Tobermory, Ontario

Manitoulin Island was a mixed blessing.  The good part about it was the cycling.  We had decided to stay there for 2 days to do some R&R and do some cycling together.  The main roads had great shoulders and no trucks whereas the secondary roads were paved and almost no traffic.   We had great weather, albeit fairly warm.  So, for the first time in this entire journey we actually cycled together and really enjoyed it.  In spite of not cycling since we left Victoria Telen was still kickin’ butt on the hills.

The other side of the coin was where we elected to stay.   Overpriced for what you got and what you got was not much.   The “cabin” was really a wood frame shed with some bunk beds built in.  They did not supply linen so we used our sleeping bags and set up our own kitchen outside the front door.  We probably would have been better off in our tent.  The toilets were privies (for those of you unfamiliar with a privy – it is a euphemism for “outhouse”) and the showers were large plastic bags that you hoisted up on a pulley system and gradually released the water onto yourself out of a nozzle the size of a quarter.  They had a pool, but it was tiny and they charged extra to use it.  A big sign on the door of the office said “ No refund for early departure”.  Perhaps an ominous portent.

One thing I did learn, however, was a clue about Telen’s possible ancestry.  The place where we stayed had a wolf-howl nature walk (cost extra…) that we partook of to try to enhance our stay there.   Their naturalist (whose qualifications were that he was willing to howl on command) took us out on a nature walk to tell us about wolves and to try to get us all to howl like wolves to elicit a response from the wolves in the area.  There were about 15 people on this walk and I am sure, from the noise we made, that any wolf in the area left hurriedly to avoid the clamor.  We stopped a few times along the way and did some group howls with various types of harmony and listened intently for the wolves to howl back.   Our accent was probably too thick or too offensive to the wolves because they did not answer.  Not really a surprise.  Once we got back to the camp we had a wolf-howling contest.  When it came to Telen’s turn she let out this blood-curdling, neck-hair raising, goose-bump raising howl that silenced everyone in the circle.  I was sitting beside her and in the stunned silence I said, “Wow!”  Telen looked at me, bared her fangs and snarled.  Good thing the next day was laundry day.  It certainly explains her fear of silver bullets.  Thank goodness it was only a half-moon.

I received the dubious award of “Elder Wolf”. Not Alpha, not Rogue – Elder.  And here I am travelling with someone who may have unleashed her inner werewolf.

On one of the rides we went down to a town called South Baymouth where the ferry to the mainland leaves.  We decided to have lunch and, since everyone seemed to make it, I had fish and chips.  We are very far from the ocean so I asked the waitress what the fish was. 

She said, “Whitefish”

I said, “Perch?”

“No sir,” she said, “It’s a fish – swims.”

“What’s it called?”

“We don’t call it, sir, it won’t come, we have to catch it”

“What type of fish is it?”

“White fish”

“What’s its name”?

“Who?”

“The white fish”

“That’s right”

“What’s right?”

“The white fish”

Etc. etc. etc.

We finally left Manitoulin Island today and took the Che-Chemaun ferry to Tobermory.  Manitoulin Island itself was very nice albeit every business and home seemed to be for sale.  The place we stayed left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths but the strange white fish seemed to help out a little.  It was nice to ride with Telen for a few days, however, with the full moon coming up, I am a little worried about her chasing me on the bike rather than riding on her bike with me. 

Telen Writes

I am so happy to feel clean again after 3 nights in the overpriced cabin.  Tonight we are staying at a B & B called Three Waters overlooking Lake Huron.  Just beautiful!  I was just as shocked as Rand and the other people in the wolf-howling group when this high pitched howl came out of my throat.  Perhaps I have some hidden talent as yet undiscovered, or perhaps this is a cry of shock after the camp charged us $15 per person to participate in this moonlight hike/wolf howling thing.