ADVENTURES
Science of Trees – Trout Creek
Science of the Trees – Non Fiction – Invaluable Fiction – A Wonderland Place – Pay Attention to the Details Gurd and Bonner Do Not Abandon – Values in Jeopardy by Back Roads Bill There are two destinations that are very enjoyable places to walk, in any season with lots of visual appeal; both are an oasis of calm and solitude much like, in some respects, Alice’s ‘Wonderland.’ One is called Gurd and the other is Bonner and the two are not part of a comedy team or to...
Logging Chutes – So Different
Logging Chutes with a Difference by Back Roads Bill Before you read this story watch this heritage video by Dan Larocque, all part of his family heritage – wonderful heritage footage. Gillies Log Slide Then… There are “neat” things to see on the back roads, some are well hidden; most of the time they disappear with the passing of time. But not the steel logging chutes found near the Matabitchuan Generating Station (GS). Most logging chutes were made of hewn timber and were either dismantled or slowly decomposed. These...
Natural Navigation – Naturally
Natural Navigation – Basic Signs Which Way? Getting Turned Around Two Experts – Near and Afar by Back Roads Bill Social scientists have some very specific ideas about what you’re really saying in your Facebook updates. In our age of technological overload, people are often tired of hearing and seeing too many photos of what others are doing every second of every day. Even your mom, at this point, probably doesn’t care what you had for dinner or after too many posters; video clips of “watch this,” moments; cats...
Tunnel Vision x2
Tunnel Vision – More Last Spikes – Two Stories – Two Railways by Back Roads Bill Sometimes after reading superlatives like the biggest or best you get thinking about other things that may be as equal. We know the well-known black and white photograph featured in the introduction of Pierre Berton’s ‘The Last Spike.’ All those men with the long beards and moustaches and tall hats. It was the ceremonial driving of the CPR’s last spike into the rail bed in the Craigellachie Mountains within British Columbia’s interior. Some...
Old Growith White Pine
White Pine – Ontario Symbol – Meaningful to Us Snowshoe to Old Growth By Back Roads Bill You’ll be on your snowshoes, look out for the tracks! The Ontario Sasquatch organization is proud to feature the Eastern White Pine as one its distinctive symbols. Its members (www.ontariosasquatch.com) feel this tree, with the distinctive asymmetrical shape, aptly represents the many wilderness settings that are considered possible Sasquatch habitat. For all of us it is our provincial arboreal symbol. The tree identified botanically as Pinus strobus Linnaeus and popularly known as...
White Otter Castle – NW Ontario – Ignace/Atikokan
The White Otter Castle of Northern Ontario – Love Story and Dedication to Heritage Preservation by Back Roads Bill Within the why and how of non-fiction there is a story. And in the story there is usually a person who makes a real difference. A memorable story with feelings and emotions can only be told by a person who is intimate with the details. This person has to live and value heritage at a scale that inspires action and dedication, beyond the scope of a job. The White Otter...
Hudson Bay Cemetery – Heritage Matters
Hudson Bay Co. Outpost Cemetery – Heritage Lesson of Research and Determination Abandoned – Not Forgotten Cemetery Genealogy – Tracing Heritage – One Person – Our Heritage by Back Roads Bill Found it. The first thing you notice as you climb the clay river bank is the rhubarb, lilac bushes and Forget-me-not plants, not native to the boreal forest. Someone once lived here for sure, an initial impression and sense of place. It is not far from a destination where you will enjoy a breathtaking vista, a towering gorge...
A Marsh That Matters – Temiskaming Shores
A Marsh that Matters – Continental Flyway Stopover Volunteers – Birders’ Paradise “Hummers” and New Species Bird Banding Centre – Photographers Dream Destination by Back Roads Bill Not sure if this is a story about a wetland that matters or listening to hummingbird’s heart beat? These are real “hummers” alright, not the once iconic, 4X4 luxurious off-road vehicle. And for the adage, “Birds of a feather flock together,” it is not necessarily true. If you are a “birder” or not, the Hilliardton Marsh just north of Temiskaming Shores (New...
Joseph Boyden – ‘Through Black Spruce’ and Inspiration
BIG Story Joseph Boyden – His Inspiration – NE Ontario – ‘Through Black Spruce’ “Sit” “Magic” and “Me” Locations in NE Ontario Where and Why Visitors Visit Their “BIG” Thoughtful Spots by Back Roads Bill (Editor’s note. Joseph Boyden, the award-winning author whose work vividly documents the complexity of Canada’s indigenous history, is among the recent latest appointments to the Order of Canada. Just before the announcement Back Roads Bill, through Penguin Random House Canada, was able to interview the Giller Prize Winner and about “thoughtful places” – the...
‘Canoe Country’ Book and Roy McGregor
‘Canoe Country’ – Why Northeastern Ontario and the Mattawa River is Highlighted More than Sense of Place – The Mattawa Our National Icon – The Canoe National Writer – Roy MacGregor – Iconic Book – LIKE the Canoe A Salute to Back Roads Bill Christmas Gift Idea by Back Roads Bill (Editor’s note. Through Penguin Random House Canada Back Roads Bill was able to interview Roy MacGregor and ask questions about the author’s new book, ‘Canoe Country.’ In one of his own books, ‘Steer to Northern Ontario’ Bill has...
NE Ontario – Cross Country Skiing Galore
Not Only BIG But Many Opportunities Cross Country 101 Cross Country Skiing Like Canoeing Northeastern Ontario Has It Winter Wonderland – Where to Go by Back Roads Bill Steer (Editor’s note. Back Roads Bill looks at the many cross country ski clubs (most offer snowshoe trails as well) that dot the landscape of Northeastern Ontario. He keeps it simple, with CCX 101, why you should ski, along with some general tips for getting started. He says, “get out and stay out… enjoy the winter and our northern hospitality –...
Back Roads Trail Find – Timmins
What You Find On The Back Roads Trail of Passion and Love Memories that Matter – Natural Celebration by Back Roads Bill The back roads contain interesting stories. There is a trail in the north like no other. Why do we place our hand on monuments, walls of honour, plaques, headstones and memorial photos? It is an act of remembering and celebrating an event we relate to or to those no longer with us. We connect because our memories process information by encoding, storing and retrieving. We walk and...