Exploring Thunder Bay and Nipigon

After my night out in Thunder Bay, I decided to do a little exploring of Thunder Bay and then head up to Nipigon and get some drive videos with my Garmin VIRB. I also figured I’d visit some of the same places I did in May and see what they looked like frozen and with snow. When I woke up, the view of Lake Superior was amazing for a cheap hotel.

McDonald's restaurant with red roof overlooking frozen waterfront harbor in winter, snow-covered parking lot and overcast sky

The hallway was still dimly lit, but less sketchy than the previous night.

Long dimly lit hotel corridor with dark walls and numbered rooms, fluorescent lighting overhead

I returned the remote and key and said farewell to the hotel.

Two-story turquoise and white commercial building with striped awning at street corner in winter Modern turquoise and grey office building with vertical accent stripe, viewed from street level with power lines overhead Vintage Shoreline Motor Hotel roadside sign with Italian restaurant advertising, lounge, and parking information

For breakfast, I decided to hop on over to the Intercity Mall and hit the food court.

InterCity shopping mall main entrance with beige facade, glass doors, and decorative arch detail above entrance

I knew there was a Tim Horton’s there. Like the night before when I ordered a Molson Canadian, when in Canada, get Tim Horton’s for breakfast.

Tim Hortons coffee shop interior inside shopping mall with distinctive pink signage, menu boards, and curved ceiling design

I had this egg and steak muffin sort of thing with some coffee.

Tim Hortons breakfast sandwich on English muffin with egg and meat, served with holiday-themed coffee cup on mall table

After a little surfing the net, I decided to walk around a little bit. Like Mall of America, there were still Christmas decorations up.

Indoor shopping mall food court seating area with curved wooden ceiling slats, skylights, and shoppers at tables

I decided to go to the same pier as last time. It was definitely a lot more frozen.

Frozen marina with empty boat docks, ice-covered water, and industrial waterfront buildings in background under grey sky Ice-covered boat slips and docks at frozen marina with wooden planks visible through ice layer Vintage pink Canadian National railway caboose number 78175 on display in snow-covered lot near urban waterfront Snow-covered rock breakwater extending into frozen lake with warning sign, overcast sky and distant shoreline

I drove up Water and then Cumberland Street. After a little more driving, I found an area they store small airplanes.

Red and white seaplanes parked behind chain-link fence at waterfront facility in winter

I drove down a snowy road to check out Fisherman’s Park.

Snow-covered waterfront access road with bare trees, lake view through opening, and moody winter sky Blue and green interpretive signs reading A Waterfront Restored at snowy waterfront park with educational information

Unlike last time, the warning about ice conditions was valid.

Bilingual warning sign in English and French about contaminated land near chain-link fence with industrial building background Partially frozen marina with wooden docks, ice formation patterns, and large grain elevator or industrial facility in background

With the iced-up boat landing, a lot of boats were sitting there for the winter.

Two boats in winter dry dock storage near industrial waterfront buildings with dark hull and blue hull vessels

With the ice, I bet it would be hard for the boats to achieve the posted speed limits.

Thunder Bay Port Authority Maximum Harbour Speeds regulatory sign with barbed wire fence showing speed limits for different vessel conditions

The rapids were a little more iced up than last time.

Fast-flowing rapids rushing through white birch trees with wooden bridge visible in background during late winter thaw Turbulent river rapids flowing under concrete highway bridge with graffiti-covered support pillars and snow-covered banks Partially frozen river with rapids and ice formations, birch trees framing view of industrial grain elevator building in distance

I decided to go to Walmart to do a little shopping for ketchup chips and Canadian candy bars. Even though Walmart is a bastion of ‘Murica, the Canadian flag was proudly flying.

Walmart store exterior with dramatic sun halo in overcast sky, snow-covered parking lot with Canadian flag flying

In Walmart, there was a bunch of signs for Boxing Day\Week. I had no clue what it even was. When I think boxing, I think guys punching each other and fighting. What it really is is a holiday rooted in English tradition where employers traditionally gave gifts in boxes to their employees.

Walmart Boxing Week promotional display featuring stacked Clif energy bars priced at $12.00 in store aisle

A Walmart is not complete in Canada unless it has an aisle of hockey gear.

Retail store aisle displaying hanging hockey jerseys in red, white, and black colors with various merchandise shelves

Unlike the US Walmart, Canadian Walmart does not sell guns. You can, however, get ammunition.

Glass-enclosed ammunition display case with shelves of ammunition boxes and blue All Ammunition Sales Are Final sign

If you have a valid possession and acquisition (PAL).

Close-up of retail signage explaining federal ammunition purchase requirements including PAL/POL or ML license verification

A little further down from the ammo and sporting goods was a Molson Canadian mini-fridge. When in Canada, drink Canadian.

Compact refrigerator display shelf featuring Molson Canadian beer promotional packaging with maple leaf design and $5 price tag

After Walmart, I decided to go to McDonald's to get some poutine.

McDonald's poutine box containing french fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy, with holiday-themed coffee cup

After that, I hit the road to Nipigon. Upon arriving in Nipigon, I saw the Canadian version of the American Legion, the Royal Canadian Legion.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 32 mural depicting historical lumberjack with pike pole on log drive with river and boat scene

I went to the Paddle to the Sea park. There were more boats in storage.

Small fishing boat mounted on yellow trailer in snow-covered marina parking area with Canadian flag and forested shoreline Multiple boats in winter dry dock storage near shoreline with dense mixed forest hillside in background

The boat launch area was all full of ice.

Hand-painted Double A Boat Launch sign featuring scenic lake illustration with pine trees and boat ramp design Yellow diamond-shaped caution sign warning of thin ice with falling person icon at frozen boat launch with orange barrier Partially frozen marina showing concrete boat launch ramp, wooden docks, and orange safety barrier with winter landscape

The scenery around the park was pretty awesome.

Open water view across lake toward forested shoreline with mix of coniferous and deciduous trees in winter Lake vista showing dark water and distant shoreline with evergreen and bare deciduous trees under overcast sky Canadian flag and Ontario provincial flag flying on poles with bird silhouette in grey winter sky

After doing a little site-seeing, it was time to head back. I drove all the way back down to Thunder Bay. By then, I was very tired. I drove a little further to Neebing, one of the last towns with a hotel before the border. This time I stayed at a Best Western, which was a lot less sketchy.

Best Western hotel entrance with covered drive-through porte-cochère, stone columns, and white vans parked in snowy lot

Walking to my room, the hallway was well-lit, and it seemed like it went on forever.

Long hotel corridor with patterned burgundy carpet, beige walls, framed artwork, and skylight ceiling panels with fluorescent lighting

In the hallway, you could tell you were in Canada by seeing, "Pop" and "Centre."

Hotel directional sign reading POP & ICE 1ST FLOOR CENTRE EXIT mounted on wall below illuminated exit sign

Although the heater in the room measured in American imperial units.

LG air conditioning unit digital control panel displaying 68 degrees with temperature adjustment buttons and settings

The hotel room was nice.

Hotel room interior with two double beds, beige bedspreads, blue decorative pillows, desk with coffee maker and lamp, window with blue curtains

It even had a couple locks on the door.

Interior view of beige hotel room door with electronic card lock, door closer mechanism, and informational notices posted

The view outside was pretty awesome!

Snow-covered rural winter landscape with small dark structure and dramatic rocky cliff mesa formation under overcast sky at dusk

In the morning, there was a nice complementary breakfast menu to order off of. The omelet was pretty good.

Restaurant breakfast plate with ham and mushroom omelet, roasted breakfast potatoes, and whole wheat toast on separate plate with water glass

The whole time in Canada was great. Between the night out in Thunder Bay and all the exploring I did, it was a lot of fun, and I saw some awesome sights. You really can’t beat the scenery, and everyone is so friendly. I’m sure there will be many more trips to come.

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