Village Squire, 1976-05, Page 23sr
Lord Selkirk II is a luxury cruise ship sailing Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba. Package tours on this and
other Canadian Cruise ships are available from mid-June to mid -October. -Canadian Government
Tourist photo.
Travel
No palm trees just fun on Canadian Cruises
by krystvna pottier
Cruises in Canada are different.
Here there are no tropical islands, no coral reefs, or
palm -shaded lagoons. Instead there are the Mackenzie River, in
the Northwest Territories, Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, and the
fjords of the British Columbia coast, three waterways for three
unusual Canadian cruises.
The Mackenzie River, lifeline to the western Arctic, was
discoverd by Sir Alexander Mackenzie who, in 1789, explored it
to its mouth on the Arctic Ocean. Modern-day explorers can take
a week-long package vacation and retrace this, 1,100 mile route
on the cruise ship M.S. Norweta.
The package actually beings in Edmonton, Alberta, with a jet
flight to Hay River, Northwest Territories. Here a bus meets you
at the airport, and you are taken on a tour of this community of
3,000, one of the largest in the Territories.
This is where the Mackenzie River starts its journey to the
Arctic Ocean, providing a route for the transportation of goods to
communities along its shores.
In Hay River there is an unusual secondary school designed by
an Indian architect. Its exterior is composed entirely of curves;
there are no straight lines or corners. It, is painted in such a way
that the colour changes from a warm red to a bluish tint
depending on the intensity of the sunlight. The school has a
central concourse and the various facilities are contained in
blocks divided by .transparent walls which radiate from the
centre.
From Hay River, the bus takes you along the Mackenzie
Highway to Fort Providence. There, you board the 102 -foot M.S.
Norweta for the trip down the Mackenzie River. The ship sleeps
20 guests in 10 double cabins.
Captain Don Tetrault, who has lived in the north and plied the
river for over 12 .years;