My wife and I have been on the road for almost two weeks. When we departed, Rainy Lake was frozen solid, as were all the lakes from the Fort to Thunder Bay. The harbour in Thunder Bay was still frozen, as were bays across Lake Superior. Snowbanks in Wawa were as high as rooftops.
Northern Ontario had not yet moved into spring.
Rivers cascaded down from the higher levels, flushing banks and ice as they rushed to the lake. Water rested over Highway 17 near Narin, which our car waded through. And then, as we began heading south on Highway 69, which turned into Highway 400, spring began to make an appearance. We spotted white and yellow daffodils blooming in people’s yards.
As we entered Barrie, the warmth of spring penetrated our car. Lawns had already turned green. Forsythia bushes had burst into brilliant yellow flowers. Even more interesting, spring green leaves were unwinding from their pods.
Spring had arrived in southern Ontario.
In Waterloo, cherry blossoms had filled the branches behind St. Jerome’s College. My brother-in-law’s star magnolia tree was in full white bloom, as were other Magnolia trees in the neighbourhood. Tulips were in bloom, too.
Returning home, we left spring behind. In Sault Ste. Marie, we scraped the frost from our windows in the morning. The ice that had built up at Old Woman Bay on Lake Superior had disappeared. The rivers flowing into that great sea were just as strong as they were a week earlier. Some of the lakes along the north shore had the ice receding from the banks. Ponds had lost their ice. Winter was slowly losing its grip on Northern Ontario.
As my wife said, this trip allowed us to enjoy the joy of spring twice. Closer to home, most lakes were still frozen over. Commissioner’s Bay had given up its ice while Miller’s Bay hung tight. We drove into Hoffman’s Landing, wondering if we could launch our boat, but the ice began at the ramp. Rainy was not yet ready for boat traffic on Friday. By Sunday, that inside channel appeared to be ice-free.
We are anxious to return to our cabin, just as two couples were wondering one week earlier in Thessalon if the lake they enjoyed would be open for boating. The heat over the weekend moved the ice further away, and the winds of Monday tossed it around, pushing it up on shores and breaking it up. Spring is slowly making its appearance here.
Travis Chabot has had our boat ready for water for over two weeks. It has been a long winter and spring without use of the cabin, and hopefully we can return this weekend and have everything ready for the long weekend and walleye fishing that is only 10 days away — when spring may actually be here.
