So I log in to my gmail account and I see this email asking if I’m up for a weekend adventure with a 2017 Ford Escape. The only other information was the date, and that I would be one of 12 people chosen for this adventure, that was it. Creepy right? So I did what any normal person who knows about the scary stuff that happens on the internet would do when they get a strange email: I replied “Hell yeah, I’m ready for an adventure!”.
The Ford Escape ready to take on Thunder Bay
What followed was two weeks of evil mind games. Thankfully there was a hashtag associated with this “adventure” so I was able to connect with some of the other 11 people. I soon realized that everyone was as in the dark as I was. Of course the evil masterminds gave us clues, but they just confused us even more. We were also sent a duffel bag and a postcard saying to pack for one night and that a car would be picking me up at 7:40AM on June 11th.
Finally June 11th arrived, I grabbed my duffel bag, kissed the wife goodbye, and jumped into a black Lincoln to be taken to an unknown location for an adventure.
The driver brought me to Thorncrest Ford, which I wasn’t expecting at all. As I walked into the dealership I met some of the other participants, some I knew and some I met for the very first time. In the lobby of the dealership there was a curtain behind which I thought was a Ford Escape.
The “Ford Escape” behind the curtain
While we were waiting for everyone else to arrive, I met up with Craig Silva, Chris Williams, and Elizabeth Lampman. The four of us made up Team Yellow. Finally all the participants arrived and it was time for us to find out just what kind of adventure we were in store for. We were welcomed by a member of the Ford PR team who gave us a brief overview of some of the features of the 2017 Ford Escape. The curtain was then pulled back and to everyone’s surprise, there was no Ford Escape, just a table with envelopes.
Team Yellow is heading to Thunder Bay
Everyone tore open their envelopes to find out what we’d be doing. Each of the four teams would be jumping on a plane and flying off to different cities in Ontario. When we got there we’d meet up with a Ford representative who would hand us the keys to a brand new 2017 Ford Escape and set us loose to go discover the city. Team Yellow flew off to Thunder Bay, while the other three teams headed to Sudbury, Sarnia, and Ottawa.
We, along with the Ottawa-bound Team Pink, headed down to Billy Bishop Airport. I have to say, taking off from this airport gives you one of the best views of Toronto you”ll ever see.
After a two-hour flight, we landed in Thunder Bay and met up with Matt and Malcolm, two representatives from Ford. Matt handed over the keys and we spent a couple of minutes getting to know the Ford Escape a little more. The first thing I did was jump into the back seat to check the legroom, no complaints there! I also noticed the number of USB ports in the car that allowed you to charge your devices and also acted as an auxiliary input in case you wanted to play music from your phone. Another thing that I was really impressed with was it had an actual electrical outlet that you can plug directly into. The USB ports are fine in a pinch but to actually plug your device in and charge it as fast as a wall outlet,, well that was just brilliant designing!
The first stop was at a restaurant on the shores of Lake Superior called Bight Restaurant and Bar. I really didn’t know what to expect, but you guys know me, my belly is important and the food at Bight made my belly very happy indeed. I started off with the Pork Belly with Kimchi on Corn Bread and then followed that with a Duck Ramen bowl. I was blown away, the pork belly was braised in soy and hoisin, and the sweetness worked really well with the slight spiciness of the kimchi.
After lunch we headed off to our first stop, the Terry Fox Memorial. The memorial itself sits on the side of a hill overlooking the Trans Canada Highway with a beautiful view of Lake Superior and The Sleeping Giant off in the distance. This location couldn’t have been more perfect. As we walked up to the memorial we heard bagpipes in the background. Turns out it was just a guy there practising, but the music, along with the memorial, made my hairs stand on end. It was quite moving.
We left the memorial and headed inland to Kakabeka Falls, the second highest waterfall in Ontario. I could’ve spent all day at these falls. The views were spectacular and the sound of the rushing water over the edge was exhilarating. One interesting thing I found out is that these rocks contain some of the oldest fossils in existence.
Now all this sightseeing got us a bit peckish so I took over the driving duties and we headed to Thunder Oak Cheese Factory, the only farm in Ontario that produces Gouda cheese. Chris, Elizabeth and I were quite excited for this stop but Craig said he’d wait outside. Apparently he’s not a fan of cheese. That’s okay, I’ll still call him a friend. Unfortunately for us we got there just a few minutes after closing time. Disappointed and still hungry, we left to head over to Mount McKay. This 483M high “hill” is located on the Indian Reserve of the Fort William First Nation and is the highest, most northern, and best known of the Nor’Wester Mountains. Apparently you could head up to a lookout about 300M up, but we had dinner reservations so we took in it’s beauty from below.
I had driven an Escape once before on a food filled road trip, and one of the things that I didn’t like was how my right leg was rubbing against the centre console. After a day of this it became very irritated. Thankfully the interior of the 2017 Escape was redesigned to give more space so this didn’t happen. As I was driving I decided to test out some of the safety features of the Ford Escape like the adaptive cruise control. This isn’t you regular cruise control, yes the car will cruise along at the preset speed, but if it approaches a vehicle in front of you it actually slows down and when the vehicle speeds up so does the Escape! It was like driving one of Ford’s autonomous vehicle. Another safety feature that blew my mind was the Lane Keeping System. Basically the car knew when I was in my lane and if I was drifting out of the lane it warned me with a vibration in the steering wheel and actually steered itself back into the centre of my own lane.
Dinner that night was at Caribou Restaurant And Wine Bar. From the outside this looked like a regular old building but as you walked in you’re greeted by an open kitchen where you could see the chefs cooking up a storm and a pizza oven going full blast behind them. I won’t bore you with the details, but I will say that yes, it tasted as good as it looked!
The next morning we were up early for breakfast at The Hoito Restaurant. The restaurant has been in operation since 1918 and is famous for its Finnish pancakes. These pancakes are very thin and are usually the size of a diner plate. Not only is the restaurant itself famous, it’s housed in the basement of the historic Finnish Labour Temple which is also a National Historic site. I found out that Thunder Bay is home to the highest concentration of Finnish Canadians per capita in the country,
The last stop for us was The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. This 244-square-kilometre park is located on the Sibley Peninsula in Northwestern Ontario, east of Thunder Bay and offers some spectacular views of Lake Superior. One of the best views we got was at the Sleeping Giant Lookout, this was over 100 metres above the lake and really allowed you to take in the natural beauty of the landscape.
And with that our 2 day (almost) adventure to this part of Ontario had come to an end. Before now, visiting Thunder Bay had never crossed my mind but I am so glad and thankful that Ford Canada gave me this unforgettable opportunity. It’s definitely not a big city but a small one filled with it’s own charms, very friendly people and breathtaking natural beauty.
