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July 2000 trip
(Page 4 of 5)
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James Bay |
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I drove out to Chisasibi to see
the actual
James Bay, which accessible by a small gravel road past town. Chisasibi is
90 km west off the James Bay Road (110 km from Radisson). Before you reach
town you must stop at a checkpoint. The Cree of Chisasibi do not allow any
alcohol into town.
The shores of James Bay are very
flat, so they're not very photogenic, but here are some pictures so you can see
what it looks like anyway.
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The
Cree of Chisasibi used to live on Fort George Is., which is in the mouth
of the La Grande River. They were moved inland to the new town of
Chisasibi when the James Bay hydro project was built.
Many of the residents of Chisasibi have
camps on the island.
Here's the ferry to Fort George Is. |
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On
the shore of James Bay.
These boats are huge canoes, made of
wood. These are just a few of them that are left here, unlocked,
with motors attached.
The locals use them to go out to their
bush camps on the Bay.
Yes, the water is salt water - this is
the Arctic Ocean. There are noticeable tides. |
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The
wild shore of James Bay. All you can see out there are low
islands. Most of the islands have no trees, and there are large
areas of bare rock.
All of James Bay and Hudson Bay are very
low and flat. These areas are still rebounding from the last ice
age. |
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My
"trusty steed" ('98 diesel powered VW Jetta) that brought me all
this way.
The dust on the car is from Labrador and
the North Road.
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One
more picture...
For some reason, I found being on the
shores of James Bay an incredibly moving experience.
Perhaps it was the knowledge that I was
so far north, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
Perhaps it was the aloneness.
Perhaps it was the silence.
I'm not sure what it was, but the feeling
stayed with me for a long time afterwards... |
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