BY LARRY MacDONALD Elly’s Odyssey: Reflections on Canada


Tis article is one of a series describing the author’s travels ACROSS CANADA in a trailer with his wife Sandy and pets, including their Poodle, Elly.


ONTARIO (Part 1) “Dreams are made if people only


try. I believe in miracles … I have to … because somewhere the hurting must stop.”


Quote from the late Terrance Stanley Fox at Terry Fox Memorial,


Tunder Bay, Ontario, 1981 As we crossed the border on the


Trans-Canada highway from Manito- ba into Ontario, rock outcroppings be- gan to appear where road-construction crews had blasted away the mostly-rock substrata, which forms much of north- ern Ontario. Tis Canadian Shield con- sists of volcanic rock formed millions of years ago, stretching north from the United States through the Great Lakes region to the Arctic Ocean. A couple of easy travel days brought


us to a campground near Ignace. When I folded our map of Canada in half, the crease ran through Ignace, the halfway point of our journey. Te breadth of Ontario surprised me,


wider than the three western provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alber- ta combined. Over one-third of Cana- da’s population of 33 million lives in the province of Ontario. Because of its size and diversity, I’ve divided our journey across Ontario into two parts, the first of which is presented here. Lake Superior is the largest lake in the


world, containing 10 percent the world’s fresh water, more water than all the oth- er four Great Lakes combined, plus three extra Lake Erie’s. Speaking of lakes, Canada has more


than any other country in the world — over 3 million. Nearly 10% of Canada’s land mass is composed of fresh water, which will become an even more valu- able commodity as the world’s supply diminishes.


Terry’s effort to run across Canada in


1980 on one leg to raise money for can- cer inspired and united a nation. Near- ly 20 years later, Terry Fox was named Canada’s Greatest Hero in a national survey. At the time of our trip in 2009, mostly through annual runs, more than $500 million had been raised worldwide for cancer research … a Canadian hero indeed. A huge statue of a Canada goose, with


outstretched wings, greeted us as we pulled into the town of Wawa, an Ojib- way name for “Wild Goose.” A brochure at their Information Centre referenc- es the statue as the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the most photo- graphed landmarks in North America. (Who keeps track of such statistics?)


We followed the shoreline of Lake Su-


perior for the next couple of days, stop- ping at several overlooks that showcase the majesty of this region. Just east of Tunder Bay is a monument in honour of Terry Fox, another Canadian icon.


Terry Fox Memorial, near Thunder Bay


Tis 8.5-metre steel structure


was erected in 1960 to commemo- rate the last link of the Trans-Can- ada highway. Because of its size, we’re not sure whether our poodle Elly even recognized it as a bird, since she showed no reaction as we approached. Aſter overnighting on a street


beside scenic Lake Wawa, we leſt the Trans-Canada and headed


east onto Highway 101. Within a few hours, we arrived at the small town of Timmins where Shania Twain, the re- nowned country music singer, was born and raised. Aſter a night of dry camping at a local retail store, we visited the Sha- nia Twain Centre, featuring video simu- lations of her live concerts, a backstage experience, and memorabilia, all very popular with country music fans. Not far away was a very busy Tim


Horton’s where we picked up coffees for the road. Beginning in Hamilton, Ontario in


1964, “Timmies” at the time of our visit, had over 3,000 coffee shops throughout Canada, making it another understated Canadian icon: coffee on a par with bea- vers and geese. Along Highway #11 heading south,


we passed the site of the recently held Temiskaming International Plowing Match, which seemed to be the topic of conversation with every person we met in Northern Ontario. Over 80,000 peo- ple attended this 5-day plowing match,


Wawa’s statue of Canada Goose RVT 174 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40