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Hudson Bay and Back Again
“You’re going to Hudson Bay? Canada? In February? In your MINI Cooper? Why?” were the incredulous questions everyone had in the weeks leading up to a mid-February trip along the northernmost paved road in the East. “For the adventure and for fun,” I responded. Altogether, 11 MINI Coopers and one BMW X3 drove north to see the Arctic Ocean in winter. The ride included spectacular countryside, incredible cold, and every kind of winter driving condition. And a dramatic accident, but I am getting ahead of the story. First, I had my 2002 MINI Cooper prepped for the trip. A Tech Automotive checked it out, ensuring it would perform well given the extreme winter driving. Carson City Tire inspected, rotated and balanced the Nokian Hakkepellita snow tires from Bavarian Autosport, which performed flawlessly on the ice and snow packed roads of northern Quebec. With the Cooper ready, I packed winter clothing and survival gear. In the meantime, travel plans were coordinated on the MINI2.com website. David Thibodeau and his son Christopher from Amherst drove their 2005 MINI. So did John Secco of Stoddard with his 2002 MINI. Most of the cars came from New England and New York, but one traveler flew in from California, another drove his MINI from Atlanta and one couple drove theirs from St. Louis. New Hampshire to Hudson Bay is 2,500 miles round trip. Most of us took an aggressive pace, leaving on Thursday and returning the following Tuesday after spending a full day up North. The Thibodeaus were particularly swift, making the trek in only 3 days! We left +30 degree F temperatures in the Souhegan Valley as we headed for the -31 degree F temperatures of the sub-Arctic. My first overnight was at the Canadian border where I met five other MINIs. On Friday, we drove to Matagami Quebec, the start of the 330-mile James Bay Road. With the Thibodeau’s arrival at 5:30 Saturday morning, all 11 cars had gathered for the final push to Hudson Bay. Hydro Quebec built the road, called the James Bay Road, in order to bring equipment and personnel to build and maintain its hydropower plants. Designed for extremely heavy and wide loads, the road has long straights, gentle climbs and broad, sweeping turns. The road is kept open and passable year round, although there is only one stop for fuel and food, about half way along, near a native Cree village.
The road, while snow covered, was surprisingly well groomed and quite drivable. Nevertheless, we did have one scary accident that Saturday. About 100 miles from the start of the road, 75 miles from the mid-point village, and still 230 miles away from Hudson Bay, a MINI convertible ~ which was being driven with its top down ~ spun out of control on a right hand curve. The convertible turned 360 degrees, plowed backwards over a tall snow bank, rolled over and landed on its windshield and rear roll bars in about 3’ of powdery snow. Inside, the driver and passenger hung upside down in the snow by their seat belts.
The Thibodeau’s were following the closest to the convertible and did see a big puff of white snow as they came around the curve. They did not immediately realize an accident had occurred, having seen snowmobiles run on and off the road earlier in the day. Fortunately, the passenger quickly freed himself and helped the driver out of the car in just a few minutes, at about the same time that the Thibodeaus’ figured out that a car was missing and turned around. In the driver’s effort to free him, however, he had taken off his mittens. Despite flipping the MINI over, the only injury to him and passenger was a pair of frostbitten fingertips! We easily righted the MINI, but had to leave it behind as the remaining cars drove 30 miles to the next “SOS” radiophone. The accident was called in and a request for a flat bed tow truck made, while the driver and passenger continued on to Hudson Bay. Prepared for the worst, the driver traveled to the service station on Monday to find that the MINI was still drivable! After paying $500 for a 100 mile tow, a couple of minor repairs including “Clearing snow from MINI,” the convertible actually made it safely back to Long Island by Tuesday night. After the crash, we arrived at our destination, checked into the hotel at the end of the road and had dinner. Named Auberge Radisson after the town in which it is located, the hotel featured amenities comparable to mid-tier hotels in the States. Sunday, eight of us chartered a single engine 1958 DeHavilland Otter for an incredible flight over the region. We saw several hundred caribou, remnants of the world’s largest herd (more than 500,000 in number) that passes through the area every January. We also flew over the hydropower facility because we could not take one of the normally available tours. The hydro plant, from which the eastern seaboard obtains much of its electricity, is the second largest of its kind in world. It seems however, that the Canadian Broadcasting Company had run an expose on the security procedures at hydropower plants just days before we left. As you might imagine, security immediately went to the opposite extreme and all tours were cancelled. After the flight, we drove another 65 miles to the Cree Indian village of Chisasibi, located right on Hudson Bay. All of the buildings were constructed with concrete, although a few homes had teepee skeletons in the backyard. We chatted with several Cree who drove up with their trucks and SUVs to see the MINIs, and a few even recognized the cars from the movie The Italian Job! We then drove to the bay’s edge, just in time for sunset. Everyone jumped out of their MINIs and raced out onto the frozen Arctic Ocean, giddy with the excitement and exhilaration of reaching this spectacular destination. The expanse of frozen snow and heaved ice was truly awe-inspiring! On the way back to the hotel, we were blessed with a crystal clear night and the Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights played across the night sky like friendly ghosts, dancing to silent rhythms, mostly light green with occasional streaks of orange and red. We could have stayed out there all night despite the extreme cold, watching the incredible display. Upon returning to Radisson, we stopped for a late dinner. I managed to cajole the restaurant owner into cooking me one item not on the menu but which I wanted very much to try, caribou. The taste was slightly smoky, very tender and quite delightful. The owner also showed me photos of him butchering a moose. Not any moose, mind you, this one was over 800 pounds and had a rack wider than the pick up truck bed used to bring it to the restaurant! Monday morning the local press, a French language monthly newspaper and a French radio station, interviewed the six of us, the rest having departed Sunday or earlier that morning. Throughout the trip, we made a point of traveling together and with good reason. An accident while driving alone could be deadly in just a few minutes. So, the last of three vehicles headed south at 11:30 Monday morning, starting out in nice weather that deteriorated to a snowstorm the further we south we traveled. By the end of the day, 2” of snow lay on top of the ice and packed snow that topped the asphalt. The roads in northern Quebec are well maintained, as they must be, considering there is no sign of civilization for hundreds of miles at a time. Sand is spread on some curves but never on the straights. Interestingly, a grader with diamond tipped fingers periodically drives the road, cutting grooves into the ice. The effect is to provide some grip, making the road less slippery, although “less” is a relative term.
Tuesday morning we awoke early and hit the road about 6:30. The distance between villages grew smaller as we went but the views were lovely as we drove through Quebec’s provincial parks, past Mont Blanc and through Montreal. My traveling companions departed near Burlington and I made it safely home Tuesday evening. The Cooper S drove well throughout the trip to Hudson Bay and back, slipping just barely about a half dozen times over the entire 2,500-mile journey. I was comfortably warm the entire time; indeed, the 16 degree F temperature in Milford upon my return felt downright balmy! Will I do it again someday? Absolutely, although a summer trip would be a nice change. Do I recommend a Hudson Bay trip? Yes, if you seek adventure and fun, but only if you are comfortable driving for long periods on ice and snow, and are prepared for an accident or breakdown that may put you in peril. The run to Hudson Bay was an incredible trip with great people, beautiful country and outstanding cars.
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