Manitoulin Gone Fishing Day 6-July 25 13

 

Today was in search of FISH…….turns out had to be a certain type caught by a certain company. A friend had put in a request for SMOKED FISH…fillets to include Cajun and Lemon Pepper…….checking about Little Current all the people I approached referred me to COLD WATER FISHERY, located in town. So I email my friend and this am check my email and he has replied…IN NO WAY IS HE EATING TAME FISH….well that is what I read between the lines….he wanted the WILD KIND……not some farmers fish. Bridal Falls Down Rigger?

It was a nice day for a long ride, so off I go to the far end of the Island looking for PURVIS FISHERY……now I must add that this fishery is in 5th generation hands….the founding brothers having immigrated from Scotland in the 1800’s establishing a fishery business near Silver Water on Burnt Island. Not sure why its an Island didn’t need a ferry and sure didn’t cross a bridge. Arriving around noon the place was empty except for fish skins and guts on the floor…..found who may have been the owner, who seemed disinterested in my request for fish, waited around and soon 2 friendly ladies came back from lunch and happily took my order. Soon, I had 4 fillets of each and parted with $46.90…….hope he likes fish. Okay, now I am riding my bike, the fish are in a plastic bag….should they be refridgerated…….score some ice from the sales lady and put the fish on top of it in 1 of my panniers. I notice now that I at camp that all the CATS are hanging about my bike……….     Proof  Doug that I got PURVIS WILD FISHIES …….. Lost at Silver Lake. Out comes the GPS and I install on bike….oops, going the wrong way…….2 hours later, after lunch in Mindemoya and a ride check at Bidwell and Rockville side road ( middle of no where ) manned by 5 cruisers, I arrive at camp followed by cats……..

Will be packing up tonight for an early morning start…..got to get these Fishes home before they dry up……..

 

Manitoulin Day 5-July 24 13

 

Today was a gorgeous, sunny with a nice breeze, perfect biking weather. This day found me making my way back to Little Current and along the north shore to McChigeeg which is at the bottom of West Bay. Did make a side trip into Honora Bay, this is the site of a weekend stay with our motorcycle club 2 years back. Yes, the resort is still there but looks better at least from afar….didn’t inspect to closely, it did seem busy and the owners boyfriend wasn’t peeing at the front door……

Past McChigeeg, I decided to take a side road around Lake Mindemoya, a great lake for Walleye.  Picnic and beach area. Crossing 542….I took a back road into Providence Bay…gravel….snapped some farm photo’s Old farm house for sale……..nice gardens. It is said that Providence Bay has a beach that ranks with some of the best in Ontario. The kids playground……

I was getting hungry and it was close to noon so I stopped at Lake Huron Fish and Chips……my growing belly didn’t need those fries but my brain wanted them…… 

Rode back to 542 and drove through Mindemoya to Sandfield. This was a great rode with a few twisties and skirts the bottom of Lake Manitou which is the largest lake within a fresh water Island. Stopped at Sandfield and took a few pics They raise fish fries, trout etc in this stream….no not the potatoe type……. This is Lake Manitou which feeds the above stream……you cannot see the far side. A number of Lodges dot its shore and is renowned for world class Lakr Trout fishing……..

Next stop was South Baymouth, I arrived just as the CHI-Cheemaun and snapped a couple photos. You see that land on the far side of the ship in the 1st photo…..well that’s where I was yesterday…unable to get across.

Up hwy 6 past Manitowaning, I turn left unto the Bidwell Road…I suppose named after a village that I came upon, now but a Hamlet at least that is what the sign said……..this was farming country all along the East side of Lake Manitou. Passed many cyclist carrying all their camping gear etc struggling on the hills….at least that is what I thought as I muscled past.     Old farm well…..didn’t see any bodies.

Arrived back at camp at 3.30……..perfect ride. Now I have to find SMOKED FISH….why….may tell tomorrow.

Manitoulin Day 4-July 23 13

 

Manitowaning was established in 1836 as a plan or a conspiracy to gather the Anishinabec Tribe( Ojibwe,Odawa and Potawatomi ) the latter from the USA into a European type settlement. I put the conspiracy spin here as in 1862 the Canadian Government tried to change the treaty which made all of Manitoulin a Reserve……..apparently they where under pressure to find more land for European settlers and in exchange for giving up this land each family would get 100 acres though in settlements with the sale of the remaining lands to be put into an Indian Trust….ya right……remember it was 1862….Muskoka was frontier land….how can we buy that line……most of western Ontario was unsettled. Jesuit Priests were already in the area but it was the Indian Superintendent, a teacher and an Anglican clergyman who began clearing land and erecting buildings. The community would offer education, religious conversion and agriculture training through the new European immigrants……CONSPIRACY……..for 1862……..all this met with limited success. In 1843 the Government found that of the 300 natives in the community only half where permanent residents, the rest continued their seasonal occupations at isolated camps fishing, sugarbush and farming. In 1843 the Government dismissed all the tradesmen except for The Superintendent and Medical Officer….the model native settlement was a failure. Today, the village appears to be a retirement haven with a few tourist attractions: most notable the Home of the S.S. Norisle…the last passenger ship built in Canada after WWII. It is currently a floating museum docked permanently at the S.S. Norisle Heritage Park.

After breaky I turn left unto the easternly peninsula, 300 Sq miles of UNCEDED LANDS, and headed north towards Wikwemikong, the largest settlement on the Isl…….here I stopped to take a picture of the Jesuit Mission Dormitory likely built around 1845, its walls are stone 2 feet thick and is 3 stories tall. In the Early 1950’s it burned, with only the walls remaining.         Continuing north I ran out of pavement and to reach the north end meant 10 k of gravel …..no accident    Looking out across to the Killarney Shore ?

Turn south as My Ride doesn’t have floats…….thought I might be able to reach the point across from South Baymouth. Riding pavement except the last 23 k, gravel then heavy stone……when I hit sand I came close to going down….at this point I stopped took a few pics and headed back, I had covered the peninsula almost end to end. With no inhabitants in the last 23 k, and riding alone, I felt that I best not push further…though I did snag a pic of the CHi CHi coming out  from South Baymouth   Wilderness ….I did see a sign that said be careful BEARS…….why do they put these signs at the end of the road…yikes….Exiting I had the throttle up a notch…40k,,,lol

The last picture taken just 10 k south of my camp…looking out into the North Channel…

Now for the History Fact….In the revision to the treaty which would rescind the treaty of 1832 the Wikwemikong wouldn’t give up their ancestral lands and thus refused to sign the Manitoulin Treaty of 1862 leaving this area an UNCEDED RESERVE….I believe the only one in Canada.

Manitoulin Day 3-July22 13

A leisure day, up at 7:30 and headed into Little Current for a coffee and muffin…….need to support the local economy, plus I needed to use the wi fi at the cafe to publish the blog.  entertainment across the street. The camp I am at is in Sheguiandah and though it is a small village facing the north east channel, during the late 1800 hundreds, it was a busy centre. The Batman family had  sawmill, the Isl ’s only Woollen Mill and a large fishery. Today it is but a shadow of its former self with many of the buildings still occupied……….the only apparent industry is tourism with a museum recording the village’s past.   The Park at the waterfront is almost vacant…..where are the tourist……from what I see throughout the Isl, business is off. I am sure the price of fuel plays a big factor. This guy pulled in for dinner….sleeping for two….

The water level continues to drop and a petition with 20,000 signatures is circulating…STOP THE LEAK….

The pic of the former boat dock for the park……water use to be 1 foot below the top of the slabs…….approx 5 feet lower…..boats can no longer use this facility.  The birds are plentiful around this site    This one must be French……..

Tonight a sailboat is ankored  out in the Bay….Weather permitting I will explore Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve.which is the east peninsula from South Baymouth in the south to the strait directly across from Killarney.

Manitoulin Day 2 July 21 13

 

Out the door and on the bike to Providence Bay expecting breakfast at the Community Centre…..not to be…was Saturday only….so took an alternate route to Mindamoya and had breaky at Mom’s Bakery. What a feast and the place was packed.

Next stop Little Current, need to a place with wi fi to post yesterday’s blog……found a nice coffee shop and then took a few pics at the wharf….     

 The boats were lining up as the swing bridge was about to open. This happens to be The Year Of The Bridge on Manitoulin. The Island which is the largest Is within a fresh water lake in the World, was 1st settled in the late 1860’s. Little Current quickly grew into a major port for freighters carrying both freight for the settlers and passengers, as well as; returning with lumber from the many mills which once dotted the Island. In 1913 construction of the swing bridge was completed and the Algoma Rail Line joined the Is to Sudbury. Now this bridge was initially rail only. The government recently completed a refurb costing 12 million dollars hence the year of the bridge and its 100th anniversary. The bridge swings open for 15 minutes every hour during daylight hours……so if you are driving you may have a wait.

Arrived back at Camp in the early afternoon and noted that the waterfront sites were vacant…….so of to the office to see if I could move and yea….YEs…..so I am now on lot 4 enjoying prime real estate with a spectacular view….   with wild life……today was a sunny comfortable day…no humity….just great.