Winnipeg to Thunder Bay

Day 7: Winnipeg to Thunder Bay

Welcome to Ontario. This is where the drive is supposed to get long (hence the short segment yesterday): it’s the only province you can’t drive across within a single day!

In case you missed the first sign, there’s another beyond

And just beyond that, Kenora

And just like the provincial signs, every town in Ontario has two at the city limit. There’s the usual local boosterish sign, similar to the ones across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba so far (Kenora: sail-shaped, “The Famous Lake of the Woods”; not to be confused with the “infamous” Lake of the Woods. Kenora’s is of regular non-sinister fame). But beyond that, there’s also a uniform blue “KENORA POPULATION 16 500″ – standard issue from the provincial Ministry of Transport, in the old Series E face.

You start to feel the pull of the Centre of the Universe (ie Toronto) when you cross from Manitoba to Ontario. Not so much because you’re entering Ontario, but that you’re entering what’s called “Northern Ontario”. You’re actually further south than Saskatchewan and Manitoba in “Northern Ontario”, and there’s actually more people here than both, but to everyone the “Northern” tag is more than just geography: you are in the periphery, remote from the centre, far from civilisation and progress and development, of which Toronto, of course, is the definition.

Back in med school any placements out here would be called “rural”: even in a community of 16 500, that’s still country bumpkin to Torontoner eyes. Which meant you got full funding for transport, and free accommodations too. (Sure, most places were just hospital rooms set aside for visiting staff, but I lucked out at a full-on bed-and-breakfast – how I managed to still show up to the hospital on time every morning, and resisting the urge to linger over a daily full English breakfast, I don’t know.) You also got an allowance for taxis, since, by definition, “rural” places shouldn’t have anything as advanced as a public transport system.

So you can imagine my surprise when I passed this on the way

Whoa – public transit here in the boonies, impressive. Wait a minute – white tops, gray bottom, bike rack, waving union jack by the rear tire… that’s a BC Transit bus!

“Kamloops Transit System”, with the busonline.ca and 376 1216 telephone number. Kenora to Kamloops – now that’s one long bus ride! (I figure it must’ve been making its way west from the Nova Bus factory in Québec. I guess that’s how they break new buses in, on these cross-country delivery runs.)

The varying scenery and occasional construction signal break up the undivided highway (and the heightened state of danger of oncoming traffic at 120Km/h passing within 1m)

Just before bends and along straightaways you get a broken line that lets you pass – this is where that 2.5L 150hp 170ftlb would come in handy

but since I’ve hardly driven I’m still usually wait for a proper passing lane to get around – plus, drafting as long as you can saves energy too

Mum and Dad and I did the same drive 10 years ago on the way to Montréal, and it seemed more of an ordeal back then. Not because of the company (of course!), or because the Rabbit’s any better a car (we had an Acura EL, which was new and pretty good back then), but I think there were just way more RVs and campers and such back then that clogged the highway up. There was an article in the Globe just last week, “The End of the Road” – when a fill-up is $1 200 (from half that a decade ago), that’ll make a difference, for sure.

So in what feels like no time I’m pulling into Thunder Bay

first glancing look at the Sleeping Giant – it looks like a giant lying on his back, complete with legs, torso, Adam’s Apple and head (though not so much from this angle)

and checked in at the Best Western – half the price of the Delta Winnipeg, and not quite as fancy sheets and pillows, or even a lobby to speak of, but at least the shampoo’s now in bottles instead of tear packs, and there’s still the requisite overkill double nightstand lamps too

No restaurant at the hotel for supper, but across the parking lot there’s a fruit stand

and a ice cream store – not a sissy soft-serve creamery, here in Thunder Bay it’s a bad-ass biker ice cream stand

and of course, a Chinese-Canadian comfort food spot

This combo’s got everything – the Cantonese-style chow mein, fried wontons, and of course, chicken balls! Gotta love that standard diner “Chinese Zodiac” placemat too.