Airports in Manitoba, Canada

Wow, what an honor! I, jonathan s. tait, apparently am the first humanoid to post a remark about the The Pas Airport. Although words do not fail me, superlatives do... So allow me to limit my remarks as to why I, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the environs of Monroe, Washington State, am researching the particulars of flight from The Pas...

While stationed in (then West) Germany as a member of the United States Army, oh, a few years ago, in a book about an area of Montana and Saskatchewan, I learned of the Cypress Hills, and in particular was fascinated by the mention of a pond in the area that drained both to the Arctic Circle and to the Gulf of Mexico...

Long story short, in 2001 I began taking late summer/early fall vacations to various regions of my northern neighbor. As of last October's trip to the Yukon via the Alaska Ferry from Bellingham, Washington state, I have now been to each Province and Territory except for Nunavut. On my first trip, which included travel to British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, with the help of Marlene (I think her name was) at the Maple Creek Tourist Information Centre, who called another gentleman, who in turn called someone else, I was able to discover the location of the pond in question. I was told that it is in Chimney Coulee, near Eastend, Saskatchewan, but that it was at that time temporarily dry...

On my 2006 trip traveling into Alberta, Northwest Territory, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the journey took me very, very close to Chimney Coulee, but a fork in the road demanded a decision whose "Opportunity Cost" included not finally laying my eyes upon the little pond whose waters escaped into separate directions, from one end to someplace frigid, and the other to someplace very warm... (Kind of like the choice of words and tone in relationships, some by design hoping to influence the heart of a loved, or loved ones, toward "interpersonal pliability", and other words, by design, or perhaps by default (when design, by the counsel of anger, is cast to the wind), chosen to and/or received to inflict hardness of heart...) And so began a very significant series of "illuminations", if you will, one for each of my annual travels to Canada...

But now, back to the present and why I am making inquiries of The Pas, (which I stopped in on my 2002 trip including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and obviously, Manitoba): I have a very compelling reason to visit a First Nations village north of The Pas, and since that would leave me somewhat close to Nunavut, I am curiously inquiring of any and all, or perhaps more accurately, all and any means of travel from the north of Manitoba to Nunavut... So that I may complete the "stamping of my passport" for all of Canada.

And now I close, to any who might read my remarks, me, the first to leave a comment on The Pas airport website... If in fact we may be instructed by the little pond in Chimney Coulee, in all matters important within relationships, let us choose our words carefully... For like the dimunitive body of water near Eastend, Saskatchewan, even though it is lying so perfectly on the continental divide, sometimes circumstances within relationships, like matters of geography, will result in a very dry place, wherein water, or words, have no means of movement.

Here is to hoping that all are blessed by choosing to become ever more stronger in each of our battles, being ever so vigilant when anger counsels us to speak (when wisdom would dictate silence), and if ever damage has been done by yielding to the advice of anger, to subsequently forsake the counsel of pride when it is advising us to remain silent (when the wisest of all paths would be to humble ourselves and speak).

Sincerely,

Jonathan S. Tait; e-mail driveNcry@earthlink.net

The CFS says runway 32 is treated gravel which makes it sound like runway 26 would be a better choice despite a crosswind. However, as of July 2009 when I stopped for fuel, I found runway 32 to be in great condition with no loose gravel whatsoever. And if you are able to do a good short field landing, the first 400 feet of runway 32 is asphalt.

This was our first stop in Canada for our first trip to Alaska in 1988. Some kind sole gave us a ride into town where we showered at the athletic club and found some dinner. It was light for so long we went back and on to Yorkton that evening.

This is where the "Gimli Glider", an Air Canada Boeing 767, made its famous power-off emergency landing in 1983:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

Air Canada retired the 767 from its fleet nearly 25 years later, on January 24, 2008, sending it to a bone yard in the Mojave Desert:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2008/01/24/gimli-glider.html

Those who remember flying on CP or Canadian might recall the Brandon stopover. Generally was a stop, unload, wait 30 minutes then go type of thing. Was quite normal to stop here on the way from Calgary to Toronto.