13 May - Schreiber to Saulte Sainte Marie - Day 9 of TCE

The distance to drive for the day was relatively light, just over 540 km, and hence, the mind and body got a bit sloppy. What should have been done in 15 minutes took twice that time. That delayed the start from what was intended at 7 am. After dropping off the key at the reception of the motel, which functioned from with the restaurants, I eased on to the road just before 8 am. I had enough fuel to last me 800 plus km and therefore, was not immediately concerned that fewer facilities would be ahead. I had enough to last the day’s drive. The frustrating thing, however, was the 90 kph speed restriction, almost throughout Ontario. That the authorities mean business is brought home by the numerous warnings of speed. It is C$ 95 once the speed touches 110 kph, C$ 220 if it is 120 kph and C$ 295 if it hits 130 kph. There are also warnings of aerial surveillance to track violators. Operating on cruise control, often annoying those behind me on the single carriageway, I kept pretty much to the speed restrictions in force.

A few km out of Schreiber is the small town of Terrace Bay. The paper mill in the town, the main employer in the vicinity, belongs to the Aditya Birla Group, which bought the sick company in 2012 and turned it around. The Manager of the motel in Schreiber had told me last evening that the mill brought a lot of Indians to Terrace Bay and Schreiber, reportedly on work. The day belonged to Lake Superior. Glorious views of the lake studded the drive except on the 170 km stretch between Marathon and Wawa. The looping drive and undulating terrain throws a panorama at you suddenly that you cannot ignore. It was indeed a distraction as, at some places, I slowed down without warning or slammed the brakes for a better view! What appealed were the clear blue waters and cleanliness. In some places there was snow on the rocks that abutted the lake. At one such place there was a warning to look out for the comical moose and it said that in these areas moose are on the loose. I did spot a rather large cow moose earlier in the day. The Batchawana Bay area is technically regarded as the midpoint on the TCH. When I passed the Bay I had logged nearly 4000 km since the expedition began in Victoria on 5 May.

At Wawa I pulled into a motel premise and napped in the car for almost 30 minutes. I was so sleepy that I could barely keep my eyes open on the road. Despite the sparse traffic I was loathe to take a chance. It is always better to take a power nap than to risk more fatigue behind the wheel. The nap helped. I was fully alert for the rest of the drive, till I reached the excellent facility on the Trunk Road called the Trunk Road Motel. As I turned into the drive Ketan from Gujarat, who owns the motel, hailed me to stop at the reception. He had been busy painting the rooms and his clothes told that story loudly. But, he took his time to make me comfortable, explain places of interest and even where I could get an Indian meal. The room was very well furnished, neat and clean. This was a welcome departure from the other facilities maintained by Indians I had stayed in on this trip. Ketan told me that a large number of motels in Canada are owned and managed by Punjabis and Gujaratis. He warned me to be careful with the weather as it has been colder this year than it had been the previous years. He also mentioned that there had been a mountain of snow in his yard just five weeks earlier. The season had started well, he said. He gets Indian students to help out with motel work and Ketan told me that a large number of Indian students come to the city to pursue higher studies. He was particularly helpful in permitting me use of the brand new laundry machines that did the motel linen.

Sault Ste. Marie is an ancient trading post of the First Nation’s People, who had inhabited the place for centuries before the White settlers arrived for the same purpose. It is a thriving city with a population of over 75,000 and neighbours the city which goes by the same name across the waters in Michigan, USA.  An international bridge over the St. Mary’s River connects the two cities. Under the international bridge lies the famous Soo Locks of Canada and USA. The locks facilitate the passage of almost 1000 ships a year between Lake Superior and Lake Huron across the St. Mary’s Rapids. Prior to the building of the locks the St. Mary’s Rapids were considered a sorrow for traders and travellers because of the 20 feet height difference between the two rivers and the unmanageable rapids.

The locks on the Canadian side were completed in 1895. It is not as if the locks did not have their fair share of trouble. An accident in 1909, when a vessel crashed into the lower lock gates and the resultant gush of water tore off the main lock gates, caused much destruction and loss. But the Emergency Swing Bridge Dam was made immediately operated and the damage was contained. That the damage was fully repaired in 12 days is tribute to the engineers and workers of the day. This paved the way for the dam’s design to be used in the Panama Canal and other significant waterways the world over.  Near the locks is an interesting plaque paying tribute to Etienne Brule and Grenolle who were the first white men to see the St. Mary’s Rapids and Lake Superior in 1622. That is what a pioneering expedition is all about.

Known as ‘Bawating’ to the First Nations People, the St Mary’s Rapids were formed by a major retreating glacier over 12,000 years ago. Falling over 20 feet from Lake Superior to Lake Huron the waters cut through sandstone at a pace of over 1850 cubic meters per second, which is now the source for power generation in three locations. Glacial debris of boulders and gravel add to the turbulence of the rapids. With the development of the locks and the diversion of the rapids for power generation, the erstwhile sorrow of the region has been harnessed for the development of the two cities on either sides of the river. The most arresting sight across the waters during the lovely and invigorating boardwalk is the world’s longest horizontal shaft hydro facility, the Edison Sault Electric Company’s 400 metre long power plant, which became operational in 1902 with 78 horizontal AC generators.

  

The rather long boardwalk had made me sufficiently hungry and I was loathe to get to the motel to cook a dinner of noodles and spam. Within a short distance of the boardwalk is a massive Mall. I wandered around and picked up a few bargains from the Dollarama store and settled for fried rice and sesame chicken with veg salad in a Chinese fast food outlet. One of the reasons why I prefer to cook is because I can regulate the intake. In such restaurants the portions are so large that you are forced to stuff more than what you really want to avoid wastage. Try as I did, I could not get through the mountain of rice, salad and chicken.

By the time I got back to the motel the clothes I had left in the dryer had been kept in the room. I met Ketan and his partner and thanked them for the excellent hospitality and wished them well for the rest of the season. The motel is located on the TCH, and I am sure, the business will boom in the coming months.