quickly dissipated and bright sun and temperatures in the low 80s were with us the rest of the day! Perfect! We split into two groups on the island. My group first headed by horse drawn carriage to Fort Mackinac where we enjoyed a self-guided tour. Re-enactments are conducted at the Fort every 30 minutes. One included singing of old songs, including “Clementine.” For those who might remember it, the chorus is:

“Oh my darling, Oh my darling, Oh my darling Clementine…you are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry, Clementine.”

My mom used to sing this song, so it was a nice memory! We then were picked up again by horse drawn carriage and transported to the amazing Grand Hotel for a buffet lunch and walk on the famous porch. The lunch highlight for me was the peel & eat shrimp and smoked salmon – what a treat! The views from the Grand Hotel were stunning. I even made it up to the cupola at the very top of the building where there’s a small bar with more amazing views! After lunch, we were again taken in small groups in horse drawn carriages for a one-hour tour of the island, including history of the notable homes and cemeteries, Mackinac Island State Park and Arch Rock. Our guide, a 19-year old gal who grew up on the island, pointed out that the island was known for the three F’s: fur trading, fishing and fudge! Then back to downtown for more sightseeing, shopping and people watching. Back on board the ship at 7 p.m., we immediately set sail through the Soo Locks, which lift the ship another 25+ feet to Lake Superior. Dinner selections included venison (wonderful), fish and Napolitano pasta. My dinner companions were Edgar & Patricia Terrell from Charlotte, N.C.; friends Roseanna Torretto & Eileen Heaser from Sacramento area of California; and friends Marjorie Scott & Mildred Goelz also from California. Later, on our TVs we were treated to the movie “Somewhere in Time” starring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour, which was filmed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in 1979-80.

Late breaking news: We have a stowaway!

Yes, Captain Uli announced that a raccoon is on the ship! Apparently it climbed aboard via one of the ship’s lines overnight and was spotted by several passengers and crew members. Traps have been set but so far the big guy is still on the loose! Stay tuned for more updates on this situation tomorrow…