Halifax: August 27, 1912 <<< >>> Victoria: October 17, 1912
| Today's Statistics: | Travelling from North Bay, Ontario, to Massey, Ontario | |||
| Distance: 207 km | Driving Hours: 4 h | Fuel: 55.5 l | Weather: Rainy | Temperature: Min. 12 Max. 20 |
The route from North Bay led west along the shores of lake Nipissing, then west to Sudbury, which is the site of the world's largest nickel deposit. Other minerals such as platinum and copper make Sudbury an important mining area. The Big Nickel Mine offers underground tours to show people what it's like to be in the mine. Outside the mine is Sudbury's famous giant nickel, a 9 metre replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel. Many visitors to Sudbury stop at Science North, an outstanding science centre.
After leaving Sudbury, the Reo travelled westward toward the town of Massey, near the Georgian Bay. The huge Georgian Bay forms the northeast part of Lake Huron and includes an area called The Thirty Thousand Islands which is the world's most concentrated group of islands. Throughout the summer tour boats carry visitors on cruises through the island passages. In the winter, the lake freezes over and many people skate and snowmobile on it.
The town of Massey's history is tied to the logging industry. When the CPR came through in 1882, it opened up the area for logging. Each spring, when the rivers were running highest, thousands of pine trees were cut and floated down to Lake Huron, where they were loaded onto ships or floated to sawmills. Part of the logger's job was to guide the logs safely down the river. If the logs jammed up, the resulting backup could be very dangerous. Often the loggers would build wooden log chutes to make a safe by-pass around a waterfall so that the logs would not jam up or be damaged. Chutes Provincial Park is located at the site of a former log chute on the Aux Sables River.
After spending yesterday making some adjustments to the Reo's motor, Lorne had it running perfectly and it purred along smoothly all day, making good time on a wet day in Northern Ontario.
At the Big Nickel Mine at Sudbury
The view from the rear - the trailer carries spare tires, gas, parts, and
even tire chains.
On this day in 1912 ...