SIOUX LOOKOUT, Ont. -- Going north of the border for the first time in years I realize I'd forgotten how liberating Ontario can be. Behind are the lowland aspen woods of Koochiching County; ahead is higher country, where granite outcroppings loom near the road and lakes appear and disappear suddenly through openings in the trees. Past the 50th parallel the last radio station fades away and I'm left with my thoughts and the songs on a worn-out tape of Chris LeDoux.