For the north shore purists, we will be shunned for breezing through the Slates. However, our earlier delays required that we move along. It was also cloudy, cold, drizzly, etc. – not exactly what you want to explore an area. In retrospect, this is an area that I wish we had had more time.
Taking a conservative approach into the interior of the Slates we meandered our way into an anchorage reported to be a “hurricane hole”. Not that we needed it but it sounded cozy and we like cozy anchorages. Pikes Bay turned out not to be quite that small and had a fair amount of room for many boats. There was only one to share the space, Brisa Encantada whose skipper was exploring the harbour in his dinghy when we arrived. Mike, as we learned later, had spent many years sailing the waters around Nipigon as well as the Apostle Islands. He hails from Iowa and trailers his boat to his favorite waters every summer to sail, fish, and explore. Brisa Encantada was the first boat we had seen since escaping Wawa six days earlier.
The Caribou
The Slates are known for their Caribou herd, but on our short visit we were not fortunate enough to see any. In fact, we have now added the Caribou to the list of wildlife that are supposedly abundant on the eastern and northern shores of Superior but, as yet, unobserved by us on this odyssey. They appear only in our imagination. Our list of unseen creatures includes the Moose and the secretive, elusive, and terribly shy Carimoose. Ancient depictions of the Carimoose indicate it has the body of a Caribou, head and legs of a Moose and the antlers of both. Think Bullwinkle with a candelabra on his head—the life of any party.
While looking for a hidden sauna in Pikes Bay, we found an uncharted cove beneath an edifice. On the face of the rock was an ancient pictograph depicting this possibly mythic beast. We photographed it mere moments before a tremor shook the edifice and it crumbled into cove. We barely escaped being crushed by falling rock.
If you see a Carimoose, you’ve probably been drinking too much coffee—or something. But be sure you get a picture!
August 27 48°39.397’N 87°00.815’W 920.8 Nautical Miles