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Stonehenge Conundrum in Northern Ontario

by Back Roads Bill Myth or belief, maybe it is like the Loch Ness monster? You see what you want to see; you think what you want to think. What’s more fun than a mystery where you can write the ending? On a back road near a unique shoreline is a configuration of huge boulders that pose more questions than answers. The unusual aggregation of these rounded rocks may not have the same visual impact as Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument on the Salsbury Plain in England. No one seems to be sure how these huge, rounded rocks arrived and when?   Why does the alignment match exactly with the rising and setting of the sun on the winter and summer solstices? One person has spent a lifetime trying to discover the significance. Why do Natives consider this a sacred site? Is it the proximity to nearby mountain top, a retreat for shamans? There is an aggregation of 18 huge erratics, some twice the height of a human on the...

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Chaga: New Rage in Herbal Remedies – North Bay

by Back Roads Bill “Tea time” is a light meal typically eaten between four and six pm. Observance of the custom originated amongst the wealthy classes of the former British Empire. There is a new, healthy tea on the market; bring out your best porcelain.  And the contents for steeping can be found on our back roads. The name “chaga” (pronounced “chuh-ga”) comes from the anglicised Russian word of the dark brown to black, hardened, crusty mushroom, most likely the most unique you will ever see.   If you talk to a Registered Professional Forester it is a “conk polypore” or “clinker fungus.” It is the trunk rot of birch, which refers to the fruiting bodies growing under the outer layers of wood surrounding the fungus.  It is an indication the health of the tree is in decline and it is commonly known amongst ecologists as a “tree cancer.” It looks like a busting tumour but recent research indicates benefits in treating cancer and other diseases. At the same time...

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What a View – Devil’s Rock, Cobalt

by Back Roads Bill It’s hard to believe that one of Northeastern Ontario’s best and most accessible vistas is seldom seen. This view would become very important to one of Canada’s most successful writers. To young detectives worldwide, he was known under the pseudonyms Carolyn Keene, Roy Rockwood and most famously Franklin W. Dixon author of The Hardy Boys series. Author Leslie McFarlane, who passed away on September 6, 1977, was one of the most successful Canadian writers of all time. Working for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, he penned 21 volumes of The Hardy Boys, initiated The Dana Girls series and wrote seven Dave Fearless novels. Devil’s Rock on the west side of Lake Temiskaming near Haileybury rivals the Barron Canyon in Algonquin Park and the Ouimet Canyon east of Thunder Bay near Dorion. It is not just the sheer height of the cliffs that takes your breath of way.  The 180°- plus panoramic view in three directions and uninterrupted sight line is unusual.  You won’t see a sign on...

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Wolf Mountain/Blue Lagoon – Sudbury East

by Back Roads Bill It might be winter time and you have just visited Wolf Mountain one of the finest vistas in Northeastern Ontario.  Come back for another look and maybe a swim at a place that is almost “paradise.” People often ask where a really neat place to go swimming is.  Not a beach but a good ‘ole swimming hole. It is often a difficult question to answer as each location has its own attraction.   But Paradise or “Blue” Lagoon comes to mind as it creates an image as a special back roads destination. The word paradise is a religious or metaphysical term for a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and eternal. It is a place of contentment. (There was a 1958 movie, called ‘Paradise Lagoon,’ a wonderful story of a Butler for a wealthy English family who rises above his servant status after being shipwrecked.) Most canoeists who pass along the river don’t even know it exists as it lies off the portage and across...

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A Dramatic Drop – Sault Ste. Marie/Wawa

by Back Roads Bill There are many waterfalls in Northern Ontario but few have such a dramatic vertical drop as the Agawa Falls. This out-of-the way 25 m waterfall is part of an experience that can be accessed in a number of ways.  One is unique amongst the others and it is easier than you think.  If you are looking for an experience that combines a short hike and a train ride, this one is for you!. In nature, moving water peaks our interest.  If only the Agawa River could tell us of its heritage.  How was it created?  Who paddled, portaged, painted and prospered from the river and its hinterland?    In many ways, where you will stand and view the falls is a microcosm of Canadian history. In the Beginning Created 1.2 billion years ago by faulting within the area we know as the Canadian Shield, the Agawa (A-guh-wah) River was enlarged by the erosive action of millions of years of flowing water.  Thanks to the volcanoes and...

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