Latest news with #Archie'sFishingCharters
Vancouver Sun
29-04-2025
- Vancouver Sun
This Ontario city is a great go-to for fishing, sailing and climbing
Article content Our captain looks like a man of the sea. We can see the years and the nautical miles in his eyes. Leaning against the rail, he's gazing contentedly at the crystal blue skies and windswept waves that he calls home. Our boat gently rocks as water laps the hull. The lines are cast and sometime later, from out of the silence, my son screams, 'I got one!' Article content Lake Superior is massive. So are its fish. My son fights to haul in his catch, a five-pound salmon. Archie turns the boat 'round and sets us on course to Porphry Island. So many colours as we pass — these rocks, the islands — each one pristine, white, red and black. We jump out into black volcanic sand, load up the wagon and wheel it up a trail to the lighthouse through exotic flora that look plucked out of the Galapagos. It's not. This is Thunder Bay. Climbing rocks that jut out from the water, flying a kite on the helicopter pad, and playing hide and seek along trails that weave in and out of the woods, we're absolutely carefree and laze away the rest of the day on what appears to be our own private island. After frying the salmon, we perch on the rocks to dine by the shore and watch the sun wash pastel light over the horizon as it sinks into Superior. Article content Article content Article content Article content The silence is heavy, but the quaint charm of the light keeper's house is like something out of a fairy tale. Before leaving in the morning, the lighthouse keeper, Paul, shares a legend with us that one night long ago, the old lighthouse keeper made a wish and tossed a piece of glass off the ledge and into the water. 'Oh, it was pummelled and weathered over many years, until one day it washed up on the beach.' As he tells us this, he kneels down, holds up that found-piece of smooth frosted-glass and places it in the palm of my son's hand. It's in the shape of a heart. Article content Article content All aboard Archie's Fishing Charters we head back to Sleeping Giant. On the road again, like lean hounds we're on a hunt for rocks. Canada's amethyst deposit, Ontario's official gemstone and the jewel of love, is in Thunder Bay. After learning how they're formed, we stand with bucket and digging tool in hand in the open field of Amethyst Mine Panorama. The grounds are littered with what looks like pale reddish violet and dark blueish purple sequins. We spread our selections on a table, wash them off, and measure our treasure to purchase and take home. Article content Article content Article content En route into town we pull off the road to the Terry Fox Memorial and Lookout. It's here that a hero's run ended, and the torch was passed to all those who would take it up and continue the Marathon of Hope. I was my son's age when Terry Fox embarked on his historic cross-Canada run. I remember my Dad had the honour of introducing him to the crowd gathered at City Hall in Toronto. Sharing the story of this great man with my son now, while seated at the monument in the warm breeze of the afternoon feels profoundly poignant. Article content We unpack at the boutique oak-trimmed Courthouse Hotel with stunning views of the lake. If these walls could talk, they'd tell of the countless trials held here. Now it's all about wedding parties and comfort. Centrally located, it's an easy walk to everywhere. Dining at Tomlin Restaurant offers the best of local and seasonal ingredients. We share a dry-aged, melt-in-your-mouth rib-eye with Calabrian chili butter that is so robust and juicy that all we can do is nod with satisfaction in silence. A coffee pot de creme, topped with luscious vanilla cream and a sprinkling of crunchy candied hazelnuts is prepared with a coffee blend from the local St. Paul Roastery. It is so creamy and richly textured that each spoonful is pure smooth decadence.
Calgary Herald
29-04-2025
- Calgary Herald
This Ontario city is a great go-to for fishing, sailing and climbing
Article content Our captain looks like a man of the sea. We can see the years and the nautical miles in his eyes. Leaning against the rail, he's gazing contentedly at the crystal blue skies and windswept waves that he calls home. Our boat gently rocks as water laps the hull. The lines are cast and sometime later, from out of the silence, my son screams, 'I got one!' Article content Lake Superior is massive. So are its fish. My son fights to haul in his catch, a five-pound salmon. Archie turns the boat 'round and sets us on course to Porphry Island. So many colours as we pass — these rocks, the islands — each one pristine, white, red and black. We jump out into black volcanic sand, load up the wagon and wheel it up a trail to the lighthouse through exotic flora that look plucked out of the Galapagos. It's not. This is Thunder Bay. Climbing rocks that jut out from the water, flying a kite on the helicopter pad, and playing hide and seek along trails that weave in and out of the woods, we're absolutely carefree and laze away the rest of the day on what appears to be our own private island. After frying the salmon, we perch on the rocks to dine by the shore and watch the sun wash pastel light over the horizon as it sinks into Superior. Article content Article content Article content The silence is heavy, but the quaint charm of the light keeper's house is like something out of a fairy tale. Before leaving in the morning, the lighthouse keeper, Paul, shares a legend with us that one night long ago, the old lighthouse keeper made a wish and tossed a piece of glass off the ledge and into the water. 'Oh, it was pummelled and weathered over many years, until one day it washed up on the beach.' As he tells us this, he kneels down, holds up that found-piece of smooth frosted-glass and places it in the palm of my son's hand. It's in the shape of a heart. Article content Article content All aboard Archie's Fishing Charters we head back to Sleeping Giant. On the road again, like lean hounds we're on a hunt for rocks. Canada's amethyst deposit, Ontario's official gemstone and the jewel of love, is in Thunder Bay. After learning how they're formed, we stand with bucket and digging tool in hand in the open field of Amethyst Mine Panorama. The grounds are littered with what looks like pale reddish violet and dark blueish purple sequins. We spread our selections on a table, wash them off, and measure our treasure to purchase and take home. Article content Article content Article content En route into town we pull off the road to the Terry Fox Memorial and Lookout. It's here that a hero's run ended, and the torch was passed to all those who would take it up and continue the Marathon of Hope. I was my son's age when Terry Fox embarked on his historic cross-Canada run. I remember my Dad had the honour of introducing him to the crowd gathered at City Hall in Toronto. Sharing the story of this great man with my son now, while seated at the monument in the warm breeze of the afternoon feels profoundly poignant. Article content We unpack at the boutique oak-trimmed Courthouse Hotel with stunning views of the lake. If these walls could talk, they'd tell of the countless trials held here. Now it's all about wedding parties and comfort. Centrally located, it's an easy walk to everywhere. Dining at Tomlin Restaurant offers the best of local and seasonal ingredients. We share a dry-aged, melt-in-your-mouth rib-eye with Calabrian chili butter that is so robust and juicy that all we can do is nod with satisfaction in silence. A coffee pot de creme, topped with luscious vanilla cream and a sprinkling of crunchy candied hazelnuts is prepared with a coffee blend from the local St. Paul Roastery. It is so creamy and richly textured that each spoonful is pure smooth decadence.
