[Read or view, as you wish...🙂...Either way, hope you enjoy...]
Big (and long) rivers have always fascinated me. On the home front, I'm sufficiently familiar with two of the major (and the longest) rivers in U.S., the Mississippi and the Missouri. I've visited many times the confluence of these two rivers, in St. Louis, Missouri, a site of natural wonder, forming one of the most important river systems in the U.S. Missouri is also the river that most prominently featured in the Lewis and Clark expedition, as the Corps of Discovery traveled westward up this river (i.e., against its currents), opening the in-land passage to the Pacific Ocean. And, on the Mississippi River, that forms ~600 miles of the western border of my state of IL, are located several major cities such as Minneapolis–Saint Paul, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans, all I've had chance to visit by road on multiple occasions.

My memorable 1,000-mile road trip from Chicago to New Orleans, crossed the Mississippi River twice (at St. Louis and Memphis), and then terminated on the massive delta of the Mississippi River. Standing on the Riverfront Park walkway in New Orleans, and looking out into the massive mouth of Mississippi River, was a genuinely unforgettable experience...merger of the mighty river and its fresh waters, with the salt waters of Gulf of Mexico. I would not fail to absorb the (immense) ambience of that (natural) juncture every evening of the few days I spent in New Orleans, including a half-a-day cruise up the river...dinner, drinks, and (Dixieland) Jazz paid for...🙂...

The major rivers of the world, such as Nile in Africa, Danube in Germany, Seine in France, Ganges in India, Po in Italy, and Thames in England (a little short maybe but certainly no less significant...🙂...) etc. have historically played important roles, in their respective countries, helping establish (large) metropolitan cities on the riverbanks, and shaping the economic and cultural growth of the regions. Mackenzie River up north (the longest river in Canada) is a bit different though...standing as a (melancholy) symbol of solitary existence, existing in its own world, so to speak, arduously trekking its way (further) northward, across the extremes of cold and harsh climates, to the Arctic Ocean, as if wishing to be left alone away from all (human) din and bustle...a recluse of sort...🙂...It flows through extensive marshlands, boreal forests, frozen tundra, and the vast expanse of sparsely populated northwest provinces of Canada...always moving with a steadfast mind of its own...its vision set for the Arctic Ocean... 

You might know that the frontier country of North America, have had (historic) towns named "Fort XYZ", which, since centuries, located in the middle of nowhere, served as rest-stops for migratory travelers, centers of trade and business, and also as military posts. So, when a river has 3 "Fort" towns (Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Good Hope) on its banks, and similar small townships and other "Forts" nearby, along its desolate route, one knows it's a bit off from the main course of civilization...🙂...Indeed, you'll surely get my drift when you examine my pictures below, as, for this post, out of Mackenzie River's full 2,600 miles, I've tracked (only) the 1,000 miles up the main stem of it, from its source at the Great Slave Lake, north to the Arctic Ocean, flying here with my ever-reliable (Canadian) companion, the (MSFS/Asobo) DHC-2 Beaver (Float)...🙂...an aircraft no stranger to the Canadian bush country... 

Now, there is an aspect of Mackenzie River, relating to the fur-trade business, especially that of the Hudson's Bay Company (originally a British company; but it's as much Canadian as the Mackenzie River itself), that has always appealed to me historically. Northern Canada was once the active site of fur-trapping and fur-trappers (one of the hardest ways to make a living, if you ask me...🙂...). The Fort XYZs of today, along this river, were the towns where once the beaver pelts, used as a form of currency, were exchanged for other goods. Per the HBC Standard Trade guidelines: "One beaver pelt" was equivalent to (aka fair-trade for) "one brass kettle, one and half pounds of gunpowder, a pair of shoes, two shirts, a blanket, eight knives, two pounds of sugar or a gallon of brandy"....I see it was a hard choice for the frontiersmen, between "sugar" for their womenfolk and "brandy" for themselves...🙂...

Anyway, Mackenzie River had proved the lifeblood and backbone of the Hudson's Bay Company, for nearly 3 centuries, from 1670s to 1990s, until, finally, the power of public opinion, forced HBC to entirely (and justifiably) stop dealing with "fur"...ironic for a company that had started 100% in fur-trade, and one that exists even today, 350 years later (aka Hudson's Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue...I recently had a Starbucks Coffee near the HBC store of the local mall...🙂...). Sir Alexander Mackenzie, a (Scottish) fur trader himself, had named this river after himself. He was the first European to travel the entire length of the river in 1789, reaching its mouth in the Arctic Ocean, exactly what yours truly has accomplished today...in the virtual world of total (creature) comfort...while sipping a local brand of a Hazy IPA...🙂...with just a delicate touch of citrusy aroma...Oh well...You see, the Beaver's (simple but trusty) Bendix/King Autopilot never failed to do its duty on my behalf...🙂... 

For this post and flight, I've (manually) adjusted the lighting and seasons to show the (various) moods of this river, as I've travelled today the (full) 1,000 miles (see my EFB MAP shots), roughly along the river, while pondering at the same time about this (willfully) meandering river. The immense water of this river is rarely warm enough to evaporate, and the "permafrost" terrain is always too hard to allow any underground seepage, so, the river creates twists and turns on the cold valleys and flatlands, creating myriad lakes and tributaries along its path... (see my images). En-route, when faced once with the (insurmountable) Canadian Rockies of the west, near YK (Yukon)- NT (Northwest Territories) boundary, I noticed that the river stays clear of this range (see a couple of images of these mountains), keeping on northward, smartly skirting the eastern side of these mountains...

Finally, just before I arrive at the end of Mackenzie's journey in the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean, I've gently laid down my Beaver DHC-2 on one of the (pristinely beautiful) waterways of the river's expansive delta (see EFB Map), as it forges ahead, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun off the Pacific Northwest, eager to lose its identity in the waters of the vast Arctic Ocean (away from all public limelight). Indeed, Mackenzie is a most unique and special river in its own right, and it sure felt that way...now that I know it so much better...🙂...

Thanks for viewing...!

Edited January 18, 20251 yr by P_7878

Absolutely amazing shots, P_7878 !! But the pilot is too focussed on the photographer. Just kidding of course 😃😃

Beautiful, lonely journey you've captured here, P_7878. I guess such a long river deserved an equally lengthy read, and your mention of the "Hazy IPA" was the part that really resonated with me! 🙂

nice shots, but why include the tablet?

20 hours ago, bernd1151 said:

Absolutely amazing shots, P_7878 !! But the pilot is too focussed on the photographer. Just kidding of course 😃😃

...🙂.... Thanks much for the comment, bernd...You know, how our AI Pilots (and Co-Pilots) are programmed to swing their heads, left, right, center...periodically (and rather un-naturally, if you ask me...🙂...) ...So, I'd to catch the right moment before I snapped the pics, so I could show you the face of my newly hired Pilot...🙂...You can see her only from external views, but, when I'm in charge in the flightdeck, she is missing...and I can see only my Co-pilot...BTW, I've provided designer sunglasses to my Pilot and Co-pilot and also casual uniforms, all thanks to (detailed) MSFS options...🙂...

 

19 hours ago, John F said:

Beautiful, lonely journey you've captured here, P_7878. I guess such a long river deserved an equally lengthy read, and your mention of the "Hazy IPA" was the part that really resonated with me! 🙂

Lonely and beautiful journey...🙂...yes, that's exactly what it was...John. And I'm not a connoisseur of IPAs by any means, but I like them not too bitter...🙂...and this one met my needs during my lonely and long (virtual) journey...🙂...today...

 

8 hours ago, jankees said:

nice shots, but why include the tablet?

Thank you, Jan.

The EFB of MSFS of 2024 is a very nice add-on, Jan, and perfect for my type of flying and explorations in the SIM world, especially when I often fly aircraft that do not have (inbuilt) G1000/G3000 or such. It's like the VFR MAP of MSFS2020, but much more powerful and convenient in terms of setting up Flight Plans and ILS approaches and landings etc. in any aircraft.

Here, the EFB shows clearly how large (and spread-out) the Mackenzie River Delta is, being second in North America only after that of the Mississippi River. I could not have landed there safely...🙂... on one of those (myriad) waterways without the aid of the EFB MAP.

Of course, you don't have to use it, but it can be excellent for situational awareness (just as the large Garmin displays are) in difficult terrains and especially for low-level exploratory flying...in valleys and mountains...

Cheers...!

Beautiful shots! 😉 

35 minutes ago, Alaska738 said:

Beautiful shots! 😉 

Will, Many thanks. Appreciated the note...🙂...!

Very nice set of shots !

cheers 😉

Beautiful shots, P_7878, but almost unnecessary after that wonderfully evocative intro.

On 1/19/2025 at 11:46 PM, pmplayer said:

Very nice set of shots !

cheers 😉

Appreciated the comemnt, pmplayer. Glad you liked these pics of the Beaver and the River...🙂...

 

On 1/21/2025 at 5:57 AM, andy1252 said:

Beautiful shots, P_7878, but almost unnecessary after that wonderfully evocative intro.

Thank you, Andy. At least someone is reading the rambling text....🙂... Cheers...!