Aug 01, 2019
Pancake Bay here we come! We left Sleeping Giant Provincial Park at 9:00 after a great breakfast of eggs and bacon. We noticed that Brian and Laurel had already left. Debbie was still not feeling well and was experiencing stomach cramps. This was also going to be a long leg so we had to pace ourselves. We passed through many small towns in the Algoma region. This area is famous because the Group of Seven did some of the earliest paintings in this area. In fact we stopped in Terrace Bay, a small town on the edge of Lake Superior and I took a walk along the small marina and boardwalk. There in the corner of the marina was an easel and folding chair, permanently fixed in the small park with a photo of a picture made by Tom Thompson, one of the original Group of Seven painters. I photographed the area of the scene that Thompson had painted; of course it had changed significantly since he made the painting.
We continued on and decided to take a late lunch break at the Neys Provincial Park. This park is at the mouth of the Neys River. This is also an iconic area, where the Group of Seven spent a lot of time painting. We had reservations at the Pancake Provincial Park, and so we pushed on but in retrospect we should have stayed at the Neys Provincial Park.
We were both getting tired and cranky, Debbie wasn’t feeling well. As the miles increased, our patience began to fade. Debbie felt that we should take a break and stop at Wawa, a town about 150 kms from our destination. Highway signs along the road advertised a Tim Horton’s in Wawa and I assumed it was alongside the highway. The GPS (Miss Taken) was suggesting that I make a left turn into Wawa for a short distance. As I cruised by the entrance to Wawa, I remarked, “Look at the huge statue of a Canada Goose!” Debbie on the other hand, was saying, “We have to turn left, Oh, you missed the turn!” Needless to say, instead of turning left, I continued on, thinking that Tim Horton’s was on the side of the highway, or there would be another entrance into Wawa. No such luck. Finally it was too late, and an awkward silence fell upon the inside of the truck….
The next 150 kms are spectacular, with the road winding through rock bluffs and long descents and climbs along the shores of Lake Superior. The views are breath taking and Lake Superior stretches out before you. The twisting road, gave us (me) a feel of driving through the Rockies.
We finally made it to Pancake Bay Provincial Park, and registered. Debbie’s mood had softened somewhat, however when she entered the trailer she found that a bottle of soya sauce had fallen over in the cupboard and had leaked all over the cabinets inside and out! Needless to say, she was not a “happy camper”! I should have stopped in Wawa and bought a bottle of wine, but alas that was also missing.
As we were approaching our campsite, we found Brian and Laurel, walking on the lane. Laurel had just finished swimming in the lake and they were returning to their campsite that they had managed to get. I invited (pleaded?) them to come see us after supper.
Debbie then started to make dinner for us. I opened what turned out to be the last can of beer, and remarked as I was drinking it, “Oh did you want some of this?” The trailer door slammed shut. (I think I need a refresher in sensitivity training.)
Brian and Laurel came over to our campsite, after we had finished supper and Debbie had cleaned up the soya sauce.
It was a great relief when they showed up, and with Laurel’s sense of humor and wit along with Brian’s understanding and sensitivity, it wasn’t long before we were all laughing and having fun, even without wine! Laurel did mention that Brian had pulled into Wawa, and they talked about that Canada Goose! They even mentioned that they had bought a bottle of Proseco in Wawa, and had drunk it for supper. Awkward!
We talked till it was time for us to go to bed. Brian and Laurel were heading out bright and early, as they wanted to get home to Stratford tomorrow. (A drive of approximately 780 kms and seven and a half hour of driving!) They had to work after the weekend, so it was important for them to get going in the morning. They invited us to their house to visit them, as we were planning to visit Stratford. We agreed to see them, said goodnight and we all went to bed.
Quilting in a Kayak 