It was my heart's desire to see Hudson's Bay and James Bay in northern Ontario. We took an Ontario Northland train for 10 hours to Cochrane last week, stayed overnight and picked up the Polar Bear Express for 6 hours to Moosenee, and from there we travelled by water taxi to Moose Factory, a Cree village on an island in the Moose River. When we alighted this water taxi, a local family came running down the dock after us to take the boat to Moose Factory. A teen age boy got on last because he was carrying a four by six feet photo image of Marilyn Munroe which was slid onto the floor standing up because there was not much more room on this rowboat with an outboard motor. I asked about this photo. Here was a story of the boy's kindness. A great uncle had admired this photo many years ago in a restaurant in North Bay. The owner promised the photo to the uncle when he did not need it any more. Well, that time had come to pick up the photo of Marilyn Munroe but the great uncle could not longer travel the 10 hours it takes to get to North Bay and 10 hours back. The boy offered to do this for his great uncle. This row boat ride was the last leg of the return trip. We were all so pleased to witness the second last phase of the photo's trip. He was going to take it on foot from the dock to the home of his great uncle. We got off the boat at our lodge and the family continued on to the village.
If you ever get a chance to visit Moose Factory, take it. The air was the freshest I ever breathed. The sky was the bluest that I ever saw and the stars at night were so numerous and felt so close that I thought I was dancing in them. I did see James Bay which was downriver just 8 km from Moose Factory and I did see the tree line, and I breathed in that fresh air and was very content.
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