The Next Day: Terrace Bay to Winterpeg (Winnipeg)

 Hi there, Sports Fans! I was hoping to have the energy and wherewithal to keep this blog up-to-date as each day passed, but after a full day's driving, I did not have much go juice in the can to make that happen.

So here it is.

02 May 2025

Getting up and off at 08:23 EST the weather was cold with the temperature at departure an awesome 1 degree C. Sping is slowly coming to the northern parts of Ontario and there was no extensive snow cover, but many of the lakes had a thin sheet of ice on the water and many of the denser forested areas had snow. Red Lake sometimes does not have spring break-up until the middle of May.

As it was, it was sunny with high cloud, and the temperature an hour into the trip was a balmy 6 degrees C.

My first stop was the Terry Fox Monument, and it is a wonder that his run had such an impact, not only on Canada but the world. An estimated WHOPPING $800 MILLION has been raised under the auspices of all the Terry Fox-inspired events since its inception.

The monument is beside the Trans Canada Highway just West of Thunder Bay and signifies the farthest he got in his Marathon of Hope bid to cross Canada from sea to sea by running, effectively, a marathon a day.

There was a most pleasant woman at the information kiosk at the park, and there are washrooms available for those who stop. People throw coins on the monument base, and it is too bad we are converting to a cashless society because every cent helps! I did not have any change to give, and I have to admit that I did not note a change machine in the area, which would be a great idea. A debit/credit machine being available to donate while you are there would be a great idea.

View from the monument over the bay and highway. Facing south, to the right would be west towards Vancouver.

After that, I proceeded past Thunder Bay. Highway 17 heads northward and away from beautiful Lake Superior and is replaced by a variety of landscapes. Typical Northern Shield granite with lakes and coniferous trees; a surprising area around Dryden that is agricultural; and then boggy lands with stands of coniferous trees. There are portions by the highway that were subject to a forest fire before 2008, as that was the year a large-scale tree planting took place, and the trees are now about 12 feet high.

One consistent experience experienced while travelling the Trans Canada Highway is the parallel train tracks that follow many portions of the highway along your route. A train was heading south on the right side of the highway with shipping containers,s and some of these trains are several kilometres long with one engine in the front and one in the rear. This is called banking, and the idea is that the cars benefit from the rear locomotive going up grades. I have to admit, Sports Fans, I have no recollection of seeing this before.

Typical track orientation from the highway. It can be on either side and generally is about 200 metres from the highway.

I stopped at Upsala at the XLT for gas, and it had changed since the last time through there. Before, it was an active restaurant offering American food, but now it seems to only serve breakfast, offering cold sandwiches and quick-serve microwaveable food. A real disappointment.

Note that in Ontario, there are two spots where there is NO GAS for 150 kilometres, so it is a wise idea never, ever, let your tank go down past halfway. With the Red Mist with its long legs and accurate fuel range estimation, you can play this loosely, BUT ONLY IN THE SUMMER. The first area is after Terrace Bay, and the other is after Dryden to Upsala. This little gas station does a banner business and is definitely a Near North experience. No fancy automatic pumps. It is Full Serve Sports Fans. I waited, like any Canadian, for about 5 minutes for buckwheat to show up and then did my own gas. I have fueled a C-130 Hercules, so handling this apparatus for my car is a cinch. But the buddy at the till was pretty upset that I had done the fueling myself. But, as buckwheat, the fuel jockey, was nowhere in sight until after I had served myself, no one's harmed, and it is all go. Except, I should have been paid for doing my own gas!

As a side note, there was a bit of a bizarre image opportunity. Someone had left their mouthguard on the bench outside the store. This happens to me. I have found some really odd items at rest stops and motel rooms over my life, and this one really puzzles me. I took a photo and left it is situ in case someone came back for it.

Random Mouthguard.

Overall, the trip was great. Other than almost being killed by an opposing semi that was travelling too fast down a hill, allowing his/her trailer to slide into my lane, it was a great drive. Averaged 6.4 L/100 Kms / 44.1 imperial mpg / 36.8 US mpg for a trip distance of 935.5 kilometres.