4 June - Sudbury to Wawa - Day 31 of TCE

The stay in the accommodation would have been better if the thermostat had behaved better. Apparently the heating process is centrally controlled and the thermostat in the rooms can only be manipulated marginally. The room became quite cold closer to daybreak. I was out of the room before 8 am for the drive to Wawa. That was not, however, the destination as per the original itinerary. I had intended to stay in Hawk Junction and had even shortlisted an accommodation there. When I looked up the maps to finalise the accommodation I found that Hawk Junction was a fair deviation from the TCH. That is how Wawa came to be on the itinerary. That would be over 500 km from Sudbury. Moreover, I secured a hotel reservation at Lakeview Motel that promised enchanting views of Wawa Lake.

In a few minutes of driving showers made its appearance. For four straight hours I drove in heavy rains and wind. The passing freight trucks that often exceeded the speed limit prescribed slashed water on the windshield, further reducing visibility. Road construction works at many points slowed down the drive and the going was a bit tough.

Nearly 200 km short of Wawa I came across Chippewa Falls, which is designated as the approximate halfway point of the Trans Canada Highway. The Chippewa Falls makes its way in two cascades, both the upper and the lower platforms fall over 20 feet, eventually flowing into the Batchawana Bay of Lake Superior. There is a plaque near the Falls which mentions that the TCH construction, though authorised in 1949, was completed only by 1962.  Of the TCH nearly a fourth of it, 2700 km of the 8100 km stretch, lies in Ontario. The TCH made possible a crossing from Victoria in British Columbia to St. John’s in Newfoundland in about seven days over land and ferry. Dr Perry Doolittle is considered to be the first to cross Canada by car, who drove from Halifax to Vancouver in his Model T Ford in 1925. He drove his car fitted with railway wheels for over 800 km where there was no road! Fortunately, when I attempt this round trip across Canada in 2019 the entire road network is paved. Dr Doolittle, as a lifelong promoter of the highway across Canada, is hailed as the “spiritual father of the Trans Canada Highway”.
  

Of the over 8000 km of the Highway, this stretch running along the North Shore of Lake Superior is considered the most scenic in Canada. It was also one of the most difficult to complete due to the rugged terrain and hard granite. The section came to be known as “The Gap” in the 1950s when 90 km between Wawa and Agawa was unbridged. It is said that 4 pioneering men walked from Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie in 17 days and met with officials there to appraise them of the difficulty of the inhabitants without the road. Officially “The Gap” became operational in 1960. Such stories stand testimony to the importance given for roads to develop the land.

Wawa is quite literally a one horse town with fewer than 2500 residents. The collapse of the mining industry has prompted movement of people out of the town. The owner of Lakeview Motel bemoaned not having enough helps to open his restaurant or contractor having enough hands to complete the restoration of the hotel. I walked around the Wawa Lake a bit late in the evening and found a good place to watch seagulls bathing and possibly making plans to roost for the night. I had my beer from the Quidi Vidi brewery to keep me company. Once the can got over, which didn’t take much time, I walked a bit on the street that defined the life in Wawa. All shops were closed except for a few restaurants and a bargain shop. After popping in to two restaurants I settled into the third, “Lia’s Restaurant”. From the fairly large menu I selected Fried Rice and Chicken Guy Ding, a kind of stir fry with lots of vegetables, chicken cubes and cashews. The meal was wholesome and large.

By 9 pm it was still bright outside. After standing at the window of the room admiring the view of Wawa Lake I downed the blinds to take rest for the drive that awaited me the next day.