Lovely Lake Superior

Well, we made it to Wawa. I think I'd have been more surprised if we hadn't. We're staying at the Wawa Motor Inn which is fabulous! Yay me! So, we've ended well. Let's see how we began.

We began early. On the road shortly after 6am. Average speed 70mph. Great roads. Thank you Mike Harris for the terrific job you did spending my tax dollars improving the highway to Parry Sound. Too bad you stopped there. Between Parry Sound and Wawa, the TransCanada is mostly a 3 lane road, with ownership of the 3rd lane alternating regularly between left and right sides of the road. What surprised me most about today was how flat the terrain was once we got past the Soo. I thought it would all be huge rocks, but it isn't. There are large, flat valleys and 'plains'.

Thessalon doesn't look anything like I remember it. We did the math, and it was 30 years ago this summer that I worked at McCreights Junior Ranger camp, near Thessalon, for the summer. I high pruned trees, planted trees, tore down squatters' cabins, coloured maps of Crown land, and reconstructed a bridge. We had one day in the Soo, and after prowling the mall, we saw Ghostbusters. 1984. I remember parts of it really well. I've always liked rocks, and the day we tore down the squatters' cabin, I found a nice (big) piece of conglomerate or puddingstone near a waterfall near the cabin sight, which I brought home. In a box. When my parents picked me up from the Bay street bus terminal, my dad picks up the box and says, "what do you have in here - a rock?" Well, now that you mention it - yes! I still have that rock. It lives in a place of honour in the front hall of our house.

We only stopped to gaze at Lake Superior once. It was at a 'view', and we climbed down from the parking to some rocks nearer the shore. Even under grey and threatening skies, she's still magnificent.

Wawa is a player in our historical trip because it was here, on September 17th, 1960, that the TransCanada highway was completed. It took over 40 years of pleading to get a road to link the 228km from Wawa to the Soo. Initially, it took 8 hours because the road wasn't very good. Today, it took us 3 hours. There are Wawa Canada Geese all over town, including in the parking lot of the general store across the street and over the entrance to the restaurant attached to our hotel. It's been 25 years since P&I stopped at that general store to gas up on our drive across Canada. Then, there was a chipmunk who liked to run into the store to grab peanuts. We didn't see any peanuts today, but we did see a well fed squirrel outside.

Tomorrow, we have 5+ hours to get to Thunder Bay. Included in that stretch will be more views of the Lake and the Terry Fox memorial. But for now, it's time to sleep. Early start again tomorrow.