Road trip- Days 1 and 2 Atikokan, ON

Well I must say my trip has started off real nice! Atikokan was really a blast! I took off from Bemidji on early xmas morning for Atikokan, On. I was greeted by pitch black skies and a nice flurry. Driving was a little bit slick but I was in no rush so no problems. I arrived at International Falls a little before 11 and was greeted by the biggest Smokey the Bear I have ever seen.

Crossing the border was interesting to say the least. I pull in and get asked a bunch of questions. Then they have me pull around and come inside. Get asked the same questions by 3 different people. Then they inform me that my car will be searched. Another comes in asks me the same questions and they let me know that they will be searching my labtop. Fast Forward 15 minutes after all that and they say "Mr. Pazian" you're free to go! Whew! I had nothing to hide but they sure made it seem like I did.

Just outside of Fort Frances at the border crossing I got some great views of Rainy Lake. Rainy Lake goes deep into Canada but is also home to Minnesota's only national park "Voyageurs".

I arrived at Atikokan, quickly settled in my hotel, and was off for a ski! The trails were beautiful! Good conditions and fresh snow! Since it was snowing the whole ski I got quite the snow beard going.

Day 2 had much different conditions. A bit warmer and much more sunny!

The trails were looking awesome with frosty trees and blue skies! I ended up skiing with the head groomer and the treasurer of Beaten Path Nordic. Very nice people to join me on Boxing day eh?!?!

At one point we had 10 people with us chatting and enjoying the day. Very nice people in Atikokan, everyone stops to chat during their Ski.

Somehow after finishing skiing I convinced myself to snowshoe. I did a 2-4 mile trek over a lake and to a nice ridge to take some pictures of the Sunset. Very nice snowshoe indeed!

 A Lake viewed from the Ridge

On the other side of the ridge there was this huge rock face

The Lake that started the Adventure!

I have a lot more pictures and some video. I will try to get them hosted at some point for all to see! Until then enjoy!

Xmas Eve

Did my final preparations today for the road trip. Most of the day was spent waxing my poor skis which I have been neglecting all season so far.

It took a while but I finally got them done! My car is packed and I can't wait to begin my trip tomorrow and test out my freshly waxed skis. I'm not sure when I'll have internet again but I'm sure theres some Wifi in Thunder Bay! Have a merry xmas everyone!

12/23/2010 1st Blog Post!

This is an introduction to my upcoming experiment with blogging. To be honest I am not a blogger at all! I don't really follow any blogs and I am not terribly interested in them. What is inspiring this blog is my desire to keep a journal of sorts on my upcoming year living in Northern Minnesota and the adventures I go on. I decided to create a blog rather than a conventional journal so I can give my friends and family the chance to follow along and keep up better with my life. I hope this proves to be a positive experience!

I am currently preparing for the biggest road trip of my life. My sisters, mother, and I are going on a ski trip in Lake Placid in January for a late Christmas celebration and vacation. Instead of flying out I have decided to drive alone and explore Canada on the way. This is really exciting for me as going through Canada is something I've wanted to do for a while now.

My route!

(pic courtesy of mapquest)

The basic itinerary so far is as follows:

Dec 25-26 stay in Atikokan, ON. Atikokan is the Ely of Ontario as it is the major gateway to the Quetico Wilderness. Atikokan lures me with promises of pristine Boreal forest and ski trails that actually go into Quetico.

Ski trails near Atikokan

                                                     (pic courtesy of Beaten Path Nordic Ski Club)

After Atikokan I will spending the 27-28 in Thunder Bay, ON. Thunder Bay is on the NW side of Lake Superior and is largest town in northwest Ontario. There are a number of excellent cross country ski trails there and I plan on checking out Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and the Lappe Nordic Center. In Thunder Bay I am experiencing my first Hostel which could be real nice as I am travelling alone and could probably use some company.

Sleeping Giant Provincial Parkas as seen from Thunder Bay.

From Atikokan I am heading down to the other end of Lake Superior to stay in Sault Saint Marie (on the Ontario side). This is one of the longer legs of my journey so I hope to find some nice places to break up the drive along the way. Again skiing is my big plan for Sault Ste Marie as I hope to check out either the Hiawatha Highlands or the Stokely Creek Trails.

Sault Ste Marie

                                                                              (pic courtesy of Wikipedia)

After Sault Ste. Marie my trip is sort of up in the air. As I will be leaving on New Years Eve I'd like to find a place to celebrate. A big city like Toronto or Ottawa are my likely targets. Once the Canadian New Years Eve celebrations are finished I will be shifting gears for leg two of my trip which will begin my family fun in Lake Placid. I can't wait!