Our last segment before moving to another time zone, another province and a completely different type of landscape.
We quickly pass through Sudbury, just long enough to stop to photograph the big 5 cents and take a quick look at the Dynamic Earth Museum, which I admit, would have deserved a longer visit (allow 2-3 hours for visit), but we all have to make choices. I believe that if you are passionate about geology, this place will captivate you.
For our part, we continue our journey towards our next stop: Sault-Ste-Marie
At first glance, we were surprised by the population of Sault-Ste-Marie: 75,000 inhabitants! Then by the quality of the tourist welcome and the development of green spaces. A cycling route, the Hub Trail, 22.5 kilometers around the city is set up with numerous cycle paths and even a downloadable audio guide (available in French, English and Anishinaabemowin) for the more historic sections.
The waterfront on the shore of Lake Superior is magnificent, the water is clear and inviting, although let’s say…refreshing! Canada geeses are present in large numbers and the numerous parks along the Sainte-Marie River are their breeding sites. The chicks are cute to observe and you can do it quite closely, because although very protective, the parents are not very shy.
The locks, which are a heritage site operated by Parks Canada, are impressive and have an interesting history. There are also several historic buildings in the canal section that have been revitalized in a beautiful way. There are, among other things, several restaurants and performance spaces.
We really enjoyed cycling through this clean city, aware of its history and open to the future. There’s definitely plenty to do here to enjoy the larger-than-life scenery of the surrounding area.
We camped at KOA Holiday Sault-Ste-Marie and really liked the place. The facilities are clean and well maintained and the owners, passionate campers, have made it a more than complete site with facilities for the whole family, including four-legged family members who have play areas just for them. and even their own beauty salon! We also noted an RV wash station, a mini-golf course and even a station for budding gold prospectors! This is definitely a place we would come back to!
Wawa
We took advantage of our stop at a Harvest Host in Wawa to discover this small town with a past linked to the fur trade, gold mines and the logging industry whose inhabitants have shown a lot of ingenuity to escape forgetting and making sure to see the Trans-Canada Highway pass very close to their community. This is in fact the last section of the road to have been built. Don’t miss the giant goose at the entrance to the city as well as its magnificent landscapes which inspired the Group of Seven in their movement to paint the Canadian wild beauty.
White River
If you are traveling with children, a health break in White River will undoubtedly bring smiles to your face, because this is where the Winnie the Pooh Memorial is located. It is in fact here that the story of Winnie the Pooh began on August 24, 1914, when a Canadian army lieutenant from Winnipeg bought a bear cub which he later gave to the London Zoo where she will conquer the hearts of Londoners for 20 years and will go down in history under the pen of A.A. Milne and later in the fold of Walt Disney characters. A stop of a few minutes that will be appreciated by everyone!
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
We had heard a lot about this park and we have mixed feelings about this legendary destination: the park is very large and has many intermediate and difficult hiking trails. Only a few are easy and those aren’t the ones that lead to the park’s spectacular attractions. Some trails are passable by bike (preferably a mountain bike), but this is not documented in the brochure distributed at the park. You have to ask for the information and all the documentation provided definitely lacks details whether for camping or hiking trails. In short, the lack of clear information made our stay less pleasant and somewhat spoiled our enthusiasm for this destination, but I am certain that outdoor enthusiasts more experienced than us will be able to appreciate the giant.
Thunder Bay
Just before arriving in Thunder Bay is the Terry Fox Monument erected not far from the place where this Canadian hero had to end his Marathon of Hope on September 1, 1980 after covering 5,373 km. I had to stop there, because his story is part of my childhood: I was in 5th grade at the time of his famous Marathon and we named our class “The Terry Fox Club”. The memorial built in his honor is impressive and above all touching. The place also has a tourist information center and offers an unparalleled view of the Sleeping Giant.
Thunder Bay being born from the merger of 2 cities, Fort William and Port Arthur, it has 2 city centers and a business center, which makes it a rather strange city and it is difficult to grasp its spirit.
If you want to visit the city, plan your visit on a Wednesday when several markets are open from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. or on a Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Ontario in all its length…
Despite the beauty of the landscape, the impressive Lake Superior, whose surface area makes it the largest freshwater lake in the world and which alone contains 10% of all the fresh water on earth, the road to cross the Ontario is particularly long and repetitive. It feels like it will never end… I didn’t believe that one day I would get tired of the beautiful Ontario roads, but I can’t wait for Manitoba and the prairies!
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