After the trip to Alabama, we followed it up with a trip to Canada to go fishing for Northern Pike. The drive this time was a bit longer, almost double. One way took around 20 hours. From Toledo, OH, we trekked around Chicago, then up to Wisconsin. Once crossing into Canada, we drove a little more than an hour to reach our destination. It was a few hours north of International Falls, I only remember this because I took a picture of the signs. It was in the middle of nowhere too. At least a half hours drive to the nearest gas station, and that's around 60 mph. This trip was much more expensive than the other one, but the fishing was a LOT better. During the course of the week we probably caught more than 200 pike between the two of us and we didn't count the smallmouth bass or walleye. In the morning we went out, caught our limit in a few hours. Instead of making the 45 minute boat ride back into camp, we just fileted the fish on the shoreline(shorline firepit) and ate them. Fish do not taste any better than that. Most of them were caught within an hour of eating them. We went with some family friends and always had our fill and then some. The lake was absolutely gorgeous, day and night. Hundreds of miles from anything resembling a city, the stars were always out in full force, and the air was crisp and clean. Witnessing bald eagles catch fish out of the water, 60lb beavers slap their tails on the water, loons nesting and making their ritual calls at night and staring at you with red eyes during the day, pelicans by the hundreds, deer, BIG FISH, and bears, it was definitly something out of a book. A giant rock stood out in a bay area that I had to climb up to get a picture on. Knowing there were bears in the area I did it anyways. Like a squirrel in his favorite tree, I made it up the rock efforlessly. Just like in Alabama with the alligator, my dad had the worst possible thoughts in his mind. He thought for sure I would get stalked by a bear, but they are like any other animal and would rather run before fighting, plus it was only a 60 foot jump or so and I would land safely in the water, right? There is nothing like that around our "Great" Lake Erie. At night we had a few beers, told some fish stories, then repeated the day, for a whole week. Everynight was like the first night. The air just seemed so pure that just the thought of returning home to a city would make you dirty. Quickly coming to an end, it was time to pack up and leave. Fishing like that is a dream, and an experience most will never get to have. As always the camera turned into a visual diary, and will be able to tell the stories much better than words ever will. Still in the beginning stages of photography, the pictures were nothing too special. Some good ones and many more that could have been taken with a point and shoot. With scenery as captivating as it was, I probably would have caught more fish if I put the camera down. Thats life, better it happened that way anyways. It seems as if it will probably be one of the last trips I will get to have like that so at least I can look at the pictures of the trip, now you can too..