Last August, Toyota embarked on a slightly deranged road trip, crossing Canada from coast to coast, to celebrate its 60th year on Canadian soil. 60 years since the company launched its activities here, in a very modest way, need we remind you. To mark the occasion, Toyota had a bunch of us cross the country in its vehicles. Here's the second part of our visual account of the adventure.
See also: Toyota in Canada: 60 Years, 60 Pictures From Coast to Coast (Part 1)
Toyota Land Cruiser Series 70
At the start of the fourth wave of the trip, we made a scheduled stop at Miller Technology, a company specializing in the conversion of old Land Cruiser models for the mining industry, which is very present in this part of the country.
And why old Land Cruisers? Because they are more resistant than any other model when subjected to the atrocious conditions found underground. As a general rule, the vehicles are good for three to five years, as opposed to six to nine months for a traditional modern pickup.
The Big Nickel
With nickel mines in the Sudbury area, it's no surprise to discover a monument nicknamed the Big Nickel, a huge coin showing the denomination’s 1951 design and erected to commemorate the bicentenary of nickel isolation (1751). The monument was inaugurated in 1964.
Landscapes
The road between North Bay and Thunder Bay is long. We're talking 1139 km, including the route along Lake Superior through the town of Sault-Saint-Marie. Looking at the map, one imagines a long, boring route. It's long, but not boring, and we're treated to some very pleasant scenery.
Wayne Toyota
In Thunder Bay, a city of some 110,000 inhabitants, we made a stop at Wayne Toyota, one of the brand's most prolific dealerships in Canada. Not surprisingly, its owners confirmed that pickup trucks accounted for most of its sales, and Priuses for very little.
Both the dealership and the brand are very involved in the local community.
Toyota Corolla Cross
New vehicles were added to the convoy for this fourth wave, including the Corolla Cross subcompact SUV, which once again proved to us its effectiveness as a practical and economical option.
Toyota RAV4
At the entrance to Manitoba, the eleven millionth vehicle built by Toyota in Canada, a RAV4 SUV, served as the model for a photo op. The vehicle joined the convoy following our visit to the Toyota plant in Cambridge, Ontario.
Centre du Canada
Twenty minutes before arriving in Winnipeg, a small monument attracts tourists: the site marking the Centre of Canada. It was the perfect opportunity to mark this important milestone for the convoy, with a photo of the two vehicles destined to cross the entire country, the Crown Signia wagon and the Land Cruiser SUV.
The Prairies
At the start of this fifth wave of the trip, which would take participants to Calgary, Alberta, I went home for a well-deserved rest. Nevertheless, we're reporting on the rest of the group's journey, sharing with you the highlights and some of the stops our colleagues made, starting with this image that sums up what awaited them on another day on the road: wheat fields as far as the eye can see.
Saskatchewan
A customary photo was also taken at the entrance to Saskatchewan, the province sandwiched between Manitoba and Alberta.
Saskatoon
The next larger city the convoy visited after Winnipeg was Saskatoon, also Saskatchewan's most populous municipality, just ahead of Regina, its capital. Saskatchewan is known as Canada's breadbasket, but the province is also a major player in the petroleum and mining industries, including potash and uranium production, of which it is one of the world leaders.
