Announcer: Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope"... [Thump thump] All: Whoo!

Announcer: where you join us as we accept the world's invitation to visit.

All: Hey!

Joseph: Today on "Travelscope," I take off for Ontario Canada's Northwest, where from Lake Superior to its northern wilderness, nature and adventure call.

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Joseph, voice-over: From Thunder Bay on the shore of Lake Superior, the greatest of the Great Lakes, to its remote back-country lodges and camps, Northwest Ontario is characterized by its great outdoors.

My outback destination is Kettle Falls Lodge, a fly-in fish camp, so as soon as we've landed, I'm out of the plane and into the water with third-generation camp owner Rob Halley and his son Seth.

Joseph: Rob, when did your family start this business?

When did you start doing this?

We started this in 1946.

Grandmother and Grandfather started it.

The rock formation is part of the Canadian Shield?

Yup.

It's mainly granite.

It's beautiful.

This is getting away from it all.

Seth: You let your rod down all the way to the bottom.

Now reel it up a little bit-- not too much, because if you keep it on the bottom, you're gonna get a snake, and if you reel it up too much, fish aren't at the top.

And jig.

Like, go up and down.

Fish on.

Joseph: Fish on?

All right!

Hey!

Rob: There we go, buddy.

Look at that.

A little northern.

Joseph: So that's a pike.

Rob: A little northern pike.

Fish!

Rob: What have you got there, buddy?

Joseph: You got another one?

Rob: Bring it over to this side, kiddo.

22-inch walleye.

Uh!

Did you get another one?

I just got a bite.

Maybe not.

No.

Rob: Uh-oh.

He got off.

Seth: Should have caught that fish.

Yeah, I should have.

Seth: He was probably small anyways.

We would have had to throw him back anyway.

Seth: Maybe you can be tri-casting.

How far would you suggest I cast out?

Seth: About to that log.

To that log?

OK. Let's try that.

I'll probably catch the log.

That's what I'm worried about.

Like that.

That was a bad idea, Seth.

Not for me.

I think he did that on purpose.

Kind of taking me out of the tournament here.

Rob: I think it's set in there pretty good.

Joseph: That's a stick fish.

You could put that stick through the fish when you cook the fish, and they are useful, but most people don't eat them.

Fish!

What have you got, buddy?

You got another one?

Yup, but it's just-- Practice makes perfect.

How long have you been fishing these waters?

All your life?

You know, I used to go fishing with my dad, Seth.

Really?

Yeah, but we'd fish in salt water.

We fished with a hand line.

Didn't even use a pole.

Seth: Really?

Joseph: Yeah.

It was fun to do it with my dad.

Do you like fishing with your dad?

Seth: Yup.

Joseph: I think your dad likes fishing with you.

Rob: I think so.

Joseph: Hey, look here!

Look here, Seth.

I think I got one.

I don't think it's as big as yours, though.

Rob: That one will be a luncher right there.

All right!

I caught one fish for lunch.

I feel much better.

Rob: You ready, guys?

Joseph, voice-over: Thanks mostly to Seth, we have all we need for our shore lunch among the pines.

Rob, how many camps and lodges like yours are there up here in Northwestern Ontario?

Oh, from Thunder Bay to the Manitoba border... Mm-hmm.

I believe there's about 5,000.

5,000?

Looking around here, it doesn't seem like there's 5,000 of anything.

Maybe just walleyes.

Joseph: Yeah, maybe just walleyes.

Yeah.

Certainly not people.

Joseph: It's great that you have Seth over there.

Rob: Yeah.

Just following right in your footsteps?

We're trying to keep it in the family and keep it going for generations to come.

How's your fish, Seth?

Good.

Good?

Thanks a lot, Rob.

Joseph, voice-over: Back at the wilderness lodge, a family-style fish dinner and tall tales awaits, topped by homemade pumpkin pie and down-home conversation on a deck that allows guests to enjoy sunset over the scenic English River.

A gateway to Northwest Ontario's wilderness, Thunder Bay is a new city with historic roots.

It was formed in the 20th century by joining two early 19th-century towns.

European settlement in the area began in the 17th century, and in 1803, the North West Company established Fort William as its rendezvous for fur traders, First Nations people, and the voyageurs who transported the continent's furs and pelts to Montreal.

At 131 feet, Kakabeka Falls on the Kaministiquia River-- try saying that 3 times fast-- is the second-highest waterfall in Ontario.

The highest waterfall is Niagara Falls.

As part of one of more than 100 provincial parks and conservation areas in Northwest Ontario, it's a great place to come to understand the physical hardships faced by the voyageurs on their thousand-mile treks through Canada's north.

The planked Mountain Portage Trail follows on their historic route to Fort William 20 miles away.

Woman: This is the Kaministiquia River.

This is one of the most important waterways for us here at Fort William because it's our access to out west.

Linda: The first portage that we're going to run into is going to be a mountain portage.

You would probably know it under the name of the Kakabeka Falls.

Man: It takes 12 hours to portage.

Linda: Your responsibility is to paddle but also to carry the fur packs.

Each of those weighs 90 pounds.

You carry about two of them at a time, usually.

And you guys are doing quite well with this leisurely pace.

Perhaps a song to pick it up a little bit?

All: ♪ Aloutte, gentille alouette ♪ ♪ Aloutte, je te plumerai ♪ Linda: Are we still at the fort?

All right, everyone ready?

All: Oui, oui!

Un, deux, trois... [Thump thump] Whoo!

[Playing fiddle] Joseph, voice-over: While the outpost and the voyageurs were indispensable ingredients of the fur-trading era, at the head of this vast commercial enterprise were the First Nations people, who supplied the pelts and had long hunted the beaver for survival.

[Singing in native language] Us Ojibwe people, we rely a lot on the furs.

We'd come in and we'd bring them to trade with Fort William all the time.

Would it be mostly beaver?

Uh, it would be all different types of furs.

Of course, the North West Company was looking for beaver pelts to make the beaver-felt top hats.

So, now, I know about the relationship between the people and the fort as far as trading is concerned, but what was the other side of that?

What about personal relationships?

Mm-hmm.

If you go inside of the fort, you'll meet all kinds of different people, and a lot of the women that you meet will actually be portraying mixed-blood or full-blood native people because that's who's marrying in with the different voyageurs, with the different clerks of the company, and of course they're making families, so they have little Métis kids running around.

So the Métis were the combination of the Europeans and the native people.

That's right.

Was there any, um, prejudice, if you will, from the native people towards the Métis?

No, not at all.

No?

A lot of the women and children from inside the fort would be welcomed back into their communities no matter what happened.

All of these Europeans who came here and prospered from the land-- what do you think was the most important thing that the native people were able to give to those Europeans?

The knowledge of how to live on the land.

The technology on how to move around on the land as well.

Think about snowshoes.

Think about the birchbark canoe.

Europeans wouldn't be able to survive in the interior without the knowledge that the native people imparted to them.

Joseph, voice-over: Of all the survival tools that the First Nations people give to the Europeans, none was more valuable than the birchbark canoe.

Dave, are you latching that together there?

This is the first of about 72 lashings with a spruce root.

This is an organic boat.

Right.

There's no metal.

There's no screws.

There's no glue in a canoe.

It's all held together with roots.

Birchbark is the exterior shell of the canoe, and that keeps the water out, as well as the pitch.

Pitch.

It's a mixture of animal fat mixed with spruce gum and charcoal, and it'll go over all of the sewing or any of the holes in the bark from the overlap of the seams.

This has got to be one of the great gifts that the First Nations people gave to the Europeans.

Yeah.

Without the canoe, the Europeans would be, you know, still waiting on the East Coast for the natives to, uh, come and bring them their furs.

The canoe enables you to go across the country and get over those obstacles, and that's the beauty of the birchbark canoe.

Even though it'll carry a ton and a half of cargo, it only weighs about 250 pounds, so two men could pick it up quite comfortably, carry it over portage, put it in the water.

Were the native people used in the, uh, construction?

A lot of the builders were mixed blood.

The natives were also bringing in birchbark, roots.

They would trade those items to the company.

Also, the women would come in to work in the canoe shed.

What do you feel about the fact that-- that you're doing this here?

You know, a lot of pride in telling people about a craft that goes back maybe 2,000 years.

Joseph, voice-over: The birchbark canoe powered the fur trade and the western exploration and growth of Canada.

So, Mr. McKenzie, what will you give me for a beaver pelt like that?

Well, I would hope that you've brought in a few more, but, uh, one--one will do.

Now let me grade it.

I'll just look to see.

It's nice and dark, very thick underfur.

Very good.

A nice prime beaver like this, I'll give you one credit for it.

What can I get with one credit?

Well, if you follow me over here, usually we trade for textiles, so blankets and fabric goods.

Why textiles?

Think about it.

If you had to take down those beavers, you have to tan the hide, you have to rub it over some sticks to make it nice and soft and flexible, and then you have to get those sinews to sew it all together.

It takes a lot of time.

Mm-hmm.

Now, if you were to just trap those beavers, dry them out, bring 4 in, I'll give you one of these blankets.

What else were we trading for?

Well, we have trade muskets.

So those are excellent tools for hunting.

You might have ice chisels, fish hooks for catching sturgeon in this river.

Hmm.

Spears or things like pots and pans.

That's a nice heavy pot.

Well, for you, sir, I'll give that to you for 5 credits.

5 beavers.

5 beavers.

Yes.

Seems a little bit expensive, but if I had something like this, I would be able to get more beavers for you.

These iron traps here-- and they work on springs-- are very, very good because they allow you to be many more places.

Mm-hmm.

Now, how they work is, you're gonna need this substance here.

What is that?

Well, that's beaver castor.

It's the scent glands from other beavers.

Wow.

So when you take that and you rub it on the traps, a beaver smells that castor, comes along, puts his foot in the trap-- [Clang] Bang.

You got yourself a beaver.

Now, the voyageurs-- were they also trappers?

No.

Voyageurs are not trappers.

They work only for the companies as the movers of trade goods or fur.

Thank you very much for explaining how all of this came about.

Hope to see more beavers next season.

I'll try to do a better job.

Very good.

Very good.

Joseph, voice-over: Next morning, I join modern-day voyageurs on Canada's cross-country highway and head to the region's western reaches and the town of Kenora.

From Thunder Bay on Northwest Ontario's eastern edge to Kenora near the western boundary with Manitoba is a 300-mile drive along the Trans-Canada Highway.

Along the way, you can see the exposed rock of the Canadian Shield and the Boreal forest of pine, spruce, and larch that covers the landscape.

And there's water, water everywhere.

Kenora, the western gateway to Northwest Ontario's wilderness, has its own big chunk of nature to brag about.

Its iconic attraction is the Lake of the Woods, which is more ocean than lake.

Al Smith takes me for a spin around a small piece of it and introduces me to a few locals.

How big is this lake?

Just under a million acres.

Two countries, United States and Canada; two provinces, Ontario and Manitoba.

Yeah, it's a spectacular lake.

So this western part of Ontario is really all about water.

All about water.

Shh.

Don't tell too many people.

No, no.

It's a big secret?

Yeah, a big secret.

Joseph: Can you show me some of your favorite spots?

You got a week?

Ha ha ha!

Can you show me a few of your favorite spots?

OK. OK, now, at 12 o'clock, there's two mature bald eagles with the white heads.

Just a little bit to the left, there's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 bald eagles in there right now.

Joseph, voice-over: Although there are many ways to get on the lake, Lake of the Woods water is not just for riding on.

It's also for drinking, especially when it comes from the Lake of the Woods Brewing Company, housed in the old fire station.

I'm so happy to see that you're doing something else recreational with Lake of the Woods water.

When brewing the beer, what's the difference between Lake of the Woods water and tap water?

Historically, beer is unique not really for its recipe, but actually for the water table from which it's brewed.

A lot of famous towns for beer, like Plzen in Czechoslovakia, have a unique mineral profile.

I understand that this was a brewery here since the 1800s.

There was a Lake of the Woods Brewing Company started in the 1880s and was open up until the mid-fifties.

Prost.

Prost.

Cheers.

Joseph, voice-over: You can pick up other local goods by boat at the grocery store, or better yet, get them fresh from the producers at the weekly farmers' market.

For 16 weeks every summer from June to October, the Matiowski Farmers' Market takes place here in Kenora.

Now, there's more than 100 vendors featuring the goods of the Northwest, and the rule is, you either make it, bake it, or grow it.

How you doing, sir?

Good.

You're processing beef.

Yeah.

I am one of the original vendors at this market.

Yeah.

We were so successful, they built us a million-dollar tent.

That's a strange-looking cow.

We raise some two-legged ones, too.

My son raises those, so... Why don't you put a little spice in your life with one of these?

Oh, an extra hot beef stick.

I thought Canadians were mild-mannered.

This is spicy.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

Joseph: You are extremely successful here.

I'd better get something quick.

One of these Napoleons.

I just need a napkin.

I don't need a-- I'm not taking this home.

Would you even like a fork?

Isn't this the proper way?

There we go.

You got a little on your... Oh, do I?

Yeah.

That goes with the territory, doesn't it?

The experience, yeah.

That is really lovely.

Is there any ingredients that you use in your cupcakes that come from here in the Northwest?

Well, I do a blueberry one that's made with Northwestern Ontario wild blueberries.

Joseph: All right.

Blueberries, blueberries, blueberries.

I'm looking for blueberries, and--sir.

Blueberries.

Blueberries.

No blueberries.

Sorry.

No?

Just vegetables.

OK. All right.

They're better for you.

OK.

But you pick blueberries yourself.

I like picking them and eating them myself, but I wouldn't sell them.

I'm not that patient to pick enough blueberries.

Is there anything that does particularly well here in the Northwest, of the different vegetables?

No, I don't think so.

Everything grows wherever.

I mean, we grow all vegetables, "A" to "Z," but, uh-- OK, and some of them do well, and some of them don't?

That's right.

Yes.

Thanks so much.

I don't want to eat a salad right now, but I'll come back when I do.

Very good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I didn't find any blueberries in the market.

They were all out.

But never fear-- in Northwest Ontario during the season, you can find blueberries everywhere.

Believe it or not, there are blueberries all around me.

How do you find a patch of blueberries?

Well, you could scientifically figure out which trees are compatible to blueberries and then go out and find that little piece of ground, or you could just spot the locals foraging in the woods.

Hi.

Mind if I share your blueberry patch?

Sure.

Come on over.

Oh, wow.

Look.

You've got a bunch of them.

Hmm.

And these are a lot better than the ones you get in your grocery store.

The only problem is I can never save them for later.

I eat them when I pick them.

Wow.

These are wonderful.

Mmm.

Joseph, voice-over: Leaving the sun behind, I head back to Thunder Bay for more Northwest Ontario adventures.

Joseph: Wow.

Now, that's a piece of water-- Lake Superior.

Gitchi-Gumi, the largest freshwater lake in the world.

The Canadian Shield-- it sounds very formidable.

What is it?

We're generally referring to some of the oldest rock on the planet, a band of relatively solid rock on top of the band of shale underneath.

Mm-hmm.

And it's that solid rock on top, the caprock, that attracts climbers to the area.

What is it about Thunder Bay that makes it a better place to climb than other places?

The main thing is ease of access.

This area here, for example, in the city limits, 10-minute drive from any hotel in Thunder Bay, 5-minute walk along the trail, a fantastic place to get started in rock-climbing.

Are you ready to get started?

Uh, I thought we were coming for a scenic walk, but sure.

I think--I'd like to try it.

Great.

I'd like to try it.

I think I'd like to try it.

Ha ha ha!

We'll take care of you.

Joseph, voice-over: Before I try it, Monica shows me how it's done.

Thankfully, that's not what I'm doing.

So I see everything's connected to those trees.

How--how--how secure are those trees?

Well, the trees are still here.

They're pretty secure.

Walk those feet down.

Awesome.

Nice job.

How do I get myself in these situations?

"Travelscope" gets me in these situations, and that's why I love "Travelscope."

Ooh!

Frank: All right, you kids.

Stop having so much fun.

Joseph: Hey!

Ha ha ha!

Yeah.

And if I can do it, anybody can do it.

Going down.

Oh.

Oh!

Nice job.

Thank you.

What a beautiful place to do this, and what a beautiful thing to do.

Nice work, Joseph.

Joseph, voice-over: Water, rock, and trees epitomized by Lake Superior, the Canadian Shield, and the Boreal forest, express the majesty of Northwest Ontario's landscape.

I joined Sail Superior for a firsthand experience on Gitchi-Gami, the Ojibwe's great sea.

Man: That is just beautiful.

That mountain coming up there in the sun.

That's one of the reasons getting out on the water is amazing.

Have you always had boats?

Boats since I was 10 years old.

By the time I was 15, I was sailing by myself, and it was kind of nice.

I didn't have a car, so if you don't have a car when you're a teenager, you don't get the girls.

But when you had a boat, that was OK. Ha!

What is it you like most about it?

It's the freedom-- the freedom knowing that even though I'm this far from the Atlantic coast, 2,000 miles, I can get in my boat, and I can sail-- and I can sail out to the Atlantic Ocean.

I can sail to any place that has water ports, and that sort of freedom lets me come back to a small town in Northern Ontario that's a beautiful place but know that that's not the end of the world.

The world is out there, and I can still reach it.

The second part is, it's the biggest lake in the world, and it acts like a sea, so if the wind comes up, you can get some really big waves.

You can have an adventure on sailing.

It's a good training ground.

Joseph: We came through a fog that was so dense, you couldn't see hardly in front of you and hardly in back of you, and he went through a small gap between two islands.

It's a great indication of how wild and undisturbed this Lake Superior coastline and the lake itself is.

It's its own thing.

Joseph, voice-over: On Thompson Island, Greg Stroud of Parks Canada shows me a few ways to enjoy Lake Superior's splendors.

Joseph: Greg, what kind of opportunities are there for kayaking throughout Northwest Ontario?

Greg: You've seen all the water right from the Lake of the Woods.

Joseph: Right.

Greg: Right on over here to Lake Superior.

You can go on a 7- to 10-day trip and hardly see anybody.

The Marine Conservation Area is over 600 islands, so these islands that we just went through is very reminiscent of what you could experience along the entire north shore of Lake Superior.

Joseph: Whoo hoo!

Sail right through.

Greg: This is one of many islands that you'll find that has this very rich old man's beard.

It's a sign of nice clean air, and every time you see it, it means that the lake is in pretty good condition.

Joseph: That's great.

Absolutely beautiful view.

Wow.

Even with the fog.

Yeah.

The fog creates such an incredible mystique to the area, and it changes all the time.

You know, Greg, as we were coming up the path, you were talking about the old man's beard.

It's kind of like a canary in the mineshaft.

If it's doing well, you see it, then the environment is doing well.

Look how clear that water is.

Yeah, it's absolutely incredible.

A lot of it is because it's so cold.

Ha ha!

It averages around 5 degrees Celsius, which is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's very cold.

So many Finnish people settling in Thunder Bay, you find saunas scattered all along the entire shore, even in the Lake Superior Marine Conservation Area.

There's some people going for a sauna now.

Man: Ready, boys?

[Sizzling] Ah.

It's wonderful.

Whoo hoo!

[Laughter] Ah!

All back to the sauna!

Joseph: Hey, where's Jen?

Jen made all this great food.

Where is she?

Man: Uh, Jen.

Cheers to Jen.

Joseph: Cheers.

Cheers to Jen.

Thank you.

Woman: Thank you.

Bon appetit.

Thank you for joining me on my Northwest Ontario adventure.

The Northwest is distinguished by Canada's great outdoors.

Within its 204,000 square miles, there are just 250,000 people, yet there are 5,000 wilderness camps and lodges and more than 150,000 fishable lakes.

So it's quite clear what's important here-- fishing, hiking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, sailing.

If it can be done outdoors, everybody's doing it.

In addition, the Northwest is in the midst of transforming itself from a region devoted to using the environment up to one that celebrates it in new parks and conservation areas, farmers' markets, and historic preservations.

It's a turn for the better for the people who live here, and a wealth of opportunity for those of us who visit.

Until next time, this is Joseph Rosendo reminding you of the words of Mark Twain: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Happy traveling.

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For a DVD of today's show or any of Joseph's "Travelscope" adventures, call 888-876-3399 or order online at Travelscope.net.

You can also email us at TV@Travelscope.net or write us at the address on your screen.

Joseph: Now that we've explored Ontario's Northwest together, learn more at Travelscope.net, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my eMagazine, blog, podcast, and on Facebook.

Stay in touch.

888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

It's like you forgot to say it.

[Laughter] And say, "Action!"

Let's go.

Let's go a little bit further.

Oh, absolutely.

It has changed.

In there, yeah.

It has.

Have you ever had this?

Oh, yes.

Yeah.

Finnish pancakes.

They look a little bit like Swedish pancakes.

Don't tell anybody.

Scandinavian--same.

Scandinavian pancakes.

Yeah.