How a Karaoke Night Ended With Me in Minnesota

6th of february Traveling to Thunder Bay

I had made up my mind. Since I had already been in Winnipeg, I was eager to get moving. I googled around and found a bus that could take me to Thunder Bay.I took a taxi to the bus stop. On Google it looked like the place had been closed down, but I figured it had to be the right location. The bus was quite costly, $116.15.

I got in touch with someone there who picked me up and drove me to the nearest karaoke bar. I did a few songs and then checked into the hostel. It was one of the nicest hostels I have ever stayed at. It was super clean and had some really cool features. Since it was low season, there was only me, one other guest, and the staff.

They had lists of good places to eat and things to do, and the vibe was great.

There were at least three karaoke bars in town. Most of them used YouTube, which is a bit of a drag, but I got to sing and that's the main thing.

7 th of february Karaoke Nights in Thunder Bay

Mostly a day for relaxing and food.

I found a nice place within walking distance of the hostel. I ordered a gin and tonic and got some food recommendations from the guest sitting next to me.Often in Canada, if you are dining alone, they seat you at the bar. Sometimes I am very grateful for that since I travel alone and often end up talking to someone. Other times I would love to sit by a fireplace and talk to absolutely nobody. But generally, I prefer the bar.

I also liked the downtown bar app, which made it easy to see where karaoke was happening. I went to The Waterhouse. The alcohol selection was not the best, but I tried something called "Squirting Oranges Jaw Drop" and it was actually quite good.

I sang karaoke, met some people, and we decided to go to the swimming pool the next day.

8 th of february A Dry Bar and New Friends

Packed my bag and tried to figure out the bus system.

The bus stops were weird and often not very well marked, so if it hadn't been for Google Maps I would probably still be looking for them. Cash is king on the buses too, so I had to sort that out.

I had breakfast at Tim's and met up with the others. While walking to the swimming pool, we met a woman carrying several huge fluffy puppies. They had escaped, so we helped her round them up and get them back to safety.

I could have kidnapped one, but hey. Traveling light.

The pool was nice, with saunas, hot and cold showers, and giant water slides. It wasn't exactly a workout session. Mostly just talking and relaxing.

Afterwards I went straight for food and found a nice Indian restaurant before heading to a dry bar.

A dry bar simply means there is no alcohol. Many of the guests were recovering alcoholics, while others just wanted a place to socialize without the pressure of drinking.

Some people gave short speeches before they sang. Dedications to someone who was struggling, tributes to loved ones, things like that.

I had invited a guy out because it was his birthday and he didn't have any plans. He arrived after my first song and stayed for the second before we continued elsewhere. I even tried my usual trick on one of the bartenders.

"It's his birthday." But sadly: No free drinks.

I told him about my plans to visit Tofte, Minnesota. It was only a two-hour drive away. I tried to tempt him with a nice meal and free fuel, but he didn't seem particularly excited by the idea.

9 th of february - Road Trip to Tofte, Minnesota

Woke up late, as usual, and got a text from him.

"I thought you would be sending me thousands of texts begging me to take you to Tofte."

And just like that, I had a driver.

It was a race against the sun to get there before dark.

His small car did the job nicely. We filled up in Indigenous territory, where fuel was cheaper due to lower taxes. It felt strange seeing attendants outside actually pumping the gas. And a full tank cost only 40 CAD. I don't think I've seen a number that low since 2008.

After some breakfast, we hit the road.

At the border, the officer asked what we were doing. I told him I was going to Tofte just for a quick stop. He laughed and wished us a good trip.

In Tofte, I acted like I owned the place and had photoshoots in front of every sign carrying my name.

I also spotted a place called Solbakken.

We had dinner at The Bluefin and enjoyed an excellent meal overlooking Lake Superior, even though it got dark about five minutes after we sat down.

But we made it.

10 th of February

Time to get moving. But first let me show you a really great hostel!

I washed my clothes and met up with my driver for some board games and food before he dropped me off at the bus. Can you guess who won?

Chuck's is a chain restaurant, and the food was actually quite decent.

My bus wasn't leaving until 1 a.m., so we just hung out and talked before he drove me to a strange hotel that apparently doubled as a bus stop.

There were quite a few of us waiting.

Five minutes before the bus was due to arrive, we received a text saying it had been cancelled because of the weather.

So now I needed to find both a taxi and a hotel.

The hotel was already full, and to be honest it seemed a little odd anyway, so perhaps that was for the best.And somewhere during the night I lost my mittens.

Sigh.

While trying to figure out what to do next, I discovered Poparide had a guy passing through the next morning.