by Isobel Harry
Driving through Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve to get to Wawashkesh Wilderness ATV Tours is a pleasure. The newly-paved and refurbished road that skirts Manitowaning Bay to the village of Wikwemikong is a scenic delight, thickly forested and dotted here and there with homes and snack stops, offering lookouts with historical markers to acquaint the visitor with the area’s past. One of these overlooks the expansive bay, known in Ojibwe as the Bay of the Beaver, a sign recalling the original inhabitants, the Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi, who were signatories of the 1836 ‘Bond-Head’ Treaty at Manitowaning, on the far shore.
In the village, you take a right at the sign for Wawashkesh, and drive past the powwow grounds and Gordie Odjig’s Indianguide Pontoon Boat Tours (another great experience, reviewed in this paper’s August 13 edition), then onto Cape Smith Road. A couple of houses in, and you’re at the home of Boniface “Bon” Peltier and his wife Carol, the owners of Wawashkesh, where two Honda 350 ATVs are parked, waiting for that day’s guest.
After warm greetings, no time is wasted: the guest, aka this hapless reporter with the dearth of experience in just about every outdoor activity, is shown the ropes. Helmeted and straddling the wide machine with fat tires and huge cage-like bumpers, I am instructed by Bon on the instruments panel. You don’t rev the engine with the handlebar, as you would on a motorcycle, but depress and release a small lever on its underside. There are three ‘gears,’ drive, neutral and another one; there’s a start button, and a sliding emergency button. That’s it, really: go, stop, and something like “really stop.” Apparently, I’m good to go, and I’m told to do that, give it a whirl on the spacious property, which doubles as Bon’s golf course, complete with fairway and rolling hills.
I depress the gas lever and the machine lurches forward, like a chained animal unleashed after months in captivity. Telling myself it’s only a heavier, (way) more powerful version of a golf cart, I rocket off the patio onto the path that leads to the undulating lawns beyond. My mind is yo-yo-ing between euphoria and abject terror. Me and the mini-tank roll over hill and dale, my thumb a little heavy on the gas, then too light, so it feels like we’re pitching like a doomed ship on the high seas. By the time we’re back on the patio, things have smoothed out and we’ve reached a more harmonious stage of our relationship.
We head out for Cape Smith, Carol and Bon on one ATV, me and “Tank” bringing up the rear, along a lovely country road. This is very nice. Bon waves at friends sitting on porches or working in their yards, I don’t really know for sure, as I’m busy concentrating on training Tank to behave like a well-trained pet.
We stop to admire the view from a dramatic cliff, over the North Channel. “That’s Killarney over there,” says Carol, who is the tour’s historian. She points out the many islands that are part of the Reserve and describes the old trading routes taken by the Anishinaabeg since time immemorial. “The Odawa were entrepreneurs, long before first contact with Europeans; they did an enormous amount of trade in beaver and fish, maple syrup and sugar.”
We turn off into the bush, through some mud puddles, and settle into a deeply-rutted old logging road. It’s a gorgeous day, the path is dappled in shade and warm, shining sun; we’re travelling at a leisurely pace, not at all like what I’ve seen in those extreme sports on TV. Tank, however, seems maybe a little bored, and veers slowly off the path, as though seeking a little more excitement. Beats me how that happened, but needless to say I take my thumb off the gas and we come to a halt. I remember now what the third gear is: reverse!
As though reading my mind, Carol hops off the lead ATV and comes over to where I sit, puzzling over the gears. “Do you want me to ride with you?” she asks kindly.
With Carol at the helm, after she has effortlessly reversed the fickle Tank, we ride on without further incident, following Bon through glorious glades of maples, along steep cliff ledges, and past fields where cows are pastured in summer. I feel as though I have been Born to Ride—as a passenger!
We arrive at the very tip of Cape Smith, where the Georgian Bay comes up to meet the North Channel, and give our steeds a rest while we feast on the energy bars and drinks that Carol had packed. In the utter quiet of that lofty place, we watch a vulture soaring high above the shoreline and contemplate Odjig Island in the distance, where elders once sent youth on their dream quests.
Wawashkesh Wilderness ATV Tours, Wikwemikong: Tour options include Ne-Osh-Shiwg (Cape Smith), easy, 2 hrs at $100 per person; Be-Nong-Ghong (Clay Cliffs), moderate, 4 hrs at $125 per person; Mid-Weh-Ghong (Where you can hear the rapids), easy to difficult, 8 hrs at $180 per person and includes campfire and Native cuisine lunch. Evenings and weekends until end October. Pre-book at 705-859-2913.
The fall brings its own pleasures (and don’t forget that it doesn’t officially begin until September 22!) such as the harvest bounty in the farmers’ markets in Manitowaning, Little Current, Mindemoya, Kagawong and Gore Bay until Thanksgiving. Most of summer’s activities—hiking, biking, golfing, horseback riding, cruising, you name it—continue into the fall, and often, winter.
The Chi-Cheemaun ferry runs until October 19 (book a stay at participating accommodations in the “Destination Manitoulin” program and get $5 off your stay and 10 percent off ferry rate), the highways to the Island are widened and scenic, there’s just no excuse not to plan a getaway to Manitoulin this fall!
These listings are highlights of what’s in store on the Island in the coming months:
All aboard for fall colours
North Channel Cruise Line, Fall Colours Tour: Board at 11:30 am, tour the shores of the Wabuno Channel and La Cloche Mountains in their fall splendour. Saturdays, September 27, October 4, 11, $39 includes lunch bowl of chili and garlic toast. Cash and credit bar. Killarney and Benjamin Islands cruises also available in September. Book online or tel: 1-800-268-8222; www.ncclinc.com
Northern Lights
Gordon’s Park, Thanksgiving Aurora Borealis Weekend: see the Northern Lights in the Dark Sky Preserve. Wine and cheese reception, photography workshop, laser guided sky tour, hike in the fall colours of the trails. Friday, October 10 to Monday, October 13. Registration Fee is $42 + tax per person per day; $85 + tax per family per day (2 adults, children under 16) and includes camping. Manitoulin Star Party, Labour Day weekend; ongoing astronomy events until end-September. Tel: 705-859-2470; email: rita@gordonspark.com; www.gordonspark.com
Fall fairs
Manitowaning Arena: September 5, 6, 7.
Central Manitoulin Public School Fall Fair, J. H. Burt Memorial Arena, Mindemoya: Schoolchildren’s fall fair since 1912. Monday, September 8 from 6:30-8 pm. Dog show and judging, 7 pm; Tuesday, September 9 from 9-11 am, children and family exhibits, judging of animals and livestock.
4th Annual Centennial Museum of Sheguiandah Fall Fair: Antique tractor show and BBQ, Saturday, September 13. Free. Presented by the Manitoulin Genealogy Club and the Museum Advisory Committee. Entries must be brought to the Museum on Friday, September 12. Contact Heidi Ferguson, tel: 705-368-2367.
Wikwemikong Fall Fair: September 12 and 14. Heavy horse pulls, truck pulls, live music, contests, crafts, games, men’s fastball tournament and so much more.
Hiking trails and bicycling tour map
Particularly colourful in fall, the Island abounds in trails to hike or bike. For a complete listing, visit http://thisismanitoulin.ca/hiking-trails/
Bicycle routes: download free maps at: www.manitoulincycling.com
Misery Bay Provincial Park, on Hwy 540 between Evansville and Silver Water, is open to hikers year-round; the Visitors’ Centre is staffed until Thanksgiving. www.miserybay.org
Art and Culture
The Quilt of Belonging, a spectacular 120-foot (36-metre) long textile art project; 263 quilt blocks portray the rich cultural legacies of all the First Peoples in Canada and every nation of the world, http://www.invitationproject.ca. September 13-17. Debajehmujig Creation Centre, Manitowaning. Tel: 705-859-1820; www.debaj.ca
A Conversation with my Loom: recent works of woven images and art to wear, by Dianne Kennedy Cruttenden. Opening: Sunday, September 14, 1 to 4 pm; artist in attendance. To end November. Gore Bay Museum, tel: 705-282-2040.
The ‘Telling Trails’ project of 4elements Living Arts and Manitoulin Cycling Associates (MICA) will engage participants in a process of creating public art works for Manitoulin’s trail network. Tel: 705-282-0444; email: info@4elementslivingarts.org; www.4elementslivingarts.org
The 6-Foot Festival – Land, Art, Food at the Creation Centre, Manitowaning: “Transformation” with special guests from the Permaculture Institute of Eastern Ontario. Entertainment, guest artists, “Body 13”, an original production from Kitchener-Waterloo. Thursday, October 2, Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4; public workshop on Saturday: Permaculture and Traditional Practices – Cross Pollinating a Relationship. Debajehmujig Creation Centre: Tel: 705-859-1820; www.debaj.ca
Visit www.thisismanitoulin.ca for more island activities, and pick up the weekly Manitoulin Expositor and Manitoulin West Recorder for news and events updates.
