To reach southern Ontario from the north shore of Lake Huron one would normally continue on Highway 17 in an easterly then south easterly then southern direction to Toronto and Lake Ontario. Which is where we are ultimately heading. But I have a plan.

About 2 hours into our journey east this morning we reach the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 6. We turn right onto Highway 6 and pass through the little town of Espanola, population 5,500 (estimated). We continue south until we reach water, the North Channel or the Little Current Strait as it is known locally. This narrow body of water separates Manitoulin Island from the mainland and is crossed by means of a swing bridge that allows for 1 lane a traffic at a time. The bridge was built initially for train traffic only and was completed in 1913. The operation of the bridge continued in this manner until 1946 when vehicles were allowed use it as well. Up to this point in its operation the bridge was kept open to allow for the safe passage of boats in the channel below. Once vehicles were permitted this changed and now the bridge is open all the times except for a 15 minute period at the top of every hour during the spring, summer and fall months. This allows for boats to pass beneath the bridge. In the 1990’s the train tracks were removed and now only vehicles use it. There is a set of traffic lights at both ends of the bridge, ( the ones at Little Current town are the only ones on Manitoulin Island) that control the flow however plans for a new two land bridge have been announced.

As Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake, right next door in Lake Huron is the world’s largest freshwater Island, Manitoulin Island. The name originates from the Anishinaabe word Manidoowaaling which means “Spirit Island”. We continue 64 kms south across the Island to South Baymouth. Here’s where my plan kicks in. South Baymouth is the northern terminus for the ferry Chi Cheemaun. Translating from Ojibwe to “The Big Canoe” it is a vehicle and foot passenger ferry which runs between South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island to Tobermorey on the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula.  From there it is about a 4 hour drive to where we are going. This is a very scenic 1 hour 45 minute sail across the mouth of the Georgian Bay.

LIGHTHOUSE ON COVE ISLAND AT THE TIP OF THE BRUCE PENINSULA

We are current in the city of Owen Sound about halfway down the peninsula. On our way through we passed through the bustling community of Wiarton, home of “Wiarton Willie” the albino groundhog. No doubt you have heard of Punxsutawney Phil of the movie “Groundhog Day” fame? Well Wiarton Willie is his Canadian Cousin. First introduce to the world in 1956 by a local businessman to inspire a local mid winter festival, Willie has been making weather prediction on February 2 every year (except 1999 and 2021) since. There have been 5 Willies since inception however Willie V died in March of 2026 with no successor chosen to date.

Another point of interest near Wiarton is Bruce’s Caves, a series of chambers formed in the rock face of the Escarpment. The caves were formed by the wave action of the post-glacial Lake Algonquin between 7000 and 8000 years ago. The area is a Province of Ontario Conservation area and provides a short but strenuous and interesting hike to the cave site.

We have spent the last two days in Owen Sound. Owen Sound is widely recognized as the northern terminus of the Underground Railroad, the clandestine and perilous route for formerly enslaved people who sought sanctuary in Canada in the 1800’s. The city has hosted the longest running Emancipation Festival, celebrating the end of slavery since 1962. Owen Sound is a vital hub of Black Canadian History.  I also went to the luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Owen Sound today. Great Rotarians.

Well, the bugs have chased me into the trailer, so I guess it’s time to bunk down. Sleep well everyone.

GREAT HOMEMADE ICE CREAM TO BE HAD HERE

The north shore of Lake Superior has been our right-hand companion since we left Thunder Bay  and now we start down the eastern shore of the lake, still to our right. We start our day with a send off from a field of wild lupins and now we have left WAWA behind. This part of Highway 17 skirts quite close to the shore and at some elevation above so we have many views of the lake and the morning fog banks offshore. Interestingly this stretch of Highway 17 from WAWA to AGAWA to the south was not officially opened to traffic until September 1960 thus making it possible to go completely across the country by road. We are now truly connected to from sea to sea.

LUPINS LEAVING WAWA

OFF SHORE FOG BANK

At Sault Ste Marie we turn east and start running past the St Mary’s River which outflows from Lake Superior. Lake freighters use about 105-120 kms of the St Marys, depending on which channel they use, to get from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. As there is a 21-foot elevation difference between the two lakes, a series of locks lifts or lowers the ships between the lakes, much like the Welland Canal over the Niagara Escarpment.

Lake Huron is now our right-hand companion and about 2 hours east of “the Soo” we come to the little burg of Thessalon, Ontario, our destination for tonight. I have a cousin whom I have not seem in over 60 years who lives here. We have been in touch over the years, and I am looking forward to an in person visit. We spend the late afternoon and evening getting caught up and thoroughly enjoy the time together. After dinner together and a visit to her home of 46 years Vicki and I head to our trailer for a well deserved night’s sleep.

JUST CHLLIN’ MUSKOKA STYLE

We continue east on Highway 17 leaving Thunder Bay. We are on the Terry Fox Highway of Courage which runs for 83 kms between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.  17 kms into our day we reach the Terry Fox Monument and Lookout. The monument is a 9 ft tall statue of Terry in full stride sitting atop a 45 ton granite base which in turn sits on a foundation of locally sourced amethyst. The exact spot that Terry ended his run on September 1, 1980 is located 11.5 kms further east down the highway and is marked as Mile 3,339 in honour of the distance he had run to that point. The Lookout offers a panoramic view of Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant of the Sibley Peninsula. Very inspiring. While returning to our truck, another truck pulling a trailer pulls in. On the back of the trailer is a large poster proclaiming ”JAMESRUNSCANADA” I scan the QR code on the poster and find out it is another young man, 22 year old James Newman from Oakville, who is running across Canada in support of scholarships for displaced children. See the link here for more info  www.jamesrunscanada.ca

Terry Fox Monument and Lookout

Sibley Peninsula and the Sleeping Giant

Back on the road we continue along the north shore of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Passing stunning granite outcroppings, the same as yesterday only today the ditches are also filled with thousands of lupin stalks in full blooms of purple, pink, white and blue. A stunning contrast to the stark beauty of the hard stone.

About 60 kms into our day we see signs for the advertising the Amethyst Mine Panorama then the Diamond Willow Amethyst Mine and finally the Blue Point Amethyst Mine. The area is famous for its rich, high-quality amethyst and at these three sites you can “pick your own” amethyst (for a price of course) We pass on the opportunity and continue on.

Our destination tonight is WAWA located at the north east corner of Lake Superior. Along the way we pass more granite outcroppings, lupins, little lakes and the occasional glimpse “of the great lake they call Gitchi Gumee” from the Ojibwe word gichi-gami meaning “great sea” or “big water” The line is from the classic Gordon Lightfoot song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”

Nearing WAWA we are in the heart of Gitchi Gumee country. WAWA is the gateway to the Boreal Forest and the name is derived from the Ojibwe word wewe meaning “wild goose”. So what do you think the town’s mascot is? Correct, a giant goose stands proudly above Highway 17 at the turn off to WAWA. Originally established as a fur trading post, it boomed in the late 19^th and early 20th century due to massive gold and iron ore discoveries. Shortly before reaching WAWA we passed the famous Hemlo Gold Mine.

Well the dog and Vicki are both snoozing so it is time for me to wrap the arms of Morpheus about these weary shoulders. I wish you all “Mino nibaa”

Since arriving in Kenora we have been driving through the Canadian Shield, the great Circle of ancient bedrock that covers most of Central, Eastern and Northern Canada. I remember learning about the Shield in my Canadian geography class probably in late elementary or early Jr High school grades. As we continue east along Highway 17, the Trans Canada in these here parts, the road skirts around which seems like hundreds of lakes bordered by the Boreal Forests. After awhile there seems a sameness to it but I keep my eyes peeled for the next outcropping a granite, the stuff of headstones and countertops. Such a wide range of colours; from white, light grey, darker grey, pink, brown, green and black. The exposed rock is really very beautiful and keeps me on the lookout.  We stop in Ignace, Ontario, site of many granite quarry operations. The visitor center on the west edge of town demonstrates fine examples of granite building materials.

Our destination tonight is Animikie Is means “thunder” in the Ojibwe language as a result of the frequent summer thunder storms and the sounds of the storms echoing off the cliffs of Animikie Mountain.

We are in a very nice campground about 25 kms west of TBay and settle in for the night, having planned a busy day on the morrow.

First thing in the morning we head towards the Fort William Historic site, sight of the famous trading  center operated by the North West Company from 1802 when it relocated from Grand Portage to the south, until 1821 when the company merged with the Hudson’s Bay Company. The fort was originally named Kaministiquia after the river upon whose banks it sits and renamed Fort William in 1807 after William McGillivray the director. Fort William gave it’s name to the town and ultimately the city that grew up around it. It’s twin city Port Arthur was established as Prince Arthur’s Landing (after Queen Victoria’s son) in 1869. Renamed  to Port Arthur in 1882 and finally amalgamated with Fort William in 1970 to become the modern city of Thunder Bay, a return to the theme of it’s original indigenous name.

The skyline to the south of TBay is dominated by the towering land mass of Animike Mountain or Mt McKay as it is known today. There is a commanding viewpoint on the eastern flank of the mountain reached by a winding road through the Fort William First Nation where you can also buy really cheap gas by the way. We pay the $10 per car load toll and head up the road to the lookout and some gorgeous views over the city and Lake Superior. Out in the lake to the east of town you can see the Sibley Peninsula, home of the Sleeping Giant. See for yourselves when you view the pictures below.

We head back out of town for a bit of a rest at our trailer before our next adventure. No trip to Tbay would be complete without a visit to Kakabeka Falls. Featured in Season 7, episode 9 of Amazing Race Canada, it served as the “pitstop” for that episode. Known as the Niagara of the North. It features a 130 foot drop, is 225 feet wide and on avergage, 1,766 cubic ft per second flows over the precipice. Situated within Kakabeka Provincial Park, it was a major obstacle to the voyageurs of the Northwest Company as they paddled their freight canoes up and down the Kaministiquia River. It required a lengthy portage to get around.

Well, I have certainly become quite longwinded tonight. So many interesting things seen over the past 2 ½ weeks. I am just bubbling over with the need to write it all down and share it with you. I appreciate your efforts to follow along. Good night to all

Visitor Center at Fort William Historic site

Entrance to the Fort

Watch tower inside the Fort

Animikie

The Sleeping Giant

Thunder Bay looking north from the Animikie lookout

Kakabeka Falls Niagara of the North

The Mountain Portage around the Falls

After 3 nights in a very nice but mosquito infested campground, Winnipeg is in our rearview mirror. About 15 kms down the road is the longitudinal center of Canada. From here it’s as far back to the West Coast as it is to Cape Spear in NFLD. Too bad we are not going all that way. It would be comforting to know that we would be halfway there. But we are not going all that way; only as far as Kenora today, another 190 kms from here.

I am really looking forward to seeing Lake of the Woods. I rode up through here on my cross Canada motorcycle trip in 2010. Kenora is at the north end of the Lake and it stretches about 110 kms to the south and is about 95 kms wide. The lake also boasts of an estimated 40,000 kms of shoreline which grows to over 105,000 kms when you include the shorelines of the 14,552 islands that dot the lake. Kenora was originally called Rat Portage. Not very inviting from a civic pride perspective so it was changed in 1905. The name “Kenora” is a combination of the first two letters of three of the surrounding communities; Keewatin, Norman and Rat Portage. Good thing the name changed happened when it did as the 1907 Stanley Cup champions, the Kenora Thistles would not have looked pleasing on Lord Stanley’s mug as the Rat Portage Thistles. Yes, The Kenora Thistles won the Cup in a two-game, total goal championship series over the Montreal Wanderers in January of 1907. That year there were two Stanley Cup champions as the Wanderers won the Cup back two months later. Kenora is the smallest town to have ever won the Stanley Cup.

Another popular attraction in Kenora is the large statue of Husky the Muskie which stands overlooking the lake it inhabits at the west end of Town. Known as a ”muskellunge” from the Ojibwe word “maashkinoozhe” , meaning “ugly pike”, it is very elusive and difficult to catch and even more difficult to land. It is often called “the fish of 10,000 casts” due to the difficulty in bringing one in.

We have camped in a beautiful campground right on the lake, right in Kenora. As the temperature is a nice balmy 26 degrees we take the dog down to Bow Wow Beach for a dip. Nicely sloped, sandy beach and the water temp is just right after a long day on the road. Both Vicki and I and the dog enjoy splashing around in the refreshing water. The next day dawns a bit overcast so we head towards downtown for some errands; laundry, groceries, Walmart etc. Back at the trailer we notice the sky to the west start to darken. More rain coming I’m afraid. Next thing that happens is that we receive an emergency warning on our phones. A big storm is headed our way including a “marine tornado”. I guess that means big winds out over the lake. As we are on the shores of the lake I take some preventative measures by putting the lawn chairs away and rolling up the awing on the trailer. Good thing too as not 5 minutes later the wind started blowing and the skies opened up. It poured buckets. Rivers of water poured past the trailer. Later I saw on my weather app that there was 24 mm’s in 1.5 hours. Quite the deluge. Didn’t see any funnel clouds, (not that I was out looking) but the trees were whipped around quite violently. The volume of water was so great that the runoff cut channels in the gravel roadway in front of our site. Nature at it’s finest.

So now it’s off to bed. The rain has cooled things off to a comfortable level so it should be a sleepable night. I am now off into the arms of Morpheus.

For over 6000 years those words have been spoken by various First Nations, fur traders and the Metis as the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers served as a crucial meeting point, trading hub and season campsite long before European arrival. Called “Nestawya” in the Cree language, it is now home to downtown Winnipeg and in particular the site of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.

The first Europeans to visit the Forks were the exploration party of the French fur trader Pierre Gaultier de Varennes in 1734. We would come to know him from our Canadian history classes as Pierre de La Verendrye, He established Fort Rouge near by and this started the settlement of the area by the French. The name “Winnipeg” was first recorded  as a placename for the city in 1866 when the local newspaper adopted the moniker. It is -from the Cree or Ojibwe word “win-nipi” and means “murky” or “muddy” water” and originally referred to the Lake of the same name. If you have seen the Red River in the spring or summer after a rain you would understand why. The Manitoba legislature passed an act in 1873 making it official.

In November of 1873, the Northwest Mounted Police arrived and began their basic training for their “March West” and the Canadian Pacific Railroad reached the area in 1881.

Visiting Winnipeg provided us with another opportunity to share a meal with an old friend from London Life days. We met for a few hours and again shared news of children, grandchildren, old friends and reminisced about former business associates.

The rain has finally let up (to a degree) so we venture out after lunch to visit the Canadian Mint. Very impressive building located on the eastern side of the city. Beautiful architecture. Inside it is a “numismatist” dream. A gift shop with a stunning display of coin sets for sale. I love this sort of thing.  Having inherited from my father his coin collection, I have added to it over the years with some proof sets and my most prized possession, a full set in a display case of the Olympic Coin set from the ’88 Calgary Olympics. In addition there is an elevated gallery with additional display cases that explain the minting process. The windows in the gallery also offer an expansive view of the minting machines. The mint makes coinage for over 80 countries worldwide. The flags of those countries line the driveway as you enter the mint grounds.

Saturday dawns bright and sunny so we ventured out again. This time the destination is the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. Based on the inspiration of the late Izzy Asper, prominent Winnipeg lawyer, politician and businessman, the idea was conceived in July 2000. He envisioned a place where people from across Canada could come and learn about human rights. The museum’s official opening on September 20. 2014, was not without controversy as many groups felt their own human rights histories had been inaccurately depicted or left out completely. I for one enjoyed our morning there and would recommend it as a Winnipeg attraction not to be missed.

The next item on the agenda today was to find a big screen tv in front of which we could watch the “big game”. Unfortunately, as most people know Canada fought valiantly but ultimately fell to the Moroccans and so came the end to Canada’s World Cup journey. Still a pretty good showing.

Back on the road tomorrow heading ever eastward so I will wish you all “miyo-tipiskanisik”, or “spend the night well.”

The skeeters have followed us from Alberta through Saskatchewan and have caught up with us in Manitoba. There is no escaping them. No sitting outside enjoying the evening. As it is Canada Day we were going to go to the local fireworks show but no amount of bug spray would keep the pesky blood suckers away so we paid homage to the country’s birthday huddled in our trailer. We Islanders have become somewhat sissified over mosquitos.

The morning finally dawned  so before we hooked up the trailer and headed down the road again we decided to drive 30 kms to the southwest to the small town of Souris, pop 2,247 souls (as of the 2021 census) Souris is located on the Souris River and is famous for a couple of things. The free ranging peacocks that originated when a local resident donated a pair of the birds to the local bird sanctuary. The pair bred and the flock grew and were contained in the Victoria Park Bird Sanctuary until the devastating floods of 2011 destroyed the sanctuary and the birds were set free. Since then they have become the towns ambassadors and roam the streets, yard and parks of the town. You can hear their calls throughout the town.

The other famous attraction is the Souris Swinging Bridge. Built by William Henry “Squire” Sowden in 1904. He was a land speculator, developer and politician who found the town in 1881. He owned property on the east side of the river and built the original bridge in 1904 to enhance access to land he owned on that side of the river. The original bridge was only 582 ft long but was continually swept away by major flooding and rebuilt. The current iteration was completed on opened in 2013 and has the distinction of being the longest swinging pedestrian bridge in Canada.

We enjoyed some yummy, freshly baked cinnamon buns at the local bakery, washed down with tea from a sidewalk café. Sufficiently sated we drove back to Brandon, hooked up the trailer, filled the truck with fuel and headed down the road. Next stop Winnipeg.

A comment about fuel. I am running diesel in my truck so I try to find the least expensive around. I have the Gas Buddy app on my phone so I check out the local prices and the prices at the location down the road where I will for sure need to fill up. Amazing differences in price.  In Edmonton I filled for $1.51 per liter. Calgary was $1.64, Medicine Hat $1.89. Crazy!!! Here is Winnipeg on the same street within 3 blocks of each other one station had it at $1.66 and another at $1.89. Makes no sense to me. The Gas Buddy app sure comes in handy.

We roll out of Cypress Hills and the town of Elkwater Alberta, heading for Moose Jaw. The land continues to be lush and green with an occasional flash of bright yellow as we pass a canola field. With all the rain they could use some sunshine and warm weather to get things a’growin’.

An old friend of mine still lives in MJ. I have known Jim Williams since I was 20 years old. We worked together all those years ago setting up mobile homes at Greenwood Village in Bowness in Calgary. Jim was born and raised in Moose Jaw and returned here to live and work after a marriage break up in Calgary. I phoned him up and we arranged for meet for dinner.

Dinner was pleasant as we again reminisced about old friends and acquaintances; children and grandchildren. The other reason for stopping in Moose Jaw was to visit the famous Moose Jaw tunnels. During the days of Prohibition in the 1920’s illegal booze was in high demand in the Midwest United States. It just so happened that Moose Jaw was at the end of the Soo Line railroad. The eastern terminus was Chicago Illinois.

The famous Moose Jaw tunnels ran under main street and the railyards and were originallybuilt for heating and steam. During the Prohibition Years they were repurposed as secret hiding places for the illegal booze that was shipped south hidden in cargo on the train cars and in trucks crossing the border. Although never actually proven, legend has it that the infamous Al Capone had visited Moose Jaw and hid out in the tunnels. There is a thriving tourist attraction with tours of the tunnels. Guides dressed in period costumes (Franny the bar owner and Gus the gangster) lead us through the tunnels on a narrated, participatory journey. Great fun.

Back top side it was time to leave and we hooked up the trailer and headed out. On the way out of town we stopped for the obligatory picture with Mack the Moose, the world’s tallest moose at 34 feet. Next to Mack is a decommissioned Snowbird aerobatic airplane in it’s iconic red and white colours, sitting proudly on a pedestal next to the Trans Canada Highway. Moose Jaw is home to 15 Wing of the Canadian Airforce and also the home base for the Snowbirds, something the city is extremely proud of.

The stop for tonight will be Brandon Manitoba and so a camping site is booked and away we go.

After a nice two and half day visit with our daughter Lindsay in Calgary, Monday dawned dark, dreary and wet. Times a passin’ so its time to hit the highway and continue our journey. Today’s destination is Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, the Alberta side, in Elkwater Alberta.

Eschewing the usual route going south we head south east of Calgary along the secondary highways that crisscross southern Alberta. Down Highway 24 then 23 through Mossleigh and Vulcan where we stop to view the town’s claim to fame, the tribute to the Starship Enterprise and it’s famous crew including Spock, the pointy-eared Vulcan and Capt Kirk’s sidekick. Spock is famous for his life philosophy, ” Live Long and Prosper. I for one will follow his sage advice.

Back on the road we continue south through Kirkcaldy, Champion and Carmangay until we hit Highway 3 just west of Lethbridge. Lethbridge’s was first established in the late 1860’s as a whiskey trading fort aptly nicknamed Fort Whoop-up. The NWMP came through in 1874 and provided law and order and stayed for 12 years. Later in the 1870’s and early 1880’s, coal was king.

We continue along Highway 3 to Medicine Hat then east to Highway 41 then south to the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

The first European to visit the Cypress Hills area was English explorer and fur trader Anthony Henday in 1754. Later, in 1859, John Palliser led an expedition through the area, describing the hills as “a perfect oasis in the desert”. The area was the locale of many forts working the illegal whiskey trade. The Cypress Hills Massacre of June 01,1873 was the impetus for the establishment of the North West Mounted Police and in June of 1875, Inspector James Walsh established Fort Walsh in southwestern Saskatchewan to bring Canadian Law and Authority to the area.

In 1931 the Saskatchewan government established Cypress Hills Provincial Park. The Alberta government followed twenty years later with the establishment of a provincial park on the Alberta side. In 1989 they were combined to form Canada’s first Interprovincial Park. And so here we are tonight. Truly a national treasure. Verdant, rolling green hills and valleys. You can almost hear the grain crops growing after all the rain. As we roll south on Highway 41 I think I can see the “Hills” rising up through the mist. Hopefully tomorrow will clear and we will get a better sense of their presence. Tonight we drift off to the sounds of the mosquitos buzzing at the door, trying to get to us. Lather on the DEET.                                            

One of the reasons for the timing of our visit to Calgary was the occasion of an unofficial  reunion of Vicki’s high school friends, about 200 of them. Back in 1966 at Vicki’s Jr High School. Dr Oakley, a 5 piece band was formed, the Tangerine Tomorrow. A reunion performance was planned and we were going to be there. Vicki and I had met in 1968 at a teen club held in a church basement every Friday night and the Tangerine Tomorrow were one of the bands we danced to. At the time of formation the boys were 14 and 15 years old. Now the rockers are in their 70’s, the same as us. An amazing accomplishment. Two of the original musicians went on the become doctors, two of the boys live in the US and they still can rock the joint. I asked the bass player whom we know if they had practiced either in person or virtually. “No” he replies emphatically. “We haven’t played together since 2013.” It was great to visit with old friends whom we have kept in touch with over the years. A great afternoon.

We enjoyed a great weekend with our daughter Lindsay and her dogs Dennis and Ramona. We enjoyed lunch with a few of her friends on Saturday, brunch with our good friends Jerry and Leena Stilson on Sunday and then revelled in Canada’s win over South Africa in their round of 32 match on Sunday afternoon. A bit of laundry on Sunday evening then off to bed to hit the trail again in the morning.