Trip to Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Canada July 4-12, 2003

 

 

The whole story in a nutshell

 

 

Sault Saint Marie Canada. First stop not part of the plan.

 

 

Just after takeoff from Sault -- IFR and foggy!

 

 

Chapleau -- a town in the wilderness -- didnt stop here.

 

 

On to timmins -- Chapleau in the past

 

 

Heading from timmins to La Grand Riviera -- Crossing part of Hudson Bay

 

 

Turning north for La Grande

 

 

La Grand Riviera in sight -- not much to see!

 

 

The town of La Grande Riviera

 

Typical countryside in La Grande

 

 

HydroQuebec Dam

 

 

Spillway for the hydro plant -- rarely used.

 

 

 

 

The water behind the dam. Good fishing I was told.

 

 

 

 

The spillway from the top

 

 

The river used to run this way....

 

 

Old river bed

 

 

Old river bed 2

 

 

Getting ready to leave La Grande

 

 

Heading west then will turn north

 

 

A great place to fly with a float plane!

 

 

Arriving at Kuujuaq. (kewjewak) Huge mosquitos so I didnt stay the nite.

 

 

Heading north for Iqaluit (ikalawheat)

 

 

Lots of nothing for miles and miles

 

 

First ice along the coast

 

 

More ice

 

Lands end -- 90 miles of open water to baffin Island

 

 

A closer view of the end of the land

 

 

Over open water -- Mid july and still ice and icebergs.

 

 

Some icebergs are big. If I hit the water even with my raft I am a dead ice cube...

 

 

Can even see the ice below the water.

 

 

Scarry sight. Tachometer read 0 RPM -- exactly halfway across the open water. Engine was still running though!

 

 

Baffin Island in sight.

 

 

Rugged terrain of Baffin Island

 

 

Rock, snow, ice. Not a good place to come down.

 

 

Iqaluit is just across the bay. Forbisher Bay.

 

 

Iqaluit

 

 

Iqaluit Airport (yellow building is the terminal/control tower)

 

 

Fuel costs are subsidized by the government... otherwise only the inuit would live there.

 

 

20 minute walk out of Iqualuit Downtown (ha, ha).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still lots of ice and moss. A few mosquitos too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The view from my hotel room in Iqaluit

 

 

Wabush -- Rained 3 days!

 

 

Heading south for Bai-Comeau

 

 

Bai-Comeau -- crossing the Saint Lawrence Seaway

 

 

Almost back to the US -- Maine in the distance.

 

 

Breathed a sigh of relief as I returned to civilization with Maine, farms and roads below me.