Todd Stadler's blog

Water wheels within water wheels

I have just discovered my favorite island ever: Manitoulin Island.

Now some of you will say, "Manitoulin? As in the Ojibwe for 'spirit island'?" And I will reply, "Yes, I too can copy and paste from Wikipedia — in fact, most of this entry was written in just that manner."

Undeterred, you will sneer, "But it's Canadian! What's so great about it? I mean, it's biggish, but it's only the 174th largest island in the world. Even in Canada it's frite petite — only the 31st largest Canuck island. Big deal!" To which I, noticeably miffed, will reply, "If I tell you that I'm in awe of your Google-Wikipedia skills, will you stop using them"?

And then I will proceed to blow your mind. By telling you this:

Sure, Manitoulin is an island in Lake Huron. This much even the littlest schoolkid knows. But did you know that this island itself has several lakes? Not only that, but Lake Manitou (they were running out of names) on Manitoulin Island is the largest lake on a freshwater island in the world (and Manitoulin itself is in the running for largest freshwater island — it has its own rivers! Three of them!).

"Wow, Todd, that is interesting," you may say. "Not sure it blew my mind as such, but ..."

Quit interrupting! Not done yet!

So there's Lake Huron. Which has an island, Manitoulin. Which itself has several lakes. With me so far? Do you see it coming?

That's right, one of those lakes, Mindemoya Lake, also has an island, called Treasure Island!

And — can you stand any more? — there are apparently some ponds on Treasure Island!! Wheeeeeeeee! A pond on an island in a lake on an island in a lake (and, why not ... on a continent surrounded by an ocean)!

Or, to summarize the ten foregoing paragraphs in handy graphic form:

Fig. A: It's like a lacustrine Powers of Ten

Anyhow, my dream is to one day be in a canoe in the middle of a pond on Treasure Island in Mindemoya Lake on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. With a bucket of water in my canoe. And a mound of sand in the middle, rising out of the bucket. On the sand is a small cup of water, with a tiny stone rising out of it. And I'll place a drop of water on that stone. As things stand, that is my retirement plan. Not sure what I'll do after that.

So I don't know about you, but my attitude towards Canada really changed after I found all this out. I mean, sure, on the one hand, there's the Red Green Show and milk in bags, but, on the other hand, there's the Manitoulin Island/Mindemoya Lake/Treasure Island/pond system to consider.