We found Quebec City a delightful, fun and friendly town. Everyone speaks French and all the signage is in French. Most speak a little English and are very helpful. There are many things to do and see and food places are plentiful.

 From Quebec City we traveled north on the scenic Highway 138 along the north side of the St. Lawrence River to the town of Baie Comeau (Bay Cum-oh). It’s 260 miles of good paved highway. About halfway, there’s a fairly wide river in the town of Todoussac. Two free ferries run continuously back and forth so the wait is minimal. Baie Comeau is not a large town but it has a good selection of motels, restaurants, gas stations, etc.

 As you turn left out of Baie Comeau onto Highway 389, you are immediately in the wilderness. The road is paved but very rough in spots. It’s a hilly, curvy two lane highway with speed limit 90 km/hr (55mph). Local traffic generally ignored the speed limit. There were MANY Moose Warning signs.

Thirteen miles out of Baie Comeau the Manic 2 Dam came into view. It’s the first of several hydro-electric generating plants that we saw on this trip. Hydro-electric generation and iron mining are the big businesses in eastern Canada. We chose not to stop at this one and proceeded on to our planned overnight stop, another larger hydro-electric plant called Manic 5. This one is about 140 miles from Baie Comeau. There is a guided tour of the plant at Manic 5 and I would recommend it. The tour is about two hours long and is in French but an English paper is provided. I would recommend staying overnight here so that you don’t have to rush. You do need to make a reservation for the tour and definitely for a room at the Motel de l’Energie. They have 21 units and 6 or 8 new VIP units. We lucked out and got one of the VIP units. (Must have been my outstanding French!). They also have a pretty good restaurant and petrol.

 Now begins the gravel road! If it’s raining, it’s a little messy but if it’s not, it is very dusty. We had rain. About 50 miles down the road, there’s another motel (with about 7 rooms) with a gas station and little restaurant. It’s a good place for a cup of coffee, a restroom break, and reflect on gravel road driving.

 At mile 235 (from Baie Comeau) we suddenly came upon a very strange sight; lots of nice trees, a beautiful paved boulevard with sidewalks and a drainage system, etc. This is the "ghost town" of Ganon, a mining town that was dismantled in 1985 after the mining company that owned the town closed its doors. Good news! This paved road continued for another 90 kilometers (55 miles). All along this highway there were emergency call phones every 50 kilometers. Cell phone service was non-existent at this point. We stopped at one of these pull-off spots to change drivers and made a bad discovery – BLACK FLIES!! You remember them! We had delayed our trip into August thinking they would be gone. Not so! Man, I had forgotten how quickly they swarm and how hard they can bite. The topography along this part of the trip was beginning to change slightly. The trees were smaller and there was no broad leafed trees. Many beautiful lakes and streams. We saw an occasional house or cabin on a lake shore and wonder – who is living there and what do they do?

 About mile 300, the pavement ended and the next 35 miles were very twisty but good gravel. At about mile 324, we got a view of Mount Wright, a huge mountain being stripped of its iron. A few more miles and we passed the huge mining operation of the Quebec Cartier Mining Company. This would be a great tour but we decided to press on to Labrador City since we had not made reservations. At mile 337, we turned off the main road and entered the town of Fermont. It’s about 5 miles from the Quebec/Labrador border and about 15 miles from Labrador City. Fermont is another Company owned town and has all the necessities; gas, food and lodging.

 When we left Churchill Falls it was cloudy and 54 degrees but not raining. It was a little over an hour before we saw another vehicle. For about 125 miles, the scenery was the same, lots of black spruce, beautiful streams, lakes, bogs, an occasional shack, and lots of "Moose Crossing" signs. At about that point, the road began a gradual descent off the Labrador plateau and the scenery began to change. Higher hills, taller trees, broadleaf trees and better highway. About 25 miles out of Goose Bay, around Muskrat Falls, we hit a beautiful, new, super highway. We cruised on into Goose Bay-Happy Valley and the Labrador Inn, a distance of 930 miles from Quebec City. There were two other new motels, The Hotel North and The Hotel North 2 that I would recommend. There were several nice Bed and Breakfasts.

I had contacted Canadian Forces 5 Wing, the current occupant of the Base and they had put me in touch with WO Gord Coles who is the officer in charge of the Goose Bay Heritage Museum. We met with him upon our arrival and he gave us a great tour of the museum. It’s a great museum but unfortunately had very little about the 59^th FIS. Last year I had sent Gord some stuff including models of the F-102, F-89 and F-94 plus a mug, cap, decals, etc. They have made a very nice display but need more "stuff". Maybe some of you have some "treasures" that would look nice in the museum.

 The first thing I noticed about the Base was its cleanliness. There is lots of green grass, including an 18-hole golf course, and many new buildings. Gone are the old Club, "Goose Hilton", school, hospital, old terminal building, and the Old Ops building to name a few. Still there are the big maintenance hangars, part of the alert hangars and much of the Base housing as we knew it in the 60’s. The runways and ramps are still the same and the terminal building is in the same spot only new. I wasn’t allowed on the flight line. There is no trace of the Scramble Inn. Gord had only heard stories but had found no "remains!"

  He drove us around the Base, then up the hill to the old Melville radar site (Half Pint). There were no buildings or search radar, but a beautiful view of the Base and Lake Melville. He also took us by the Military Cemetery near Melville, which I never knew existed. Gord and his people are responsible for its maintenance and they are doing a great job. The Canadian side has been abandoned and is a real mess. When the Americans left, the Canadians moved over. The only active unit on the Base now is an Air Sea Rescue outfit.  

  Gord’s wife, Hannah, is the supervisor of the Canadian Mess Hall so we went there for lunch. Had a great meal and great conversation. He says it’s the site of the old Civilian Club or maybe the new Officer’s Club. I took a picture so you decide. Gord is retired from the regular forces but is now serving in the Reserves. So he is a permanent fixture there. He also owns and operates a Bed & Breakfast. Goose Bay and Happy Valley are now one continuous "metropolitan area." That’s why it’s called the town of Goose Bay – Happy Valley.

   As you enter what we knew as Happy Valley, there sits 59^th FIS T-33 #413 on a pedestal. I (and many of you) had the pleasure of flying that good old T-Bird while we were there. One problem – the dedicatory plaque recognizes the 95^th Strategic Wing (SAC). Of course, as you remember, Goose was a SAC Base. I guess they got to us one more time. I mentioned this fact to Gord and he said that it was put there by the City not the Base. He also said that the Americans left practically nothing behind.

 We also drove out to Northwest River where there is now a very nice new Interpretive Center which tells the history of the four distinct cultures of Labrador; the Inuit, the Innu, the Settlers, and the Metis. We drove on up to Sunday Hill for a spectacular view of Lake Melville and the farthest Northeastern point in the North American Highway System. It’s also a good view of the Mealy Mountains.

  We drove off the ferry, through Cartwright (still a tiny fishing village) and on to Labrador Highway 340, a little two lane bumpy, dusty (and I do mean dusty) gravel road. Highway 340 is a 250 mile drive through eastern Labrador to Blanc Sablon on the Straits of Belle Isle where we had another short ferry ride to Ste. Barbe on the island of Newfoundland. Along the way we passed through the little towns of Port Hope Simpson (left), Mary’s Harbour, and Red Bay. At Red Bay we said goodbye to gravel roads for the remainder of the trip.