Day 18:  Friday, July 23, 2010

Wawa, Ontario to Thunder Bay, Ontario

Indirect Miles:333

Total Trip Miles to Date: 2554

Road Trip Around The               

            UPPER GREAT LAKES....

Come back to this site often and ride along with me around the Upper Great Lakes.

New photos will be posted every day or two..

All Photography by Ken Stewart © copyright 2010

As if the fog was not enough to hamper my driving, when it started to rain  I parked the camper where I could tap into the WiFi at the the Terrace Bay Tourist Information Center and worked on these pages.

The fog seemed to get worse as the day wore on, so I resigned myself to spending the night there.  Then... As quickly as it rolled in, the fog lifted and the rain stopped... and I hit the road West again.

Throughout the day, when there was little or no fog, I did have a chance to make some photos of some spectacular scenery,  and of a small town that changed its name to honor its largest employer.

Wawa, Ontario

This day of driving began in Wawa before dawn, and  ended at dusk.  the 17 hour day allowed me to witness a spectacular sunrise in the wilderness, and the moon rising over the Terry Fox Monument in Thunder Bay.   My many hours ‘on-the-road’ was not all spent behind the wheel,  about five of them were spent in a parking lot when a dense fog rolled in off Lake Superior near the town of Terrace Bay.

Thirty years ago a young Canadian cancer victim named Terry Fox captured the hearts of  his fellow men when he set out from the Atlantic shores to walk across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

With his right leg previously amputated, from the cancer, his goal was to walk 26 miles a day for 5300 miles to the West coast.

His marathon was cut short  at mile 3339 when his recurring cancer forced him to give up just East of Thunder Bay.

To honor his courage a monument was erected on the very spot the Canadian Hero fell. 

Views of Lake Superior from the road, and from the shore.

Rain soaked rocks glassine in the sun, and wild flowers added some color to the miles and miles of green wilderness.

When founded in 1880 this small northwestern Ontario town was known as Peninsula Harbour.

In 1944 the Marathon pulp and paper mill set up shop on the shore of the harbor and the towns name was changed to Marathon..