Friday, February 16, 2007

 

"Mystical, Mysterious, Magical; McBeth Pt"!

Do you know of a "mystical" place where you can spend hours, if not days, wandering, and thinking of the "past"? Wondering how this spot of "terra firma" actually came to be, and the history associated with it? During my career in the "bush", I have been lucky enough to have witnessed a few "unique" places. McBeth Point on "Unforgiving Lake Winnipeg" is one of them.

McBeth Point is on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, in the southern part of the "North Basin". The Fisher River Native Band operates a "Fish Station" at McBeth Pt. in the summer. There is also an old abandoned "mink farm" along the shoreline at McBeth Pt. Over the years I have made a number of trips to McBeth Pt., on "floats" and on "skis". In winter-time, McBeth Pt. is "moonscape", with "concrete-hard" snowdrifts. In summertime, it is alive with colours, wind, waves, wildlife, and she "gives up" some of her secrets.

This past summer I took some employees from the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature to "fossil hunt". They had made a number of trips in the past, exploring the "secrets" McBeth Pt. "disgorges" regularly. Let's return to August 2006.

 
Arriving at McBeth Pt., fishing shacks lining the southern shoreline.

 
"Fishing Station".

 
Otter C-FUKN was our "mount of choice" on this day.

 


 
UKN wasn't the only Otter in the vicinity, as this "otter scat", full of crayfish shell, proves.

 
As we walked from the dock, we stumbled across our first fossil, which seems to be some sort of "egg".

 
We took a short hike down the southern side of the point. The southern side is more sheltered, and the stones along shore do not become as "weathered" as the shoreline stones on the north side.

 
Then we walked along the east side of the point, and found an "Inukshuk"!

 
There were "shorebirds" everywhere, and then the fossils started to appear.....

 


 


 


 
We then decided to head for the "north" side of the point.

 
Notice the "layered" limestone.

 
More fossils emerge.

 
Lake Winnipeg is the center of ancient "glacial Lake Agassiz", and thousands of years ago all this was underwater.

 


 
"Treasures" abound!

 
The "sedimentary" layers are quite noticeable in this photo.

 
The "wind and waves" pound the cliffs, and large "chunks" fall into Lake Winnipeg, as she tries to "reclaim" McBeth Pt..............

 
I had taken Pontiac with me to act as a "swamper", and on the northern tip of the "point", he does his best Ernest Hemingway "Old Man and the Sea" pose.........

 
On the north side......

 
More "treasures"........

 


 
Notice the "roundness" of the shore stones on the north side, as they take more of a "beating" from wind, waves, and current........

 
The wind was light, but there was still some "surf"......

 
Finally, we "cut" through the bush to head back to the aircraft. The "Museum men" were still having their "tent-erecting" contest.

 
UKN ready to leave. We would leave the "Museum men" on site for a few days to explore.

 
I "taxi" UKN out........

 
McBeth Pt. from the air.......

 
Shaped by the "elements"..........

 
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McBeth Pt.! One of the "unique" places, forever "stored" in my "mental annals" entitled "spell-binding places I have been"!

Till next time,

"Adios"!

# posted by Steve @ 12:51 PM
Comments:
Steve, do you have an email address I can get you at? I just found your blog when I was searching the web for pics of Little Grand Rapids, and I thought there must be some on here someplace. From what I have looked at so far this blog could be a mine of information!

Roger

rogwen@rogers.com
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:27 AM
 
Steve - that otter C-FUKN, I was flying out of kelowna when she was retro'd to a turbine. Beautiful airplane then, and now. Nice to see some pictures of her at work.

Ty.
# posted by Anonymous Ty : 3:57 AM
 
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