 |
WHITE RIVER |
 |
Beyond Wawa, the mixed deciduous-coniferous forest gives way to a boreal forest of balsam fir, white birch, trembling aspen, and white and black spruce - and you have plenty of time to observe it on the 90km haul to the next settlement of any interest,
WHITE RIVER
. There's nothing much to the place, but it does have two claims to fame. First, in 1935, the temperature here dropped to a mind-boggling -72°F, the lowest ever recorded in the whole of Canada - and hence the whopping thermometer hanging by Hwy 17. Second, this was the original home of Winnie the Pooh, a small bear cub named Winnipeg who was exported to London Zoo in 1914. To emphasize the connection, you'll spot a fibreglass Winnie up a tree beside the highway.
Winnie's Hometown Festival
on the third weekend of August is when masses of teddy-bear enthusiasts gather here to get down and groove.
|