Day 5 - Monday Jun 15 - Timmins / Little Current (ON)

Day 5 (418 km)
Monday – 2015-06-15

Timmins – Little Current (ON)

Today’s ride will take us South from Timmins West on Hwy#101 and then South down Highway #144 towards Sudbury, and again some very remote roads with nil services except for the single gas station 120km from Timmins, that is not a problem our bikes have a range of about 280 to 300km, not that we want to try the +300km just in case our calculations are a bit off.

Before departing Timmins I wanted some shots of the old and very large ONR Train Station in downtown Timmins, now modernized and used as the central bus terminal for the City Buses and the ONR long distance buses, wonder what this place was like when the Northlander and the overnight train to/from Toronto still operated.

Timmins x-Railway Station now a Bus Terminal

One thing about Timmins is the streets have no (as in nil) street lane or lines whatsoever.  The winter conditions are so extreme in these parts that the lines are literary scraped off the roads by plows, sand and salt.  It just adds another challenge to our trip, once out of the city there are “some” marking but not much on the #101 either, in fact since leaving Quebec, I would say there has been a noticeable drop in the quality of the roads in Northeastern Ontario.

Our first stop on the ride south from Timmins is about 110km at the town of Gogama, on the mainline of Canadian National Ry, also this area saw TWO oil train derailments in the Winter of 2015, one was located close to town the other “out there” in the bush some 35km to the West.

Gogama, ON E/B CN

As luck has been in our favour on this trip, upon our arrival we catch an Eastbound, and get it crossing the Minisinaka Lake on the causeway, not the best shot but there was about 2 minutes to get a photo at all.  This spot would be great for a Westbound, but lots of trees reduce the view and the time here is to be one hour.  We return to the level crossing at Miller Street (Hwy#661), were we get an Eastbound and then an Westbound (Hot Shot Train #111 which is all double stacks with a DPU about ¾ in), we hear on the radio that another Westbound is coming but after deploying the standard 15 minute CRHA rule, we have to be off on our way. 

Gogama, ON W/B CN #111

We stopped briefly at the Arctic Watershed sign/location which separates the height of land between what flows to the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, it is also about 1 1/2km from our lunch stop at the junctions of #560 and #144, the restaurant / Gas station / bus stop is also called The Watershed (Truck Stop) with a location of Gogama, even if with are 20km from there, named only because there nothing else out here.

Arctic Watershed on the #144 Hwy neat Gogama

The HOOT, who did the trip as well

Ben and Ken at the Watershed Marker on Hwy#144 Gogama, ON

This is also a major truck stop and a cross roads with the Sultan Lumber Road which is like a continuation of the #560, except it is dirt, and probably not the best for motorcycling for big cruisers that we have.

After lunch we push on down the #144 our next locations is about an hour away is Cartier, which is a Canadian Pacific Ry Division Point.

CP Cartier, ON Station

 Arriving in Cartier which is also a stop for the tri weekly VIA RDC Car from Sudbury to White River, another train for remote and northern communities, there is NOTHING happening, no trains in the yard, no power waiting for assignment – nothing, the yard office on the second floor of the station is open, but looks like no one is around, this will be a brief stop get some photos and we are off, plus the sun is out and it is getting warm, and the traffic on #144 is increasing as we are on the Northwestern edge of Sudbury.

The #144 ends at Lively where it meets the #17 (Trans-Canada Highway) this is where Ben and I separate, with Ben returning to his home in North Bay and I proceeding West and South to Little Current on the North end of Manitoulin Island.

I make a brief stop at McKerrow which is the junction of the former CPR line into Espanola and the current operator Huron Central keeps it locomotives on the wye track.

Whitefish Falls

Always a great photo location is Whitefish Falls, South of Espanola to the right when you are southbound on Hwy#6.

Huron Central Ry - McKerrow, ON

I arrive in Little Current at 6:15pm which made for a long but very pleasant day.  Plus the sun came out back in Cartier and it never rained.

Met two other motorcyclists from Barrie who were heading for Michigan and doing US#23 along the Lake Huron coast, did that back in 2007, but it is still a great ride.  Had Diner with my new fiends at the Anchor Inn Hotel (I think it was the only place open in “downtown”), the town was dead, and I was told that the place comes to life once the Michigan schools are out for the Summer, lets hope so they need customers.  But the white fish was great and I welcomed the conversations from fellow motorcyclists.

Overnight accommodations: Hawberry Motel, just make sure you get the rate in advance in email, this guy tries to “adjust” the rates on your arrival, room was clean, but I will not be ripped off.

Anchor Inn and Hotel - Little Current

Weather: Cloudy to start 15c, Sunny and 24c by late afternoon.