SteppingBorders Project Pt. 1: Canada

SteppingBorders Project: The SteppingBorders Project is my attempt to create a MSFS 2020 narrative for all my three accounts: Instagram, Tumblr and here in the MSFS forums. So after having to stay grounded for a month after my SSD broke down and Christmas happened I planned for something equally big and still manageable: A project to visit every single state of every single nation (with some work-arounds since I’m doing this as usual in my Cessna 172). Since I don’t want to start another “big project thread” and quit halfways due to being overwhelmed I will make a separate one for each country.

We’ll begin in Canada. I will use LittleNavmaps administrative division borders to figure out what counts as a “state”. So for example “Newfoundland and Labrador” where we start. I will use some “improvised airfields” when no ordinary one is in range (basically a flat strip of land where you can land a C172 properly). But this will only be used for emergencies.

I will use every first post in the thread as a table of contents, which I will update everytime a new leg is added.

Anyways, enjoy!

Table of Contents:
Newfoundland and Labrador (3/3)
#001 St. John’s (CYYT) - Springdale (CCD2)
#002 Springdale (CCD2) - St. Andrews / Codroy Valley (CDA5)
#003 St. Andrews / Codroy Valley (CDA5) - Baddeck / Crown Jewel (CDW2)
Nova Scotia (2/2)
#004 Baddeck / Crown Jewel (CDW2) - Trenton (CYTN)
#005 Trenton (CYTN) - Cable Head (CCA3)
Prince Edward Island (2/2)
#006 Cable Head (CCA3) - Mount Pleasant (CCE2)
#007 Mount Pleasant (CCE2) - Clearwater (CDJ4)
New Brunswick (1/1)
#008 Clearwater (CDJ4) - Edmundston (CYES)
Quebec (2/2)
#009 Edmundston (CYES) - Saint-Apollinaire (CAA4)
#010 Saint-Apollinaire (CAA4) - Alexandria (CNS4)
Ontario (8/8)
#011 Alexandria (CNS4) - Pembroke (CYTA)
#012 Pembroke (CYTA) - North Bay (CYYB)
#013 North Bay (CYYB) - Timmins (CYTS)
#014 Timmins (CYTS) - Carey Lake (CNX3)
#015 Carey Lake (CNX3) - Ogoki Post (CYKP)
#016 Ogoki Post (CYKP) - Summer Beaver (CJV7)
#017 Summer Beaver (CJV7) - Muskrat Dam (CZMD)
#018 Muskrat Dam (CZMD) - Gods Lake (CZGI)
Manitoba (2/x)
#019 Gods Lake (CZGI) - Gillam (CYGX)
#020 Gillam (CYGX) - Churchill (CYYQ)

1 Like

SBP 1: Canada #001
Flight from St. John’s International (CYYT) to Springdale (CCD2).

  1. Leaving the northwestern tip of Avalon Peninsula near Winterton and New Perlican.

  2. The eastern part of Random Island with Little Island Pond in front of the plane.

  3. Small ponds with the larger John Perrys Pond (right) and Salt Lake (left) in the distance.

  4. A marsh near Terra Nova with Chain Pond in the far distance.

  5. The eastern parts of Rattling Lake with Amy’s Lake in the distance.

  6. Crossing New Bay Pond on our way to Springdale.

Notes:

  • It is hard to describe locations and where they are when there are no towns or villages around.
  • Some lake and pond names aren’t visible on LNM, some aren’t visible on Google Maps. Fun.
  • Newfoundland is a beautiful island that somehow reminds me of my MSFS flights in Scotland.
3 Likes

SBP 1: Canada #002
Flight from Springdale (CCD2) to St. Andrews / Codron Valley (CDA5).

  1. After take-off near Upper Burnt Berry Pond (not visible) with Burnt Berry Pond sitting right behind us. Hall’s Bay (center) and Indian River (right) are visible in the distance.

  2. Goose Pond (center-right) with Hind’s Lake (left background) behind it. The northeastern edge of Grand Lake is visible in the far right corner of the shot.

  3. The hills on the eastern shore of Grand Lake, which is visible beyond them.

  4. Crossing Little Grand Lake with Island Pond in the background.

  5. Coming close to the southwestern coast of Newfoundland near Big Otter Pond.

  6. Approaching St. Andrews by descending over the Grand Codroy River Estuary where Codroy Road crosses the river.

Notes:

  • I screwed up my planning and thought I had to leave Newfoundland on its northwestern tip. Since it’s actually the southwestern one, I had to cross half of the island again to get to the southern coast again.
  • I have never seen so many lakes and ponds on any of my previous flights! It’s pretty!
  • Since I have to worry about getting useful shots for my IG account, too I can’t be so sure if the flight across Cabot Strait produces anything worthwhile. If that’s the case, I might leave it out and continue on the other side of the strait.
1 Like

SBP 1: Canada #003
Flight from St. Andrews / Codroy Valley (CDA5) to Baddeck / Crown Jewel (CDW2).

  1. Turning towards Cabot Strait near Shoal Point with the Little Codroy River Estuary behind us.

  2. A last look back towards Newfoundland: The Tolt and Table Mountain are visible in the background.

  3. Crossing Cabot Strait. St. Paul Island is visible in the distance, behind it lies the coast of Nova Scotia.

  4. Arriving in Nova Scotia: The larger bay in front of us is North Bay Ingonish, the smaller one behind it is South Bay Ingonish. As you may have already guessed: At their shore sits the town of Ingonish, as well as Ingonish Centre, Ingonish Beach and Ingonish Ferry. Ingonish’t it funny?

  5. The French River Wilderness Area on the eastern side of Cape Breton. To the left lies St. Anns Bay with Boularderie Island behind it.

  6. North River as well as the North River Estuary, sitting in a valley between Murray Mountain (left) and Rooster Hill (right). The Estuary joins St. Anns Harbour in the far distance.

Notes:

  • The trip across Cabot Strait was actually pretty interesting - especially the reflection of the clouds in the sea gave it an almost mystical hue!
  • Finally we’re in an area where my map displays actual names so I can at least give a proper location for our pictures!
  • This concludes our Newfoundland and Labrador episode! We finished our first state!
2 Likes

SBP 1: Canada #004
Flight from Baddeck / Crown Jewel (CDW2) to Trenton (CYTN).

  1. Taken near MacMillans Mountain. The northern part of St. Patricks Channel (center) and Baddeck Bay (left) can be seen in the distance while Baddeck River and it’s estuary Back Bay can be spotted to the right.

  2. Taken near Cat Point (right foreground) with MacDonalds Cove to the right and South Cove to the left of it. The entirety of St. Patricks Channel can be seen behind us as well as the Morris Point Peninsula (left background).

  3. Crossing the Strait of Canso near Port Hastings (left near the road) with Porcupine Mountain in front of us. Inhabitants Bay can be seen in the far distance.

  4. Taken between Arthurs Point and Bowman Head (center) on the coast of St. George’s Bay. The Tracadie West Arm can be seen below us, while Tracadie Harbour sits behind it to the right.

  5. Antigonish Landing near the City of Antigonish with the western arm of Antigonish Harbour in front of it.

  6. Taken above Blackhall Gut in Merrigomish Harbour. Little Harbour and Melmerby Beach Peninsula can be seen to our right.

Notes:

  • Nova Scotia is a nice scenery change after the highlands and bogs of Newfoundland. This is more of a hilly woodland with a lot of small coves and bays.
  • I chose not to fly in a direct way as usual (which I do normally to keep up an element of surprise for myself) so I could visit the Strait of Canso which divides Nova Scotia proper and Cape Breton Island.
  • This concludes our Nova Scotia trip. Tomorrow we’ll cross over to Prince Edward Island.
1 Like

SBP 1: Canada #005
Flight from Trenton (CYTN) to Cable Head Airpark (CCA3).

  1. Taken southwest of Chance Harbour after take-off: Pictou Road (center background), Pictou Harbour (to the left of it) and Boat Harbour (in front of both) can be seen in the distance.

  2. Arrival in Prince Edward Island near White Sands (left). The Murray River Estuary (left) and Murray Harbour (right) can be seen in the background.

  3. Sturgeon Bay with Cardigan Bay in the distance.

  4. Above the Montague and Brudenell River Estuaries with Georgetown and Georgetown Harbour to our right.

  5. Montague River Estuary (left), Brudenell River Estuary (center) and Cardigan River Estuary (right) as seen from Georgetown Road.

  6. Crossing Seven Mile Road between Glenfanning and Primrose with the estuaries in the background.

Notes:

  • This was a shorter flight (only about 25 minutes), but I wanted to split PEI into two flights to see a bit more of this small province.
  • This project already bears fruits: Since I’ve started taking a lot of pictures and weeding out inadequate ones before editing my overall image quality has drastically improven.
  • Eastern Canada sunrises are awesome!

SBP 1: Canada #006
Flight from Cable Head Airpark (CCA3) to Mount Pleasant (CCE2).

  1. After take-off above St. Peters Bay with the Southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the background.

  2. Crossing Morell River at Morell. To our right is the northernmost part of St. Peters Bay.

  3. Flying down the Hillsborough River Estuary towards Charlottetown. The city itself can be seen where North River Estuary (right distance), West River Estuary (center background) and Hillsborough River Estuary join together to form Charlottetown Harbour.

  4. Rural landscape near Hartsville with Hopedale Road behind us.

  5. A similar shot (which I didn’t notice until now) taken near Grahams Road (the town) with Grahams Road (the road) running behind us. New London Bay with Southwest River Estuary (left) and Stanley River Estuary (right) can be seen to the left.

  6. Taken above Malpeque Bay near Little Courtin Island. The Airport of Summerside can be spotted in the background near Bentick Cove (left) while Grand River Estuary joins the bay to the right.

Notes:

  • I felt like flying this evening so I did tomorrow’s scheduled flight today. I think I’ll scratch my initial plan of “one flight per day” and do as I please.
  • I tried my hand at an “action shot” while turning above Charlottetown: It would have worked but the lighting wasn’t good so the city looked extremely washed-out.
  • These flights in the eastern provinces of Canada really help me confront my Thalassophobia (= fear of the sea / ocean). It isn’t as bad as it was before where I got sick as soon as I was flying above the sea.

Very nice project! You actually induced a bunch of memories when you flew over Winterton as I could see where my grandparents used to live :slight_smile: cheers…will be following your project.

1 Like

Thank you so much!

I can totally understand that feeling - my first interaction with MSFS was watching a friend via Discord fly across my former hometown. This game is perfect for a trip down the memory lane!

SBP 1: Canada #007
Flight from Mount Pleasant (CCE2) to Clearwater (CDJ4).

  1. Arrival at dawn on the coast of New Brunswick. To our right is the Dune de Buctouche which separates the Baie de Bouctouche from the Northumberland Strait.

  2. Above Bouctouche River near Saint-Paul. The Estuary can be seen in the far distance where it joins the Baie de Bouctouche.

  3. Snowshoe Lake (left), Lower Lake (closer; to the right) and Lake Stream Lake (further away) in Brunswick Parish.

  4. Lower Lake and Lake Stream Lake up close. You can see the Lake Stream (just above our right wingtip) connecting both of them.

  5. Turning northwest above Salmon River where it joins Salmon Bay, the northern part of Grand Lake (New Brunswick).

  6. Boiestown (right) on the Southwest Miramichi River. The smaller river to our left is Taxis River.

Notes:

  • I really took a liking to angling my flight plans: It pairs the element of surprise from the single-line flight plans with the ability to cover more ground.
  • I decided to cross over from PEI near Boustouche instead of Miramichi. We’ve seen so much coastal areas during the last days, I thought we could use a change of scenery.
  • Clearwater Airfield is a pain to land on! In the hills, woods all around and brutal drafts from all around you. Still it was fun.

SBP 1: Canada #008
Flight from Clearwater (CDJ4) to Edmundston (CYES).

  1. Fields near Tobique River with the Cameron Mountain Range in the background.

  2. Crossing Chemin Sutherland Brook Road at the border between Drummond Parish and Denmark Parish.

  3. A few houses along Chemin St. Amand Road near Saint-Leonard Airfield.

  4. Riviere Verte (the river) as seen from above Route 2 near Riviere-Verte (the town).

  5. Looking down the Chemin Olivier-Boucher towards the Parc Industriel Nord of Edmundston. The mountain Cote a Blanchette can be seen just above our left wing tip.

  6. Taken just before starting our descent: The town to our left is Saint-Jacques just south of the New-Brunswick-Quebec border. It sits on the left side of the Madawaska River.

Notes:

  • For the first time in a week LiveWeather allowed me to use it and still take good pictures. Somehow I forgot that it’s winter right now so imagine my surprise when I saw a snowy landscape for the first time in my whole MSFS 2020 career.
  • Clearwater Airfield is way better for take-offs than for landings!
  • While Edmundston is still in New Brunswick its airport is already part of Quebec! Before checking I believed New Brunswick would be far larger and stretch north towards the St. Lawrence River but apparently that’s already Quebec.

SBP 1: Canada #009
Flight from Edmundston (CYES) to Saint-Apollinaire (CAA4).

  1. Lac Legare (closer) and Lac Jerry (further away) near Packington.

  2. Above Lac Pohenegamook with Saint-Eleuthere on the other shore to the left as well as the Riviere Boucanee entering the lake in the center background.

  3. Arriving at the Baie de Kamouraska (near the small peninsula) on the eastern bank of the Estuaire Moyen du Fleuve Saint-Laurent (“Estuary of Saint-Lawrence River”). Below us is the Highway 20 as well as the town of Saint-Pascal.

  4. Above the Saint-Lawrence Estuary with the Ile aux Grues and the Chenal de Beaujeu (the strait behind it) in the background.

  5. Sunset on the northern part of Ile d’Orleans near Quebec.

  6. The city of Quebec as seen from Sainte-Petronille (below us) on the southwestern end of Ile d’Orleans.

Notes:

  • As LiveWeather decided to not play nice with me I had to switch it off to get some good shots in. Since I hadn’t have the time and mind to manually add snow I will say there was a random heatwave in Canada that melted it in ~6 hours.
  • I found one of the - nowadays elusive - “river mountains” on the northeastern end of the Ile d’Orleans. The “river” was hovering about 200ft above the shore with a black void beneath it. Creepy…
  • Quebec at night is beautiful. Getting my eyes burnt out by the setting sun while flying westwards above SLR wasn’t as pretty though.

SBP 1: Canada #010
Flight from Saint-Apollinaire (CAA4) to Alexandria (CNS4).

  1. The Riviere Saint-Francois near Odanak. Near the Ile Saint-Joseph the river splits into the Chenal a Martel (left) and the Riviere Saint-Francois itself. Both rejoin eachother and enter the Lac Saint-Pierre.

  2. Above the Riviere Richelieu south of Sorel-Tracy. There it joins the Fleuve Saint-Laurent (right).

  3. L’Assomption on the northern bank of the St. Lawrence River. The Riviere L’Assomption encircles much of the town, giving it an fascinating shape.

  4. Taken above Terrebonne (right) and Mascouche (left) on the northern outskirts of Montreal.

  5. Approaching the St. Lawrence River near Saint-Placide (right) and therefore the border between Quebec and Ontario.

Notes:

  • This flight is another example for my missing knowledge about Canada: I honestly didn’t think that Quebec’s western border was just beyond Montreal. Well, now we crossed the largest state in two flights. Not planned, but okay.
  • It’s interesting to follow a river from its estuary upstream! Never done that before and to be honest: The St. Lawrence River is gorgeous!
  • I was shocked on how much bigger Montreal is as compared to Quebec! Somehow I believed them to be roughly the same size.

SBP 1: Canada #011
Flight from Alexandria (CNS4) to Pembroke (CYTA).

  1. Fields between Moose Creek and Maxville near Highway 138.

  2. The Moose Creek Landfill (right) with Moose Creek Bog to the left.

  3. The suburbs Barrhaven (left) and Riverside South (right) of the Canadian capital Ottawa. The prominent bridge across the Rideau River (center) is the Vimy Memorial Bridge.

  4. Bridlewood suburb (left) and Lafarge Quarry (right). Ottawa proper and the Ottawa River can be seen in the distance.

  5. Landscape near Renfew to the northwest of Ottawa. The Ottawa River is visible in the distance as well as Chenaux Island and the Ile de la Compagnie (far right background, in the riverbend).

  6. Muskrat River with its many lakes and ponds. Haley Station sits to our left along the Highway 17.

Notes:

  • I don’t know what it is about those weird field textures that appear in random patches within normal texturized areas. Noticed them in Quebec and now to the west of Ottawa. Strange.
  • I thought I might have shot a beautiful picture of an archaeological digsite or a construction area for a great structure in Picture 2 - but no: It’s just a beautiful picture of a very magnificient landfill.
  • Somehow I have a knack for picking routes that lead us around important cities. But that’s okay, I like shooting landscape pictures much more than city imagery.
2 Likes

I have enjoyed looking at these, thanks. It covers a lot of the ground my wife and I drove a few years ago!

1 Like

Thank you very much! I am always happy to see people recognizing the areas I fly in from real life. Bringing back good memories is always a joy for me :slight_smile:

Great trip so far, and enjoying the shots/posts - thanks for posting. For LNM maps, have you tried the map extensions available from flightsim.to? They may help with place names/rivers/lakes etc.

1 Like

SBP 1: Canada #012
Flight from Pembroke (CYTA) to North Bay (CYYB).

  1. Ascending to Cruise Altitude above the Petawawa River near Pembroke. The City itself as well as the Ottawa River can be seen in the background.

  2. Following Petawawa River to the west and coming across Military Lake (close center) and Montgomery Lake (further away) as well as Cartier Lake (to the right).

  3. Taken near Emma Lake: The cleared strip of land to the right is apparently a high voltage line running from Rolphton in the north to Beaverton in the south.

  4. Crossing Petawawa River again after cutting the entire northern riverbend short by crossing the forest near Emma Lake.

  5. Near Papineau Lake south of Mattawa.

  6. Taken against the midday sun above La Chapelle Lake. Highway 17 can be seen cutting through the forest below. The Lake in the right background is Lake Nosbonsing near Bonfield.

Notes:

  • I noticed something amazing: With the exception of PEI and Central Quebec / Eastern Ontario we mostly flew across sparsely populated woods with some small rivers and lakes in between. And still every single forest feels different to me.
  • My lacking knowledge of Canadian geography shot me in the foot - again. My original route would cross again into Quebec (which would screw up my Table of Contents). So stubborn as I am I built a new angled flight plan to avoid crossing state borders back into the old one. Next crossing will be to Manitoba, not back to Quebec.

Oh, I didn’t knew about that! Thank you for both your kind words and for the link, I’ll check it out asap!

1 Like

Cool but its province’s not states

1 Like