Joe & Wilma's Excellent Adventures

 Frida, May 17, 2024

Wawa, Ontario, Canada

Good news!  My cough is better.  We talked to a pharmacist at a Walgreens in Sault Ste. Marie, and he apparently put me on the right path.  There is significant improvement.

Today we left the U.S. and entered Ontario, Canada, to complete our Circle Tour of Lake Superior, our goal for this trip.  

We almost had an "incident" this morning.  Joe wanted to fuel before we crossed the border and we had scoped out the most convenient gas station the night before.  When we pulled in, there was a pick-up at the first pump in the lane he wanted, but it was a double-pump lane and he thought he could get close enough to use the second pump.  Well, it turned out that he wasn't quite close enough to the pump, so when the pick-up left,  he pecked on the window and told me to pull it up just a little..  I shifted into gear and  put my foot on the gas to pull forward a few inches, but when I wanted to stop, my shoe came off and I couldn't find the brake pedal with my foot.  I just kept coasting forward.  Finally, I found it and got stopped,several feet past the second pump.  He had a questioning look on his face, but all  he said was,  "I guess I will use the first pump then."  Another no harm, no foul.

 We have explored the south shore of Lake Superior twice, but this is our first time to do the Canadian side. We went through the border crossing without incident, 

Here is a picture of the locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan from the bridge.

  Apparently, the country borders are mid-river because there were flags from both countries right in the middle of the bridge.

.

As we drove through Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, we checked out the price of fuel.  The pole blocks the last number, 9, and it has to be converted from liters to gallons.  My calculations are $6.45 per gallon.  We haven't had to buy any yet, so we will see what it converts to when the time comes.

Here is our first glimpse of Lake Superior.  We are traveling on Highway 17 of the Canadian Highway. 

This morning, we came to our first WOW of this trip, Chippewa Falls.  We actually saw this as we passed and made a u-turn to come back and stop.  There happened to be a pull-out right before it, so that worked out.

We watched a fisherman almost catch a fish -- he lost it just as he got it to the rocks.  We were hoping to see what he was catching.

.

.

We woke up to fog on St. Mary's River this morning and it rained off and on all night.  Apparently the fog is on Lake Superior too.  We ran into patches of it but it really enveloped the lake from time to time.

We passed another WOW waterfall, at Sand River, but there were no pull-offs.  We will probably drive the Jeep back to it tomorrow.  I'm guessing it was about 35 miles back, but I think it also had access to Lake Superior and we haven't gone down to the beach yet so we could do both there.  We arrived at our destination, the town of Wawa in Ontario, at about 1:40.  We only traveled 150 miles today, but it took just over 3 hours.  It was a pretty drive but the road is very curvy, and the speed limits here are less than we are used to.  The town of Wawa is famous for the Wawa Goose, "one of the most photographed landmarks in North America.  It has been a local icon for over 63 years."  It commemorates the completion  of the TransCanada Highway to connect Wawa to the rest of the country, but the highway did not pass through the town.  Instead, the highway bypassed the town by a mile.  It was decided  by business owners that something was needed to redirect highway traffic into the community, and thus, the Goose was born.  

.

We found 2 other geese in town.  In fact, the first one we saw wasn't the official one.  Initially it was, but was replaced so it was mounted further in town.

This is the official one, at the Visitor Center.  

And here's the third one we found in town.

We had dinner at an (expensive) restaurant recommended by our camp host, we won't be going back there.  But just down the road was another WOW.  The beautiful High Falls.  There was a lower viewing deck, and a higher one.  We hiked up to the higher one, which was just a short hike, but coming down the trail was a bit steep -- hard on old knees. 

Joe thought I kinda matched the totem pole here so he took a picture of me. I'm the short one.

 We asked at the restaurant  about wildlife -- we were seated at a table overlooking the river.  No moose for a long time, but sometimes black bear.  They eat the wild blueberries in the fields by the road to the High Falls.  The blueberries were not growing yet, but it would be neat to see some bears out there.  Won't happen this trip.

We drove back into town, and part way around the beautiful Lake Wawa.  Joe wants to drive around the lake tomorrow and was scoping out the road -- which says it is closed to the public.  Not sure about this. 

.

Wawa has a population of about 3,000 but it has a Canadian Tire, and much to our surprise, a Tim Horton donut shop -- one of our favorites.  So now we have a plan for tomorrow!

One of the oddest things about this town is that the highway that goes through town just ends.  There is a split highway in town, Highway 101, but .the highway straight through town goes out of town for a couple miles, then just ends in a residential area.  A guard rail stops traffic, and you have to turn around.  Seems really strange.

.

.

It was cloudy, sometimes foggy, most of the day, and a chilly 57 when we arrived at our campground, a nice little place right off the highway but nestled in the trees.  Wawa RV Resort and Campground, about a mile from town.  Although we looked hard, all we saw today was a woodchuck (groundhog),  But there are moose crossing signs posted on the highway frequently, so we will keep our eyes peeled.

So, tomorrow -- donuts and a drive around the lake.  Down that road that I don't think we are supposed to be on.  If you never hear from us again, check the town of Wawa and see if we have been arrested.