Tuesday August 11, 2015

We had a late start today, we had a good breakfast and headed out in cool temperatures. This was the sign on the motel door in Marathon!

Another grey Ontario day. I am not sure where our tail-winds have gone too but we haven’t felt a good tail-wind since leaving Thunder Bay. The winds today came from every direction, it was tough long ride.

There is a lot of mining happening in this area from Marathon to Wawa. This gold mine, just outside of Marathon was huge.

We stopped at a hunt/fishing camp/resort for a wonderful lunch of mystery meat and mystery cheese sandwich! This was the only place we could buy anything between Marathon and White River.

The owner of the “resort” came out to chat to us. His complaint was the change that the Federal and Provincial governments have made to the moose hunt this year. His occupancy rate for this years moose hunt has already dropped by half and he is getting cancellations every day.

After we left him we spotted another bear running across the road in front of us. I am now very nervous about camping anywhere in Northern Ontario. There are an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 black bear in Northern Ontario.

I had already made a reservation at the Continental Motel in White River as there wasn’t any campsites in the area. After seeing the second bear in two days, I was glad that I had made the reservation.

White River is where the story of Winnie the Pooh started. Or at least where Winnie the bear cub was bought from a trapper on the train station by Captain Harry Coleburn.

Captain Coleburn was on a train bound for Halifax and England during the first World War. He bought the bear cub for $25.00 and took it to England with him, he named it Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg. When he was sent to France, he left the bear at the London Zoo for safe-keeping. That is where AA Milne and his son Christopher spotted the bear and the rest is history.

This week-end in White River is the 27^th Annual Winnie’s Hometown Festival. A week-end of fun and entertainment for all including parades where you can dress up as your favorite bear and a Riding Lawnmower Race (please ensure that blades are removed).

I would be very careful dressing up as your favorite bear – in White River this week-end as this week-end is also the start of bear hunt season.