It was with some regret I drove out of Pukaskwa Friday morning. The road from Marathon to Wawa moves inland away from Lake Superior. Most of the forests have been clear cut but there is sign that replanting has been done and younger trees are beginning to make the forsaken landscape look green again. The highway is hilly with numerous rock cuts and elevated sections traversing huge areas of muskeg and swamp. The highway passes a sign for Barrick where it was actually moved to make way for the Hemlo Gold discovery. I stopped at the train station in White River, now the tourist bureau in the absence of any tracks and learned the town was the original home of the bear that became a troop mascot and ended up becoming the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne after it became an attraction at a London Zoo.
At Wawa the Big Goose looks dwarfed by the new tourist bureau beside it. John’s Valumart in town stocks all the essentials but its aisles accommodate one cart at a time and the experience is not for claustrophobes. In my travels only one campsite has ever faced me with an electrical connection that failed—that was the Cadillac Campground in Bluff, Utah but the Wi-Fi service at the Wawa RV Resort was slow and inconsistent. In small towns I’ve learned that if no one is around to sign you in set up camp and someone will show up eventually to take your money. It may be almost summer but spring is slow to arrive in the north this year. The temperature tumbled to near zero overnight.
Leaving Wawa the highway follows the shore of Lake Superior until one approaches a towering wall of rock that marks the entrance to Lake Superior Provincial Park. The highway traverses the length of the park returning to the shore some 40 km down the road. To emphasize the point the fish and games people had set up a road block on the highway checking for contraband and unlicensed catches. Once again having an honest face paid off and I passed through after the briefest of greetings. When overcast skies turned to torrential rain I actually felt sorry for the guys.
KOA Sault Ste Marie actually lives up to its online hype. For once a kampground that was easy to find but far enough off the highway to be peaceful. The gal who signed me in even gave me a site upgrade. The Dutch owners keep the place scrupulously clean and the Wi-Fi works. It even allowed me to install the Windows Vista Service Pack II a whopping 567 MB download. While all that progressed I read up on the history of the Algoma Central Railway and the Bushplane Museum. I’ve ridden the railway but one can always make new discoveries. Arcane facts one would never have dreamed of. When the railroad converted from steam to diesel locomotives in 1952 it was one of the first lines in Canada to do so and one of the challenges involved was finding a horn that discouraged rather than attracted moose. Feisty critters those moose willing to face down even a diesel locomotive.
The wind-driven rain blew through last night and the thermometer dipped to near freezing. Not a particularly good night to be camping in a tent I’d say. Sunday morning began with clear but cold and windy skies. On the advice of my hostess I drove the 8 KM to the Sault Waterfront for Sunday Brunch overlooking the Sault Locks. Brunch was accompanied by live piano and featured good coffee, juice, made-to-order omelette, eggs Benedict, a chicken main course, French toast, waffles, and desserts. I believe I had two meals in one.
As I’d planned stopped off at the Bushplane Museum just up the street and made the hands on tour of their collection. The process for starting one of the original 12 cylinder 900 pound engines made starting a Model T look easy. The co-pilot was not an airman but an engineer. Early bushplanes were covered in fabric, not metal or wood and so a sewing machine is among the exhibits. Several planes being available for detailed inside inspection I discovered that being tall was a liability in early flight. Whereas modern air travel again has one sitting with ones kneecaps under ones chin many of these aircraft seemed designed for dwarfs. One look at the Bell helicopter with the metal stretcher strapped to the inflatable pontoon made me think that were I to be rescued in that craft I don’t believe I’d want to be conscious for the flight. The no smoking signs at the entrance to the hangar made me wonder what old-time pilots would have had to say about the policy. The object theatre show is a unique experience as is the opportunity to sit in the pilot’s seat and ‘fly’ in a water bomber. A birthday party of kids climbing the fire tower made me wish I had a head set to protect my hearing.
Alas as evening sets in the clouds are returning.
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