BIG Story Joseph Boyden – His Inspiration – NE Ontario – ‘Through Black Spruce’ “Sit” “Magic” and “Me” Locations in NE Ontario Where and Why Visitors Visit Their “BIG” Thoughtful Spots by Back Roads Bill (Editor’s note. Joseph Boyden, the award-winning author whose work vividly documents the complexity of Canada’s indigenous history, is among the recent latest appointments to the Order of Canada. Just before the announcement Back Roads Bill, through Penguin Random House Canada, was able to interview the Giller Prize Winner and about “thoughtful places” – the location for his ongoing inspiration.) Winnie the Pooh. His reflective location was a log under a tree marked by a...
‘Canoe Country’ – Why Northeastern Ontario and the Mattawa River is Highlighted More than Sense of Place – The Mattawa Our National Icon – The Canoe National Writer – Roy MacGregor – Iconic Book – LIKE the Canoe A Salute to Back Roads Bill Christmas Gift Idea by Back Roads Bill (Editor’s note. Through Penguin Random House Canada Back Roads Bill was able to interview Roy MacGregor and ask questions about the author’s new book, ‘Canoe Country.’ In one of his own books, ‘Steer to Northern Ontario’ Bill has written extensively about the canoe and the many heritage features of Northeastern Ontario Rivers, including the Mattawa River MacGregor uses...
Not Only BIG But Many Opportunities Cross Country 101 Cross Country Skiing Like Canoeing Northeastern Ontario Has It Winter Wonderland – Where to Go by Back Roads Bill Steer (Editor’s note. Back Roads Bill looks at the many cross country ski clubs (most offer snowshoe trails as well) that dot the landscape of Northeastern Ontario. He keeps it simple, with CCX 101, why you should ski, along with some general tips for getting started. He says, “get out and stay out… enjoy the winter and our northern hospitality – Vitamin N – Naturally.” When it snows, why not make for the cross-country ski trails? Like canoeing cross country skiing...
What You Find On The Back Roads Trail of Passion and Love Memories that Matter – Natural Celebration by Back Roads Bill The back roads contain interesting stories. There is a trail in the north like no other. Why do we place our hand on monuments, walls of honour, plaques, headstones and memorial photos? It is an act of remembering and celebrating an event we relate to or to those no longer with us. We connect because our memories process information by encoding, storing and retrieving. We walk and snowshoe trails because they are full of adventure and are just waiting to be explored (winter was mentioned in passing)....
Give a Hoot – Owl Attraction Owls in Abundance – Banding Evidence Nocturnal Nature and Volunteers by Back Roads Bill What is it about owls that so captivates us? The answer may be a simple one. Owls inhabit the one landscape that we weak-sighted, day-loving primates still haven’t mastered. Night-time. There is the expression “I don’t give a hoot” but on the contrary there are others who do because as volunteers they like and care about owls. They are the real “night owls” because they like working in the dead of night. Owls are stereotyped for their hooting calls, but a number of species don’t hoot at all. Owls...
Privies Enduring Symbol Holiday Season Outhouse by Back Roads Bill Full Christmas Card Christmas images pdf The ground is almost frozen but not everywhere, not in an outhouse anyway. And I wanted to match the Back Roads holiday season greeting card with a story. One of the rural ways of life’s most enduring symbols has been the outhouse and you can see them on the back roads. It also goes under the name of back house, john, the wee or little house, the house of parliament , the inconvenience or the privy. “Thunder boxes” without the protective shed are most often found along canoe routes at designated Ontario Parks’...
Heritage Past – Mine Landmark in the Present and Future by Back Roads Bill Many back roads lead us to stories. We choose our land and water jaunts with an eye for scenery, heritage and nature. The Manitou Islands have all of that. Depending on where you are on the North Bay shoreline or driving down Airport Hill, the islands, on some days, seem to rise up or float on the horizon. The cluster of five islands often looks closer than the eight kilometre distance, from the “government dock.” The Manitou islands are part of an eroded volcanic pipe. The vent was formed by the violent, supersonic eruption of...
