July 18 & 19 - Nipigon & Marathon, ON

When I first started planning the White Cane Connections Walks, Nipigon and Marathon were just two dots on the map.  Over the past couple of days, both of these places have come to life for me.

In Nipigon, because it was just the right distance past Thunder Bay, we planned to stop for gas, check email – we were after all beginning our walk at the local library, and complete a short thirty-minute walk. Well, we did get gas, and we did check email, but instead of thirty minutes, we spent just over three hours in this lovely place.

Our first surprise was a coincidental meeting with Shanna and Holly from Thunder Bay CNIB. We were approaching the library when someone called out a greeting. Shanna and Holly were on their way to a family conference in the area and I was struck anew by the huge distances covered by Thunder Bay CNIB staff -  all the way from Kenora to Marathon and then for a considerable distance north as well.

Nipigon has made itself a pleasant and interesting spot for residents and tourists alike by using the theme from the book, Paddle to the Sea. If you are not familiar with this book, you can find a video link at the following website.  Be forewarned the video is twenty-seven minutes long.

www.nfb.ca/film/paddle_to_the_sea

Using the sequence of events from the book, the town has created the most splendid and imaginative playground area situated behind the town office and library.  Climbing, crawling and tunneling through the various stations, youngsters can follow the voyage of the little wooden canoe and its captain as they make their way through the beaver dam, over the log jam, through the bulrushes and herons, and so on. The apparatus is incredibly imaginative and appears to meet any safety standard that might be leveled its way.  Overlooking all of this is the stone image of the canoe and its captain. Of course, I couldn’t resist hopping into the canoe also (this is not only permitted but encouraged) for a picture opportunity. After all, Lyle and I are also making our way to the sea!

In Marathon we found a perfect parking spot overlooking the lake. For all the world, Lake Superior is much like an ocean. While it isn’t unusual for me not to be able to see land on a distant horizon, Lyle assured me that even he could only see water until it merged with the sky.

Today in Marathon we were joined by Roger and his new guide dog, Jenna. We didn’t walk all that far because just as we were about to set out, a train pulled across the main street crossing. It took nearly 45 minutes to make the crossing. We all sat on a nearby bench and chatted about white canes, guide dogs and life in general. It was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.