Monday, June 24 - near the Soo

June 23, 2019 - Hattie Cove Campsite -  Pukaskwa National Park

So, with a number of campsite possibilities around Thunder Bay, we dropped anchor in the KOA. Now to be fair, they are extremely well run. We did pay a  premium price but for that you get two swimming pools, free showers, a small restaurant if you are so inclined, potable water, 30-amp electrical service, free black/grey water dump and, if required, full propane filling, a paid service that is relatively rare while on the road.

Spaghetti and ‘meatball’ dinner. Need I say more. 😊

The morning saw us fill all our propane and then head off for the Terry Fox park/viewpoint/ statue/ memorial site.  It is located 5 minutes from the KOA and overlooks Lake Superior. It’s a lovely, touching tribute and worth the visit.

Statue and memorial to Terry Fox overlooking Lake Superior.

On the road. I still say ‘miles and miles’. I wonder if younger folks say ‘kliks and kliks’ or ‘kilometres and kilometres’ – doesn’t sound right to my ears. Once out of Thunder Bay communities become a wee bit rarer.  We’re traveling highways whose pavements change colour and composition based on the type of stone found in the local hills. The Trans Canada Highway through northern Ontario seems to be in a permanent state of repair and new construction. Temporary stop lights control access to single lane bridges while yellow hard hats are fully stopped and studying plans or jumping around looking for their heavy equipment.

We stop for lunch at a Husky station that serves as a local restaurant and convenience store.  I have a Denver omelette, one of my favourites.  We fill The Ceilidh with gas. I jump in, turn the key…you know the situation.  She has nothing to say. I get Sven to open the hood and we start her by using the hotwire.  So, folks out there, here is the logic question.  What could cause the 1979, 350 cu GMC’s ignition to fail to engage the starter immediately after a fill up? Now to be completely accurate she also, from time to rare time, fails even when not after a complete fill. I’ve got a couple ideas, but I’m interested in your thoughts. My older brother was an auto mechanic and he may well have some ideas too.

So off we go from the Husky station near Nipigon, heading toward the Soo, (Sault St. Marie), a couple days away. The hills are getting larger, the rivers wider and the trees are changing to more deciduous, birch, poplar, rowan and various willows.

The Ceilidh in her natural environment at Hatties Cove.

An hour and a half down the road we decide to make one of our regular stops to rest, stretch and at least have a look around.  More often than not we meet folks and have a nice chat. We’ve found that folks are almost always friendly and quite interesting. We pulled over into a nice open lot in Marathon, a once thriving train station. Not so much now but the folks are determined to make a go of it and have decided to create a ‘virtual’ railway museum, along with some actual railway gear; engines, cars, tracks and such.

What drew me was the ice cream stand. It just appealed to me at that time and place. I seldom have an ice cream cone and this double scoop of black cherry seemed to be the best I’d tasted. I treated the gang to cones. Gowan’s ‘Criminal’ was playing and became the tune-in-my-head as we drove the rest of the day. It was a most enjoyable stop.

Ever onward we decided that we couldn’t easily make White River in good time so the search was on for a closer campground. Our first venture was a failure. It was a smaller, city park and all but one site was already occupied.  Back on the road we opted for our first national park, Pukaskwa, and its campground at Hatties Cove. 

Fourteen kilometres off the Trans Canada this is a newer camp with great facilities.  Pukaskwa is a huge area of natural wonder, rugged, unlogged and as ‘natural’ as any area on the shores of Lake Superior. The Anishinaabe have occupied these lands for millenia and still have a presence both on reserves and as park staff. This is a place to which I’m tempted to return for an extended visit.

Hatties Cove, Pukaskwa National Park

The mosquitos are thickening to the degree that we decide on burgers and salad inside Larry’s larger RV.  Still, there are sufficient mosquitos running between RV’s that I’m getting bumpy from bites, and itchy. 

Monday, June 24, 2019 – Onward to Sault Ste Marie

Our first morning where there is rain. Not much and it doesn’t keep the mosquitos down. One upside is cooler temperatures and cleaner RV’s.