We decided to go exploring a bit more on Sunday morning. The town was dead, I mean dead. Nobody was around and it looks like nothing was open. We took a drive down several roads that lead out of town thinking we may find another nice area, but to no avail.
We came back into town, found a couple of things to photograph, like the train engines. It seems every town finds a reason to stick a train in a field, and this town is no different.
But Sioux Lookout has signage. They don’t just say ‘stay off’, but go into detail on why you should stay off the train.
Then there is the tourist information center. The sign out front lists attractions in Sioux Lookout. We thought that might be helpful in finding something to do in this town, seeing we do not fish. The places of interest did not seem to be tourist related.
The first item on the list of attractions is the OPP Office. What? Did they get new bars? The list is just silly.
Other notable places of interest are Sioux Lookout Zone Hospital, Post Office, Extended Care Facility and the Hugh Allen Clinic.
Then there was an advertisement for a Signage Company offering ‘Customm’ signs. I should send that one in to David Letterman for his stupid signs segment.
We went in and talked to the lady in the Information and Tourism Center and asked what there is to do in the area if you do not fish. She recommended going to Sioux Mountain. She gave us a photocopied sheet with directions on how to get there.
So, we went 6 km down the highway to Hudson Road, turned right and went about 7 km to the sign for the Sioux High School. Then it said to go down the road until you find a fork in the road and go to the right. It was not a fork, there were three roads. We went to the right, down a road that was no longer being repaired, with craters that used to be pot holes, just to find a locked gate. We turned around and had a look at the other options. The middle road did not look safe, so we took the road to the left. It seemed to go on forever with a terrible washboard surface. After traveling for a while on that road, we gave up, and turned around. We had one last look at the center road and chose not to go down.
I knew from the directions that there were 3 or 4 more forks in the road along the path to this mountain. I am not even sure what would be found once we got there. And the instructions said you had to hike the last 20 minutes of the journey. We chose to leave and headed back to the highway.
I made the decision to go into the Ojibway Provincial Park and see what they had to offer. I was sure there would be another picnic area by the lake in the park, where we could sit and relax, and maybe have a picnic. We had stopped at the grocery store in town after talking with the Tourism lady, and got supplies for a picnic.
We pulled into the park, got to the park gates and there was nobody there. The sign said it was self serve and one should deposit a cheque in an envelope for the fees. Well, I did not have a cheque. So, I decided to help myself to a map of the park and proceed on. I was sure they would eventually come across us in the park and I would be able to pay by visa at that point.
One of the park officials did find us, and I was able to pay my fee. I mentioned the mis-adventure we had trying to find Sioux Mountain. The park official said nobody tries to drive that road. He said it is not a good road and would likely destroy our suspension. He recommended taking the tracks. After he left, I looked at the pamphlet we were given. There were no instructions on how to find the tracks, and no map drawn to show where Sioux Mountain even is. And to top it off, the pamphlet says not to take the train tracks because it is illegal and you may get in trouble.
I am thinking that Sioux Mountain is just a town joke, something the locals tell tourists about and see how many try to find it.
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