Vol. 28 No. 4 May 2010 - The Travel Society

Government's popular tourist attraction with an IMAX theatre.A dual admission ticket can be also purchased whichallows entry to Dynamic Earth, a mining and geology attractionlocated beside the Big Nickel.The return drive to Toronto on Highway 69, passesthrough historic fur trading routes and a stop at the FrenchRiver provides great photographic opportunities. This hadbeen a delightful 48-hour mini tour. It had seemed like aworld in microcosm … and no passports were required!The M.S. Chi-Cheemaunleries that line the harbour. We had reservations for the 11:00a.m. sailing, and once on board and out of our car, we madeour way to the outside third deck where we enjoyed a coldbeer on a glorious sunny summer day!Upon disembarking at South Baymouth we began our 70km drive to Little Current. Manitoulin Island is the largestfreshwater island in the world and is home to the Ojibway,Oclawa and Pottawatomi people who have a long historyand rich culture. During the drive we saw many signs andshrines to the Jesuit Fathers who came to this area in the1700s. Museums in Manitowaning and Shequiandah documentthe history of these First Nations People. LittleCurrent, the gateway to Manitoulin by road, is connected tothe mainland by a one-lane swing bridge. The ManitoulinTourist Centre is here, and for those waiting to see the bridgeswing, picnic tables (and washrooms) are available. Thepicturesque drive from Little Current to Espanola is along aroad that has been blasted through the pre-Cambrian rock ofthe Laurentian Shield. This is called Rainbow Country, dottedwith small lakes and inlets from the North Channel ofLake Huron.Espanola a long-time pulp and paper town, is about 60km from Little Current and halfway to Sudbury, our secondnight's destination.With a population of over 150,000 Sudbury is the largestcity in Northern Ontario. There are a total of 330 fresh waterlakes within the city boundary, and it is home to the largestmining complex in the world. There are over 5000 km ofmining tunnels under the Sudbury area. If they could beplaced end to end, you could drive the total distance fromSudbury to Vancouver underground! The Sudbury basin, 27km wide, 60 km long, and 15 km deep, is believed to havebeen formed by a meteorite impact 1.8 billion years ago.Sudbury's landmark, the Big Nickel, stands 9 meters high,symbolizing the nickel and copper mines here.Our accommodation at the Best Western Inn on LarchStreet allowed us to walk the downtown area and walk todinner that evening. Our restaurant, the Respect Is BurningSupper Club on Durham St, was a lively, funky, fun place,featuring Italian food. The following morning our time onlyallowed for a trip to Science North, the OntarioFor more information ... Best Western Inns: 1800 2nd Avenue East, Owen Soundand 151 Larch Street, Sudbury, www.bestwestern.com City of Owen Sound Tourism: www.tourismowensound.ca Nathaniel's Restaurant: 215 8th Avenue East, OwenSound, tel: 519 371 3440 Tom Thomson Art Gallery: 840 First Ave. W. OwenSound, www.tomthomson.org Billy Bishop Home & Museum: 948 Third Ave. WestOwen Sound, www.billybishop.org Niagara Escarpment: www.escarpment.org Inglis Waterfall: www.visitgrey.ca/ M.S. Chi-Cheemaun Ferry: www.ontarioferries.com Town of Tobermory: www.tobermory.org Fathom Five National Marine Park: www.pc.gc.ca Manitoulin Island Tourism: www.manitoulintourism.com Respect is Burning Supperclub: 82 Durham Street.Sudbury, www.ribsupperclub City of Sudbury Tourism: www.sudburytourism.caEditor's note:I know many of the places mentioned in this article and wouldjust like to add that a much longer holiday could be spent in thislovely region. Manitoulin Island was, in fact, a favourite campingdestination for our family many years ago. Enjoy!The Big Nickel, Sudbury16 www.thetravelsociety.com