I visited Moosonee, a town in northern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately 19 kilometres south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port.
Aprox 1500 people live here and school kids are transported to school by helicopter, since roads and bridges are not in existence.
Took the Polar Bear Express:
A 186-mile train ride from Cochrane to Moosonee. Flag stops include Island Falls, Fraserdale, Otter Rapids, Onakawana, Moose River.Riding the Polar Bear Express a taste of life north of the 50th parallel, where most of this nation's land mass and much of Canada's history is to be found.
About 200 kilometres south of Moosonee, there is the Otter Rapids dam and generating plant on the Abitibi River. After that, nothing but trees. As the train headed north, the trees grew smaller.This is not new-growth forest; the black spruces are actually more than 150 years old, stunted and withered by the malnutrition of thin soil and muskeg.
I wandered down to Moose River,Moose Factory, the main trading post for the Hudson's Bay Company in 1673. The staff house built in 1847 is still standing, as are a number of other company buildings, including the blacksmith's shop from the 1740s and the wooden Anglican church from 1864.
I wanted to see what the Cree culture was about, the Cree
kept asking me for my native card and they were darker in complexion than I was.
Located on the edge of the Arctic, the Town of Moosonee was originally settled in 1903 by the Revillon Frères of Paris as a fur trading post to compete with the Hudson’s Bay post across the river in Moose Factory.
A trini at the edge of the Arctic Circle.
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A Trini at the edge of the Arctic ....Moosonee
In reply to sgtdjones
Ever since I did Geography at school in Trini,I always wanted to live in Canada because of all the natural beauty.The rivers,the Great Lakes,the Rockies,Niagra Falls etc.I ended up in England.I wouldn't have minded living out in wild and eating fresh salmon everyday.
One item in my bucket list.
Think about visiting Hudson Bay everytime I'm in Ontario. Also dream of visiting Maritime Canada.
Hmm, lemme check on how much to go to Moosonee. Just a short hop to James Bay, maybe overnight.
In reply to LBW375
50 dollars via the Polar bear express.
5 hour ride one way.
In reply to sgtdjones
Did you overnight ?
In reply to LBW375
I spent 3 days, it's not very warm up there.
About 10 deg C average , but I saw kids swimming in Hudson Bay.
Some of the Cree Indians are darker than the dalits in India, which surprised me.
Fresh salmon, Caribou, deer etc , exotic wild meats.
For some reason a half wolf dog became my friend, he liked me because I fed him. I wanted to feel what it was like to be a native so I camped on the Tundra, peat moss is soft to sleep on. The aurora's danced all night.
At night one can hear the wolves and coyotes howling
but I was in a protected area, Cree on constant patrol.
One can sense a magnetic field as we travelled up to the 50th parallel.
It was an amazing experience.
MY next trip to Churchill, Manitoba to see the Polar Bear Jail....
In reply to granite
I have seen all the great lakes ..Lake Erie and Lake Superior scares me , the latter never gives up it dead.
The Natives Indians Chippewa respected the Great Lakes especially in November of each year.
6 spooky mysteries of the Great Lakes
Visit Calgary at the airport look west, an amazing sight
the Canadian Rockies as far as one can see.It's an amazing country.
In reply to sgtdjones
Went to Wasaga Beach and that was cold.
Cant imagine jumping in Hudson Bay
In reply to sgtdjones
Working on a project in Montreal back in the 90s, I had an associate who said he was from some 6 hours drive north of Toronto. I can only imagine that it was some place comparable to your description.
His annual vacation took him back home to participate in ice fishing events with his childhood buddies.
In reply to LBW375
Cant imagine jumping in Hudson Bay
Ice floating by in the waves in Hudson Bay and the
kids and a couple of adults were swimming. I touched the water and it was cold.
I went for a quick dip at Port Dover last year, it wasn't to bad. Take a trip up the Niagara Gorge on one of the Jet boats , man no oxygen in that water I was sitting up front, when the boat hit some of those waves, it drenched us. 60
people soaked on that boat. But it was fun.
In reply to Drapsey
Droopsey
6 hours North of TO would take one to about Cochrane.
That's the tundra , isolated with a lot of lakes,moose,
black bears , wolves , coyotes, lynx , caribou, deer,etc.
I took pictures of some, they are curious about humans
but I didn't get to close.
The size of that moose, big as a truck.
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