Eastward Bound - Canada 2024

Thank you for all of the pics. Beautiful country you are traveling thru. Thanks for taking us along.

 

How incredible is this?

We are at Wawa, Ontario - halfway between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie at a little RV resort. We check in and find our site, set up the trailer and go to leave with the truck to have a look at Wawa. Beside the office is a grey Tacoma truck with a white high rise canopy on it with brand name of Hornby Canopy.

campinspecter hits the brakes and says "That's our old truck!" I said "No way". We get out and go over to the truck and the owner is sitting in it. I ask him if he bought his truck in Dec at a dealership on Vancouver Island, BC. Yes, he did. It WAS our old truck!!!!

He was working on Vancouver Island for the winter and now he is home in Wawa for the summer. campinspecter and I got talking and remembered that we actually saw him test driving the truck while we were there for servicing on one of the other vehicles.

We are 4400 kms/2700 miles from home and find our old truck.
Is it a small world or what?

 

Yes, we did. I didn't realize what it was until we got back to our unit. I will try to get a picture today.

 

As we set off from Thunder Bay, the terrain is very different. Rock outcroppings, little lakes and to us, little trees - mostly deciduous.


First glimpse of Lake Superior after leaving Thunder Bay


Heading over a bridge to a series of islands. Very narrow road.




Very different looking forest for us.


A glimpse again of Lake Superior


We stopped to take the dog for a walk and put our hands in Lake Superior. Brrrrr! A man had just come up from swimming in the lake. Braver than us.






Very different rock formation here.


I have a friend that collects rocks. Pictures are the only thing I am taking back for her.


Wawa, Ontario. About Us.
Mining town about the same time as the big mine near our place. This is one of the original equipment pieces. They were mining hematite ore.




It was quite the town as all mining towns were back then.


A better explanation than I could give.


bogieb and DaveGunter I thought immediately of you two when I saw this church. I love the motif of the solar panels.


Here it is. Wawa - wild geese. A man's brilliant idea to attract people in off the highway and into the town




View of the Wawa water reservoir and surrounding countryside from the goose monument.


We headed out the next day on our way to Sault Ste. Marie. Another picnic spot on the lake with a sandy beach this time.




My second attempt at a pano shot with my phone. First one didn't work at all. It helps to read the instructions. I have to figure out how to not get the black silhouette in the right corner.

 

The north shore of Superior is a beautiful drive from Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay. I travel it several times a year. Wawa is an native word for goose hence the monuments. That stretch north of the Sault is a very popular area about the 3rd week of September when the leaves turn. Unfortunately I am working in southern Ontario right now and won't be heading to the Nipigon area until the second and third week of June. You'll likely be on the rock by then. Safe travels.

 

Wish you had time to stop and watch a freighter go through the locks. That's neat.

 

And while you're at it, stop in at Clyde's Drive In and get your blood pressure/cholesterol to spike with one of their selections!

 

A few years ago Robin and I took a motorcycle trip around Lake Superior. Gorgeous scenery but the thing I remember most is we rode 500 miles and didn't see a set of golden arches. I don't think that is possible in the US

 

I cannot imagine swimming in any lake that far north yet...my pool is 84 degrees and that's borderline chilly!

 

Loving your trip. Narration and pictures are exceptionally entertaining. I seldom go anyplace from home. I used to travel a lot, both road trips and flying. You are now traveling in a area we used to go. We lived for a year on a radar site high up on a mountain overlooking Lake Superior. We once traveled back to Maine by going up to Thunder Bay and traveling across Canada until we got where we could cross over into Maine from Quebec. That trip was in a February when we had real winters. We came through some mountain pass where we were pushing about six inches of snow in the darkness of night. We had a huge Polaris station wagon and two tiny children and our pet dog. I remember having some house plants that I wanted to take home with me. I didn't want the border guards taking them so I had them in a diaper pail. They never checked the pail!

 

campinspecter was driving, concentrating on the vehicle parked on the side of the road with almost no shoulder and two people taking pictures. I thought this wasn't going to be much of a view. There was mama and baby moose in the swamp beside the road. I got a quick glance, campinspecter didn't see it.

 

We are booked for a boat tour of the locks on Sunday. I think we go through the Canadian side as it only does smaller recreation ships now. All the big stuff goes through the American side, I think.

 

The golden arches are everywhere now even in our area. Port Hardy just got one this spring.

 

Love your story about the plants. That must have been quite the trip.

 

Bright sunny, warm day to be on the water. We boarded the Miss Marie and headed out onto the St. Marys river for a cruise through the Sault Ste. Marie locks. I hope I have my information right.
Looking down river. St. Marys river is 75 miles long.


Edson Hydro electric plant. It is over 100 yrs. old.


Freighter heading for the Poe lock next to the one we were going through.


A big dredge on the US side. Hard to see how big it is.


A closer look at it.


Fountain and park on the US side.


Grandstand on the US side with lots of spectators.


In the MacArthur lock and waiting for the US tour boat to join us.


Safety bar going down and the gates are closing


16 ft. higher and on level with Lake Superior. First time campinspecter and I have gone vertical in a boat.


Leaving the lock.


Grey structures and red crane are used to temporary shut off the water to the locks for maintenance.


The gates are closed in the Poe lock next to ours while the freighter makes it way into it.


Another tour boat from Canada while the one behind us was from the US.


Train bridge over the locks.


Algoma Steel plant. They are transitioning to an electric arc steelmaking plant. Algoma Steel Inc. | Your Partner in Steel. Since 1901


The piles of material are limestone, coal for making coke and iron ore pellets.





Final product. - Steel "jelly rolls". Incredible heavy and massive.


Looking down into the Canadian Historical locks. We were unable to go through them as they were shutdown for maintenance on the pumping station.


Construction of a new lock to increase capacity.




The freighter being raised to the Lake Superior level.


As we were entering our lock and waiting to be tied up, you could see this huge ship getting higher in the lock. The lock is 1200 ft. long and 110 ft. wide. The ship is 1000 ft. long and 104 ft. wide. A rather snug fit.


Waiting for the water to leave the lock.


Safety bar down and the gates are closing behind us.


Down 16 ft. and the gates are opening.


White water is the rapids of St. Marys river. Sault means rapids so Sault Ste. Marie means Rapids at Saint Marys. The fall from Lake Superior to Lake Huron is 21 ft.


Miss Marie - a 100 passenger boat. We sat at the back on the top deck.

 

Woodwidow Great pictures. Keep them coming.

 

Pictures and explanations are great I am super glad you and campinspecter are having a great time