Sun breaks through the freezing mist at Hornepayne, Ontario - a railway town about 161 kilometres (100 miles) north of Michipicoten. In such towns the railway is still the lifeline - as it once was through most of Canada - particularly during the long and bitter winters. In the summer there is a different toll to pay for the privilege of living in this largely unspoiled area - contending with a voracious population of mosquitoes and blackflies.
 

Michipicoten Harbour is on Lake Superior, the deepest and largest of the Great Lakes - it is 616 kilometres (383 miles) long. Thhunder Bay, at the head of the Great Lakes, is the third largest Canadian port for ocean-going vessels and the main port for trans-shipment of golden prairie wheat. The Great Lakes system is one of the most important natural features of the North American continent. The combined area of the lakes is the largest surface of fresh water in the world. To the west of Lake Superior is Quetico Provincial Park, a wilderness teeming with wildlife. To the far north on Hudson Bay is Ontario's immense Polar Bear Provincial Park, where bears, caribou, arctic foxes and snow geese live undisturbed.
 

At the "Soo" Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, visitors can view the world's largest locks, which are situated between Lake Huron and Lake Superior, from special observation towers. Because of its prime location, Sault Ste. Marie has a number of industries, including steel-making. Robert and I crossed the bridge, shown in this picture, when we came up to Ontario from the US.
 
 
 

The International Nickel Company of Canada (INCO) superstack rises above a barren landscape. Ontario has a wealth of natural resources, nickel being one of the most important. At Sudbury INCO mines most of the world's nickel. The devastated land is now being renewed. Groups of young people and others scatter limestone to neutralize the soil, and greenery is beginning to sprout again. I was born in the small town of Espanola just an hour's drive west of Sudbury.
 
 

The Horseshoe Falls at Niagara are about halfway between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, where the Niagara River plunges over the Niagara Escarpment. The 792-metre-long (2600-foot) curving crest of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls is separated from the American Falls by Goat Island. The Falls were first harnessed for hydroelectric power in 1882. Today, the flow is regulated by an elaborate control works upstream. Enormous quantities of water are re-directed through massive tunnels to power stations on both sides of the border. Enough water is left to maintain the beautiful sediment-free curtain. Visitors can descend to the foot of the falls from behind - a spine tingling experience.
 

The Steel City - Hamilton, Ontario - on the western tip of Lake Ontario, is also famed for its large - 809 hectares (2000 acres) - and long-estaablished Royal Botanical Gardens. More recently, the city has acquired a marvellous new culture centre, Hamilton Place. The Niagara Peninsula, Ontario's main fruit-growing area, is especially delightful at blossum time. The 'fruit belt" is protected on one side by the Niagara Escarpment and is under the moderating influence of Lake Ontario on the other side. The area, with such centres as Grimsby, Beamsville, Vineland and Jordan, produces tonnes of grapes, peaches, apples, cherries, pears and plums. The soil is particularly well suited to grapes just above the escarpment. Vineyards, the largest in Canada, have been established here since 1812.
 

Casa Loma, Toronto, was the fairy-tale castle of Sir Henry and Lady Pellatt. This extraordinary structure cast the eccentric and extremely rich stokebroker $3 million. It was built between 1911 and 1914 in a fascinating conglomeration of styles that appealed to Sir Henry - from Norman and Gothic to Elizabethan and Edwardian. Casa Loma had gold-plated faucets in the bathrooms, one of the largest wine cellars in North America, and a library to hold 100000 volumes. This attempt at living like royalty failed, due to the enormous rise in costs after the First World War. The castle was eventually taken over by the Kiwanis Club of West Toronto, who run it as a tourist attraction and raise large sums of money for charity.
 

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