SteppingBorders Project Pt. 1: Canada

[FloodedPuma1298]

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!

[FloodedPuma1298]

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.

[FloodedPuma1298]

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.

[FloodedPuma1298]

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.

[FloodedPuma1298]

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.

[FloodedPuma1298]

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.

[SlabsFly]

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

[FloodedPuma1298]

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

[gordongreig]

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.

Map extensions for Little Navmap (LNM) » Microsoft Flight Simulator

[FloodedPuma1298]

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.

[FloodedPuma1298]

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

[gopensgo291]

Cool but its province’s not states

[FloodedPuma1298]

Thank you!

In the opening post I’ve explained what I count as a “state”. For this project I’ll use the word for the largest administrative subdivision of a country in Little NavMaps. Otherwise the title of this thread would be far to long.

[FloodedPuma1298]

SBP 1: Canada #013
Flight from North Bay (CYYB) to Timmins (CYTS).

1. Following Highway 11 out of North Bay to the northwest.
   

   

2. The eastern arms of Lake Temagami.
   

   

3. The northern part of Lake Temagami. The small round-ish island the the center-right is Horseshoe Island.
   

   

4. A look back towards Lady Evelyn River (left), Hobart Lake (below us) and Sucker Gut Lake (far background).
   

   

5. Landscape near Birch Lake (right). The entire area is dotted by small ponds and lakes.
   

   

6. Approaching Timmins with Night Hawk Lake to our right. Some small roads are cutting through the woods below.
   

   

Notes:

• How does it come that I think before every flight during the last week: “Won’t this become boring? Just forests and lakes, perhaps a river in between?” And everytime Canada proves me wrong. Lake Temagami was an awesome sight!

[FloodedPuma1298]

SBP 1: Canada #014
Flight from Timmins (CYTS) to Carey Lake (CNX3).

1. Kapuskasing on the eastern shore of Kapuskasing River in Northern Ontario.
   

   

2. Large forest clearing near Bergsma Lake. There is a railway track running along the eastern side of the clearing.
   

   

3. A smaller creek joining Opasatika River near Opasatika (the long row of houses to the left).
   

   

4. A railway track (closer) and Highway 11 (further away) running parallel to each other between Opasatika and Mattice.
   

   

5. Taken south of Mattice (central background) with Missinabi River right in front of us.
   

   

6. Leaving Hearst behind us. Mattawishkwia River is running along the southern rim of the town.
   

   

Notes:

• Since LiveWeather was cloudy, stormy and snowy at the same time I decided to use this flight for playing a bit with the custom weather settings to create a nice looking snowy landscape without the clouds. I believe I managed it.
• The sides of rivers and lakes are still green when using custom snow settings. I had to work much more with angling my shots to not show this immersion-breaking look.
• This is our northernmost airfield so far! Before this leg it was Springdale in Newfoundland that held this title!

[FloodedPuma1298]

A small announcement: Due to coming into the end phase of writing my Master thesis and wrapping up my studies I will post only infrequently until March. So don’t worry, I just have a lot going on right now.

I’ll try to post at least once or twice per week!

[FloodedPuma1298]

SBP 1: Canada #015
Flight from Carey Lake (CNX3) to Ogoki Post (CYKP).

1. Passing St. Joseph Lake after take-off.
   

   

2. Gull Lake with several smaller ponds around it.
   

   

3. Turning to the northwest above Albany River near the border between Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario.
   

   

4. Following Albany River upstream after finishing the turn.
   

   

5. Flying along Albany River’s eastern bank with the sun warming our backs.
   

   

6. Passing Mogridge Lake (center) and Wabimeig Lake (right) before arriving in Ogoki Post.
   

   

Notes:

• I tried to work with a few new camera angles and image compositions to keep the important parts centered for cropping 1:1 images as covers for IG later.
• The woods are changing again - the region near Albany River reminds me a bit of the interior of Newfoundland.
• As you may have already guessed our destination for this etappe is Rankin Inlet, the only airfield in Nuunavut that is somewhat close to our transcontinental route. Therefore we’ll cross Ontario, Northern Manitoba and then travel from Churchill, Manitoba north to the Inlet. At least that’s the general plan.

[FloodedPuma1298]

SBP 1: Canada #016
Flight from Ogoki Post (CYKP) to Summer Beaver (CJV7).

1. Forests northwest of Ogoki Post Airport.
   

   

2. Albany River with some river islands northwest of Marten Falls First Nation.
   

   

3. Several smaller lakes on the course of Attawapiskat River.
   

   

4. Larger lake on Attawapiskat River near the southeastern shore of Lake Attawapiskat.
   

   

5. Northern parts of Lake Attawapiskat.
   

   

6. I believe this is a snow-covered creek or small river, but I’m not sure about it. Taken southwest of Mameigwess Lake.
   

   

Notes:

• I am currently experimenting with different drone altitudes and distances to get more impressive landscape shots. I think it is working quite well!
• I think I’ve found the right amount of snow coverage for these beauty shots. About 2.60 in the weather editor.

[FloodedPuma1298]

SBP 1: Canada #017
Flight from Summer Beaver (CJV7) to Muskrat Dam (CZMD).

1. After Take-Off to the northwest of Summerbeaver / Nibinamik.
   

   

2. The Wunnumin Lake 1 Reserve of the Wunnumin Lake First Nation.
   

   

3. The Kingfisher Lake Community (right) of the Kingfisher First Nation.
   

4. A change of landscape - the forests are receeding and it looks more like the scenery we’ve seen in central Newfoundland.
   

   

5. Strange wood and plain patterns on the southern shore of Makoop Lake.
   

   

6. Approaching Muskrat Dam Lake First Nation and it’s airfield.
   

   

Notes:

• Somehow the lakes and forests between Kingfisher Lake and Makoop Lake seem strange and angular instead of having natural outlines. I think the engine has some troubles with this area.
• We’ve almost reached Manitoba. One trip and we’re on the other side of the border!

[FloodedPuma1298]

SBP 1: Canada #018
Flight from Muskrat Dam (CZMD) to Gods River (CZGI).

1. Frozen Lake south of Sachigo Lake.
   

   

2. The eastern part of Sachigo Lake.
   

   

3. Little Sachigo Lake in the far distance.
   

   

4. Crossing the border to Manitoba near Pierce Lake.
   

   

5. Sharpe Lake near the horizon.
   

   

6. Manto Sipi Cree Nation with Gods River Airport to the right. The frozen lake to the left is the eponymous Gods Lake.
   

   

Notes:

• Flying with LiveWeather since it isn’t constantly overcast anymore. 29kn crosswinds & -15°C made it even more interesting.
• Somehow the frozen bodies of water in MSFS look weird. I can’t pin it on anything, it’s just strange to look at.
• We made it to Manitoba after 8 flights in Ontario!