Closing the Lake Supeior Circle Tour

We departed our camp at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and continued our quest eastward on PH 17.  One thing we have observed is that every other bridge along PH 17 is under construction.  There is usually an automated stoplight directing traffic along a one-way section through the construction area.  Thankfully the wait was never very long.

One of many bridges under construction

A windshield shot along PH 17

PH 17 is a wonderful highway.  The scenery is awesome, the traffic is light and there are frequent and long passing lanes.  The speed limit is 90 km/hr which is about 56 mph.  I didn't speed, just sat back and enjoyed the scenery.

A rather short pull-through, Site #10 Ney's Lunch and Campground

We spent this night at Ney's Lunch and Campground, mainly because it was getting late, and it was a Passport America member park, meaning it was cheap.  The guy put us in a pull-through at the end of the row, which turned out to be a little short.  Instead of unhooking and tightening up, I put out some cones so no one would whack the ends of our boats.  It was a nice park, with clean restrooms and good hot water.  It had good wifi, the first we had had at a camp since leaving Minnesota.  The only down side was that it offered only 15A electrical service.  That was not a serious problem since the weather was mild, and we didn't need to run the A/C or the heat.   When we arrived at the site the breaker was apparently tripped, but there was no breaker box anywhere in site.  I hiked to the office and the owner promised to reset the breaker when he finished his dinner.  Since the breaker was at some remote location, we were careful not to trip it again.  We were able to keep our batteries charged while watching the news and Jeopardy.

A trophy black bear, Neys ON

Ney's is a full service facility.  While eating breakfast at their grill, a young fellow brought in this 300 pound black bear he had shot.  Ney's had a wild game freezer, and he was going to store the bear, then make sausage and tan the hide.  I hope he came back for the bear soon.  Freezer storage rates were posted at $20 per day

Our next day was a short drive.  We spent the next night at Pukaskwa National Park only about 40 miles down the road.  Pukaska NP is a huge park, but only a very small portion, on the NW end near Hattie Cove Campground, is accessible by road.  Since we arrived early we spent some time reading and relaxing and explored the area right around the campground.

A more reasonably sized pull-through: Site #10 in Pukaskwa NP

Do I paddle a "canot"?

 All signs in the national park are bilingual.  Guests are greeted with "Hello.  Bonjour"  Once you answer the greeting they pick your language and stick with it.

Matilda loved playing with the waves

The next morning we took a short hike to the beach and Horseshoe Bay.  The wind was blowing really hard, probably over 30 mph and the waves in the cove were spectacular.

Between a log and a wet place

Heavy wind and waves on Horseshoe Bay Pukaskwa NP

Matilda says "I'm not going down there!"

Matilda says "Did you see those waves?"

The story of "Pooh Bear"

We departed Pukaskwa NP and continued east towards Sault Sainte Marie.  We stopped for lunch at White River ON, which as it turns out was the origin of Winnie the Pooh.  A Canadian soldier was waiting for a train at the White River station and bought a black bear cub from a trapper.  He named the cub Winnipeg or Winnie, after his home town.  The soldier carried the bear to Quebec and then to London.  Eventually he gave the bear to the London Zoo, where it became a favorite attraction.  It was at the zoo where A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin Milne met the bear, and it became the inspiration for the Winnie the Pooh stories.  You can read the whole story here.

Winnie the Pooh in White River ON

A rather large Canada goose in Wawa ON

We stopped for a while in Wawa.  Wawa means “Wild Goose” in Ojibway, and the goose was built to lure tourists up the hill and into town, about a mile off the highway.  You can read the history of the big goose here.  Somehow I can't think of "Wawa" without thinking of Gilda Radner.  I loved Gilda Radner.

Dorcas at the Wawa visitor center

Another bridge under construction

A view from the cockpit

Dorcas tends to fuss when I take pictures while driving.

A view from the co-pilot's seat

We arrived at Saulte Saint Marie late in the afternoon.  We are parked for the next 2 nights at the OLG Casino on Bay street, near downtown and the Saint Mary's River.  Free parking.  Sweet!  We are picking up a strong cellular data signal from our home carrier across the border.  Sweet!  Tomorrow we plan to see the sights in Saulte Saint Marie.  We have been to Saulte Saint Marie in Michigan several times, but have never crossed the bridge to visit the larger sister city in Ontario.  We can now say that we have completely circumnavigated Lake Superior, just not all at the same time.