Thunder Bay KOA Campground

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Monday, September 8, 2008, 3:00 pm Eastern Time

Mostly a mix of sun and clouds;  temperature, 60F and going down as clouds overspread the sun.

Altitude: 254 meters (about 834 feet on this bluff above the lake, which I think is about 600 and some odd feet above sea level)

After a sleep-in this morning, a late breakfast (that's your faithful correspondent at the breakfast counter, right), and some wine and fresh food shopping in town, we have returned for a lazy late afternoon of reading, emailing, and the Sunday crossword.

Last night we asked the campground owner to recommend a good breakfast spot and she immediately said "The Hoito, of course." We soon found out that this was a place we and the Clarks had looked into in '04 as a possible eatery--and rejected it out of hand as a foul smelling greasy spoon.  But Kristie, our KOA host, assured us that it was a local treasure, had great "home cooking" (she didn't specify whose home), and added "you haven't been to Thunder Bay until you've eaten at The Hoito."  Well, we reluctantly tried it and she was right, at least for breakfast. The ham and eggs and mushroom omelets were done properly and served with home fried potatoes, thick sliced wheat toast, and a bottomless cup of coffee.  Typical diner breakfast. The dinner menu tended toward "comfort food"--beef stew, liver and onions, "hamburger steak" with mashed potatoes and gravy, etc., as well as a lot of unpronounceable Finnish concoctions, mostly made by stuffing large, thin Finnish pancakes with various mixtures.   As Steinbeck said about road food, "it's impossible to get a bad breakfast or a good meal while traveling."

We have since been regaled by the locals about The Hoito's background, and a few minutes ago confirmed most of what we heard on Wikipedia, where it has its own entry!  It's in the basement of the Finnish Labor Temple, originally built in 1909 as a place for immigrant Finnish miners and loggers to attend labor meetings, socials, and get a hearty, but inexpensive meal.  And apparently it has never closed.  Today it's a must stop for campaigning politicians, visiting celebrities, and the odd American tourist, but most of the time, it's really a neighborhood hangout.  Does this sound a bit like Jimmy's in Baltimore?

Anyway, we wouldn't go there for dinner (mashed potatoes and hamburger steak!?) and have already picked out a steakhouse for this evening.  Tomorrow it's a long drive around the north shore of Lake Superior, pretty scenery, but a lot of road to cover.  We will probably camp near Wawa, Ontario, tomorrow night, but if we're feeling good, we might press on to Sault Ste. Marie.  Both places have good, full service campgrounds with WiFi, according to the directories.