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| The CFS Foymount Crest (1971) |
History
Ground was broken, building RCAF Station Foymount, in October 1950. The station became active operationally in September of 1952, and was operational under the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) by 1963. In 1967 as part of the Canadian Forces unification it was renamed Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Foymount, and was officially decommissioned & closed in 1974 when it became redundant. At the start, it was the RCAF 32nd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron who manned the station as air controllers advising fighter pilots who were intercepting potential Soviet bombers. The station's callsign was "Eskimo", and motto "Silent Sentry".
Present Day
Parts of the base have burned to the ground, parts have been leveled intentionally, and the clothing manufacturer who produced good quality winter wear at reasonable prices under license from Sierra Designs closed on August 22nd 2010. The Primary Married Quarters (PMQs) are very inhabited and extremely well maintained. The property is well maintained; as far as garbage collection, weeds, etc.. but the common buildings are derelict, burnt down, or falling apart. Some of the garage buildings have been bought by what seem to be hobby mechanics; some are in good shape with good vehicle restorations clearly in progress (parked out back) and others look like a vehicle graveyard; one pickup truck with the ass end jacked up, and the two flat front tires, was particularly ghetto-looking. The top of the hill where the operational site was has been razed to the ground and replaced with incredibly high antennas. There are about half a dozen giant antennas, and supporting buildings with generators, propane, etc. to support them in case of power failure.
The Trip
Taking advantage of the fantastic weather, I departed from Carp just after 10am on Easter Sunday, expecting a two to three hour trip. The weather was just above freezing, and I had the doors off, so I bundled up with a neck warmer to pull over my face, a light winter jacket, and a hoodie. Warm driving gloves were essential!
Along the way I discovered that County Road 34 is gravel for a while - I didn't know that as Google Maps doesn't show that part as any different than the rest. Also, I discovered that while climbing to the highest elevation in Ontario, you might find steep hills - and really give your tired engine a workout! I dropped to 3rd and still bogged down to ~65Km/h on the steepest one. I'm very glad the engine didn't give out, but it over the course of the trip did heat up to ~110°C.
I was surprised to find the base so inhabited; it got up to ~10-15°C so people were out in their yards doing spring preparations, and the community at the bottom of the hill was quite alive. There were a few people in some of the garage-looking buildings up the hill as well, and I stood out like a sore thumb in the Iltis touring around. I'm sure they're used to getting a fair number of tourists... then again, maybe not.
The return trip was equally (thankfully) uneventful; I made it there and back on just over a half tank of gas. This might indicate I can get to Parent, then Casey, and back on two tanks... we'll see.
The Route
The Iltis, while it is working well and can go surprisingly fast, is not much of a highway vehicle. It's theoretical maximum is ~120Km/h on the books, but really it's a stretch to get it to 110Km/h, and isn't a pleasant ride beyond ~90Km/h. I was pleased to see that along the way there were several places to stop and get gas, and several were open on Easter Sunday for the tourists.
View Larger Map
Parts of the base have burned to the ground, parts have been leveled intentionally, and the clothing manufacturer who produced good quality winter wear at reasonable prices under license from Sierra Designs closed on August 22nd 2010. The Primary Married Quarters (PMQs) are very inhabited and extremely well maintained. The property is well maintained; as far as garbage collection, weeds, etc.. but the common buildings are derelict, burnt down, or falling apart. Some of the garage buildings have been bought by what seem to be hobby mechanics; some are in good shape with good vehicle restorations clearly in progress (parked out back) and others look like a vehicle graveyard; one pickup truck with the ass end jacked up, and the two flat front tires, was particularly ghetto-looking. The top of the hill where the operational site was has been razed to the ground and replaced with incredibly high antennas. There are about half a dozen giant antennas, and supporting buildings with generators, propane, etc. to support them in case of power failure.
The Trip
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| County Road 34 |
Along the way I discovered that County Road 34 is gravel for a while - I didn't know that as Google Maps doesn't show that part as any different than the rest. Also, I discovered that while climbing to the highest elevation in Ontario, you might find steep hills - and really give your tired engine a workout! I dropped to 3rd and still bogged down to ~65Km/h on the steepest one. I'm very glad the engine didn't give out, but it over the course of the trip did heat up to ~110°C.
I was surprised to find the base so inhabited; it got up to ~10-15°C so people were out in their yards doing spring preparations, and the community at the bottom of the hill was quite alive. There were a few people in some of the garage-looking buildings up the hill as well, and I stood out like a sore thumb in the Iltis touring around. I'm sure they're used to getting a fair number of tourists... then again, maybe not.
The return trip was equally (thankfully) uneventful; I made it there and back on just over a half tank of gas. This might indicate I can get to Parent, then Casey, and back on two tanks... we'll see.
The Route
The Iltis, while it is working well and can go surprisingly fast, is not much of a highway vehicle. It's theoretical maximum is ~120Km/h on the books, but really it's a stretch to get it to 110Km/h, and isn't a pleasant ride beyond ~90Km/h. I was pleased to see that along the way there were several places to stop and get gas, and several were open on Easter Sunday for the tourists.
View Larger Map
Comparisons and Observations
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| UHF/VHF COMMs Building |
- Most of RCAF Station Parent's common buildings have been leveled as they were not sold to provate interests.
- The RCAF Station Foymount PMQs are in far better shape than those in Parent, but that reflects the comparitive wealth of the area.
- The COMMs building was exactly where I expected it, down a little trail, by foot, south of the operations site.
- I was unable to get to the helicopter pad in the woods, as I would have needed to cross clearly private property. I left them a note, and will return some day to check it out.
- There should have been an underground water reservoir somewhere, I don't know where that might have been.
- I believe their sewage was pumped across the street to lagoons a little way away from the PMQs; I don't think anyone remembers that, and I think there's a nice cottage beside that lake.
- Janet Road is a dirt road in poor shape, and leads to a nice lake on the far side of the base; I'm not sure if it was used for anything, but as there is a concrete building there which someone is fixing up; I suspect it was used for water for something; fire hydrants maybe? Then again, I don't recall seeing any fire hydrants...
Foymount, Ontario
Thank you to Bob & Diana McElroy who provided me an idea of what the weather and snow conditions would look like in mid-April, as they camped at Foymount on April 16th 2008.
http://www.mcelroy.ca/bushlog/20080416.shtml
http://www.mcelroy.ca/bushlog/20080416.shtml
For more information and history about Foymount, The Country Connection Magazine published a fantastic piece that covers not only the base back in the day, but how it's developed since.
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