Trains, Planes & Snowmobiles

As the title of this blog suggests, many modes of transportation (some less common than others) have been involved in my travels to and throughout Moose Factory. After flying from Toronto to Thunder Bay where I spent the majority of Christmas holidays, my dad so lovingly drove me nearly 9 hours all the way to Cochrane. It ended up being the better choice over flying, because my many bags filled with bulky winter clothing would have costed a fortune to check in. And I got to spend quality time with my dad driving through endless forests of trees covered in fresh snow! You can see what I mean in the picture below, which is us heading toward the Nipigon River suspension bridge.

Shortly after turning off of Highway 17 to Highway 11, there were really pretty views all along the small lake just north of and attached to Nipigon Bay. I actually had never driven on this portion of Highway 11 (connecting Nipigon to Cochrane), so it was fun venturing through something new.

A little bit later we drove along the sides of several cliffs - probably my favourite part. It reminded me of driving through the interior of BC... but then shortly after it was mostly vast amounts of open fields, or, only slightly better, small trees. So I'll stick with showing you this view and leaving it at that :)

Arriving around 5:30 pm, we didn't get to swim with the polar bears at the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat like I was hoping... so that might just have to be part of the trip home in April. Instead, my dad and I kicked back and relaxed at the Station Inn Hotel, literally right above the station from where I left on the train the next morning.

When the time came for me to board the train, I bounced back and forth between excitement and nervous butterflies. I was heading to a new, and in my mind, mysterious region ... and last year's Geography of the Canadian North class, although very valuable, could really only prepare me to expect cool temperatures and vast amounts of uncharted land. It was mostly excitement though, as I looked forward to many new learning opportunities and a first hand experience of northern life. I don't know how exactly my dad was feeling, but I can't deny he did have a few tears forming in his eyes...

But my dad did let me go, and eventually we said our goodbyes. Finding and settling into my seat, I was confident going to Moose Factory was the right decision.

To my advantage, I ended up in the coach that tends to seat older adult passengers because the ticket seller resonated with my desire to take in the views without distractions and get some studying done along the way too. Just like the Canadian North, my coach was sparsely populated... so I didn't need to feel embarrassed or manoeuvre around other people to take pictures whenever the right opportunity appeared. The pictures definitely don't do it justice, but still, you can probably see why I so quickly felt released from the hustle and bustle that abound in the south.

Something interesting to note - the pictures above weren't taken any later than 1:00pm - but the thin line of pink sky in the horizon would probably have made you think otherwise. So I had to come to terms with fewer daylight hours ... but it didn't take too long. The next picture was taken within the hour of arriving to Moosonee (right across the river from Moose Factory), and is probably my favourite one.

Upon arriving to Moosonee, I met up with the other two nursing students from Lakehead and Trent who were travelling on the train as well. We were picked up and driven across the ice road along the river straight to the hospital for a tour. You will have to stay tuned for more details about the ice roads and other unique things about life on the island. For now, I will keep with the theme of spectacular views and show you the first sunset I got to see while getting a quick tour of the island by car.

By now you might have wondered why I replaced "automobiles" with "snowmobiles" in this blog's title. Well, to add on to all the other excitement of arriving to my new home, after my first day of orientation at the hospital Jacob surprised us with a snowmobile ride home! It being a freezing 30 below kind of day, Meg wasn't as eager to jump on, but I'm sure she got some joy out of seeing me so excited :)

If me heading off to the North has caused any of you to worry, don't... I am in a great community with wonderful friends and I could not be happier to be here! I am so thankful for how smooth the transition has been and look forward to sharing more of my journey with you.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11