More broken dreams

Route: Shuniah to Wawa, 454.8 km
Maximum speed: 136 kph
Temperature range: 13.4-18.6 C
Motorcyclers who waved: 7
Motorcyclers who didn't wave: 3

Leaving Bob and Cathy's was entertainment in itself. I'm not going to point any fingers here, but lets just say that John, Nan and myself were all ready and loaded after a good breakfast. We got away from the house at 10:00 a.m. Now, in fairness, those who shall remain unnamed were busy getting things organized for the house (i.e. cat-) sitter and for some maintenance people to drop by. This was making sure the house was cleaned, laundry done and beds made, bathrooms tidied and dishes washed. SOMEONE does keep a tidy house, and we are all the better for it.

Bob warned us that the first day's ride is the worst, being it rides along the lake the least of all our days. There were times when we were many kilometres from the lake but not unlike the Lake of the Woods region, there were many craggy lakes to see, just not with the magesty of Lake Superior. And for Nan and me, this is virgin territory so it would be pretty hard for it not to be at least a little interesting, and it was not a disappointment.

Suspension bridge, built to Spanish hot wether specs and subsequently, re-built.

Granite, along the side of the road. We saw at least two granite quarries.

All the way from the Manitoba border, this is true Canadian Shield. The last ice age scraped all the top soil down to Michigan and when retreating 10,000 years ago, left exposed rock and minerals for Canadians to exploit. We passed two large mines of Barrick and Teck-Cominco in addition to numerous pulp plants (i.e. facilities for making oriented strand board, or OSB).

In the golden age of automobile travel, this was a popular route for families to take driving holidays. All along Hwy 17, there are countless motels and gas stations; family run operations with garages, restaurants or grocery stores however, like we saw in Alaska, there are a substantial number abandoned and in disrepair, far pasts the point where some entrepreneur might come in and take over. In many cases, the windows are all broken, drapes hanging outside and paved parking lots long since overgrown. Cars today will travel faster and much farther on a tank of gas than they did then and the result is that there is no longer the need to have that many gas stations or 10 to 15-room motels.  It is sad, really: each place represents a lifetime investment for somebody, a dream of making it big catering to all the big cars driving around the lake and now this, which is nothing. Gone. Lost forever. In the Wawa area, there were easily as many defunct places as operating places.

Nan and Bob checking out the view.

Overlooking a great beach on the lake. At times, it is very difficult to remember it is a lake and not the ocean.

That is Bob and me on the side of the road, looking at how the road is cut out of the granite.

Water has eroded away where channels of magma had seeped up through the earth during volcanic times 500 million years ago.

Young's General Store in Wawa. REALLY general.

Wasn't quite sure if this chain saw was for sale for use or just on display.

Same thing for these outboard motors. Check out the wooden handles for crank starting.

The Wawa Canatian Tire, smallest in Canada.

Wawa is Ojibwe for goose.

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