The North Channel provides protected passage between Manitoulin Island and 0ntario's southern shore.It runs fom Killarney in the east to De Tour Village in the west, 138 statute miles. Created by glaciers in the not too distant past, while geologically young, the North Channel has some of the oldest rocks in the world exposed on its north shore. Many of the rocks in this area are more than three billion years old. The shoreline is rugged and sparsely populated.
From Killarney we went to Baie Fine. To say tht it was a unique experience just doesn't seem to express it fully. Gail actually cried because of the overwhelming beauty that you experience as you enter the Baie. We cruised the entire ten miles and entered The Pool at the end. It is probably the closest thing to a fjord in which most people will cruise. 0n a scale of one to ten, this was, hands down a ten experience.
We found a very secluded anchorage, took the dingy ashore and went "rocking" [as in "shelling"] We are bringing home a fair amunt of stones! John climbed a few huge mountains of rock to pick some wild flowers which we used to construct a wreath for a ceremony in honor of Jim LeRoy since that was the day of the memorial service for him which was impossible for us to attend due to our isolated location - we had no way possible at this point to rent a car or get to a plane. We prayed and then floated the wreath in his memory. Ironically, a huge 0sprey gave us an air show just after we finished. It was very moving! That night, we stretched out on the bow and witnessed the most magnificent sky of stars we had ever seen. As we traveled from this magical place the next morning, we spotted a black bear on the shore as we were leaving. Needless to say, we stopped and took a few pictures! What a treat! This place will long linger in our memories! 
We passed through Little Current Bridge and arrived at anchorage in 0ak Bay inside 0ak Point.
Blind River was our last stop before reentering the United States of America at Drummond Island Yacht Haven. We were glad to be in US waters again, had no difficulty clearing customs and spent more time than we had anticipated at Drummond due to weather. Gail was able to use a pay phone to call her Dad on August 13th for his 98th birthday. In her excitement to have a phone connection ,she called him at 5:00 am his time on the other side f Canada!!!! We departed Drummond on Gail's birthday which John celebrated in grand style with goodies from the Drummond Marina Gift Shop!!
Saint Ignace was our next port of call - named for Saint Ignatius of Loyola because Father Marquette SJ traveled, spread the faith and was burried there. John has just completed reading the journal of Father Marquette detailing his journey with Joliet to discover the Mississippi River for europeans, and his last trip to the country of the Illinois Indians, from which he never returned. It is really neat to read about the early explorer's experiences in the very waters of Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and the Illinois and Mississippe Rivers that we are travelling.
While we were at St. Ignace, we visited Mackinac [pronounced Mackinaw]Island. This island is the gateway from points east to Lake Superior via the Saint Marys River and the straits at Sioux St. Marie, and Lake Michigan through the straits of Mackinac. Every explorer and fur trader that travelled west came via Mackinac Island. In more modern times it is celebrated by movie and song. A famous scene from the movie "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve was filmed on the porch of the famous Grand Hotel. Today you have to pay $12 just to walk on that celebrated porch! We spent the day sampling the famous fudge, taking a horse drawn carriage tour of the city and visiting the fort. The tour was by horse drawn vehicle because that's the only kind of vehicle allowed on the island! Horses, bicycles and shanks mare are the only modes of transportation. It really takes you back to another era to see rush hour on main street, and not a car in sight.
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