Reviewing the Casey Emergency Airstrip 1964 air photo

I already went over the Casey Emergency Airstrip domestic site in a previous blog post, but wanted to do a similar blog post regarding the other air photo I purchased from the National Air Photo Library.

I've been to Casey on two occasions, so this post is built on what I saw on the ground, as well as what I've put together from air photos, satellite photos, the site plan for RCAF Station Casey that Dave St-Laurent acquired from the National Archives, and some common sense derived from how other bases and stations of the time have been laid out.

From the best of my understanding, the airstrip was requested by National Defence to be built by Transport Canada, in support of the Pinetree Line project, like many other emergency airfields across Canada.  I have a document that proves that much.  Then, it seems from air photos at the National Air Photo Library, that the initial construction of the airstrip didn't have the alert apron, but by 1964 it did.  Does this indicate a 2nd phase or upgrade? Or was the first air photo I saw just mid-construction?  I'm unsure, but I believe the airstrip was upgraded in the late 1950s to accommodate emergencies with larger planes, like the B-52, rather than just air-defence interceptors like the CF-100, as I believe they had originally intended.

Dave St-Laurent retrieved from the National Archives a site plan showing a further planned expansion, but I'm unsure of the date it was drafted up.  One of the other documents I found shows that further expansion of the Casey air strip (to be called RCAF Station Casey) couldn't proceed because they couldn't find sufficient solid ground to put the buildings.  If you've been there, or look at a topographic map, you'll see the area is very swampy.  Luckily the site plan for the expansion shows the names and types of buildings that were already there, as well as showing what they planned to add.  This really helps decipher the air photo from 1964.

The full resolution TIFF image can be downloaded here (over 100Mb) so you can draw your own conclusions.

"U/S Explosives Storage"  per Site Plan

I originally thought the label of "U/S Explosives Storage" on the site plan meant United States Explosives (aka Ammo) Storage... but I now think this was for "UnStable" explosives, maybe dynamite or other such explosives that would have been used to construct the airstrip.  The location is over 500 meters from the runway, which I presume isn't a coincidence.  The same temporary structure on a cement pad with high berms around it could have been used for ammunition if a plane made an emergency landing and needed to offload munitions.

Control Tower and Bridge

It isn't clear to me what the other buildings are in this photo, but the control tower is clearly visible.

"Gravel Pit" per Site Plan

In the proposed site plan the above was shown as a "Gravel Pit", right near where the future PMQs would be, as well as a drill hall and churches.

"Old Borrow Pit" per Site Plan

I was not familiar with the term "Borrow Pit" but after looking it up, it makes sense.  I walked along the trail (shown) that goes from the runway to the NW of the picture in 2012; while quite overgrown it is passable.  Walking back, through the bush rather than the same trail, I didn't notice anything unusual, the area was relatively flat, had lots of trees, shrubs and moss, and no hint of what it had previously been used for.

"New Borrow Pit" per Site Plan

This "New borrow pit" I didn't actually get to when visiting the Casey air strip, the woods are pretty dense around there.  I guess this would have just been where clean fill would have been taken from to fill in where other uneven areas were, probably to do with the construction of the alert apron, I would guess, based on proximity.

Bridge , which isn't there anymore

Centered in the middle is where a bridge used to be, but has been washed away over the years.  The lake comes to a pinch at that spot and the crossing doesn't look to me to be possible in an ATV.  Either side is too steep, and the water looks deep.  The picture makes it look like the bridge may have been a dam; I'm not sure, since it has all been washed away.

Water well and supporting buildings

The site plan explained what this cluster of buildings above are; it's where the fresh water well that the domestic site drew water is located.  I'm unclear how many buildings were there, and how it was powered, but I see at least 3-4 buildings - perhaps they had their own generator to power the pumps?  Due to the aforementioned bridge being gone I didn't make it there.

Remote RX Site for VHF and UHF

The site plan clarified that this site is the remote VHF/UHF receiver site for the air strip.

Remote TX Site for VHF and UHF

The site plan clarified that this site is the remote VHF/UHF transmitter site for the air strip.

Alert Apron with space cleared for Alert Hangers

This space looks like it was made for upcoming development, it was where on the site plan alert hangers were supposed to be built, and makes sense since the alert apron was constructed there.  Perhaps the plan had been underway to upgrade the Casey site when the plug was pulled because of a lack of solid ground.  I dont have a date for when the Casey Air Strip was officially decommissioned, or the buildings which were there were razed, but it would have clearly been after this picture was taken in 1964.

On the RCAF Station Casey site plan (never completed) the buildings were described in the following manner.  Their labels on the map sometimes were slightly different.

No.	Builidng Type	Building Reference
1	Headquarters	S14-1016
2	8 Bed Hospital	S15-1013
3	Control Tower	S42-1002
4	Central Heating Plant	S23-1019
5	Ration Depot	S17-1002
6	Supply Depot	S17-1003
7	12 Bay M.T.Garage	S32-1011
8	Bulk Fuel Storage	C57-21-1000
9	Electric Power Plant	C57-22-1001
10	Combined Mess (300)	S31-1030
11	Officer's Quarters	S30-1030
12	O.R.Quarters	S30-1030
13	O.R.Quarters	S30-1030
14	O.R.Quarters	S30-1030
15	O.R.Quarters (Future)
16	O.R.Quarters	S30-1030
17	(not allocated)
18	Sewage Disposal Plant	C57-24-1001
19	Main Supply Pump House	C57-25-1000
20	Explosives Store	S20-1015
21	Water Reservoir	C57-25-1001
22	Well Pumphouse
23
24
25	VHF/UHF/ADF	S13-1000
26
27	VHF/TX Remote	S13-1037
28	VHF/RX Remote	S13-1037

Reviewing the Casey Emergency Airstrip domestic site 1964 air photo

Originally I posted this blog entry armed only with an air photo, what I saw with my own eyes while I was there, and some common sense based on what I've seen at other Canadian Forces bases and stations.  Just recently I met the acquaintance of Dave St-Laurent, who had made the trek to the National Archives and checked out the Casey file.  Based on the Site Plan for the proposed expansion for the Casey Emergency Airstrip, which would have made it a full fledged "Station", I can now definitively state what the uses were of the buildings in the 1964 air photo from the National Air Photo Library below.

The full resolution TIFF image can be downloaded here (over 100Mb) so you can draw your own conclusions.

Casey Domestic Site - Garage, Boiler, Generator, other

In the above image you can see (bottom right) the 12 bay garage which is visible from the East-West road (the road still exists today).  The SW/NE road at the left of the picture is overgrown and is not realistically passable. You'll notice the top left square building has a smoke stack, and a big pipe, suspended in the air and held up with telephone-poles.  That is the steam/heating plant fueled with diesel from the tanks off the right side of the picture.  That pipe network is the same as you'd see at any Pinetree Line site with a central heating plant.  You'll notice the top right building has at least 3 smoke stacks along the peak of the roof, and no heat/hot-water going to it - it is the diesel powered generator building, and makes its own heat!  The bottom leftmost building was Ration stores, and the middle building between it and the garage was just general storage.

Casey Emergency Airstrip - Mess Hall and other unknown buildings

The cross-shaped building is the mess hall, built to hold 300 people.  The leftmost long building was the headquarters of the base.  The top left building was an 8 bed hospital.  There are transformers on telephone polls at the bottom right of the picture, and in all of the pictures you can see telephone poles which are actually carrying power.

Casey Emergency Airstrip - Barracks

These are typical 1950s era barracks.  Each is connected to the heat pipes, as they wouldn't have their own furnaces. The top right barracks would have been for officers.  The middle section of all of them would have housed common facilities (showers, bathrooms), and each barracks is speculated to have a capacity of ~160 men.

Casey Emergency Airstrip - Diesel storage, and unknown bldg

The berms from these Diesel storage tanks are still there, but the tanks are long gone. I believe I walked over or right past where that little white building was, but I didn't see it at all.  On the site plan it is labelled "pumphouse".  I assume that's to pump the Diesel?  It doesn't seem to have any heat going to it, which is interesting; as a machinery-filled building I guess that makes sense.

Main supply pumphouse

This is labelled the "main supply pumphouse" on the site plan; the main water supply to be precise.  It is heated, clearly so the water wouldn't freeze.  It is built on a reservoir and pumps uphill to another fresh water holding tank.  The water is drawn from a well across the river on the south shore.  I didn't know what that well building was (not pictured), but so far haven't been able to get to it due to the bridge leading to it being out.

CE Building

This is labelled as the CE Building.  Unfortunately I don't know what that is, but maybe it's the Communications and Electronics building?  You'll notice it doesn't have steam pipes leading to it, so it must be making it's own heat.

Intersection to Radio Bldg

Above is the mystery intersection.  I've stood in the middle of this road, and tried to find the North (up) facing road.  I cannot.  Others with GPSes in hand have tried to find that road.  They failed too. How the N/S road up the hill to the radio site has vanished so thoroughly I have no idea.  Along the West side of that road there were telephone polls, which might help in the road's identification.  I can see on the Google and Bing satellite imagery that the road does have different vegetation on it, eventually, but it seems difficult to find the entrance to!

Casey Emergency Airstrip - VHF/UHF/ADF Bldg

This is the "gold" at the top of the hill.  Nobody has seen this building in decades.  Locals can't even find it.  It is the VHF/UHF/ADF building. This is still a major priority of mine for the next trip. 
As best as I can figure the building is at (47.94184, -74.10999).  there were also separate RX and TX buildings for UHF and VHF Northeast of the domestic site.

View Larger Map  |  Get Directions  |  View Bird's Eye

The above is what the site looks like now; overgrown.  Thankfully, the soil isn't very fertile, is mainly sand, and not a lot of serious vegetation has grown up in the area.  It could probably be cleared up and the foundations exposed with a few days of clearing operations and a team of people who are willing to get dirty.

Casey, Québec 2014 Trip

Old Road to Casey Airstrip

Between September 13th and September 15th I took a trip to the Casey Emergency Airstrip to check out what I hadn't seen before, and meet some new faces from L'Association Les Ailes Québécoises.  I detailed in my last Casey-related post what I wanted to accomplish, and at least attempted to get to each of the sites I mentioned.  Pierre Nadon, whom I met at Casey, pointed out additional sites that he and his friends from the flying club had unearthed before I arrived.  Unfortunately for me, it had been raining for quite some time, and the dirt road from Mont Laurier to Parent was rather miserable to drive on.  It took ~8.5hrs to drive from Ottawa, ON to Casey, QC with few stops.  On the way back I went East; taking me through La Tuque, Shawinigan, Trois-Rivières, and Montreal.  It took longer, but the road was better - it also wasn't pouring rain, so that probably helped!

Airstrip

Casey Emergency Airstrip

I paid better attention to the condition and construction of the airstrip than I had before, and took a video of driving around the perimeter of the entire airstrip.  The initial construction of the airstrip seems to have been concrete, with expansion joints filled with tar.  The entire airstrip is ~2500M long, but the middle 75% of the runway is paved over with asphalt, and at each end is still just concrete.  At either end there are parts of the concrete that have deteriorated and crumbled somewhat, but the majority of the airstrip is in superb condition.  As the airstrip is no longer maintained, the trees on either side have encroached where previously it was cleared.  The runway surface has some pebbles and sand on it in spots where ATVs have tracked the surrounding dirt onto the airstrip; a good sweeping would clear it up quite nicely.

Munitions Storage

Munitions Stoage
(pad where bldg was)

As I'd been told, and seen from the available satellite imagery, I found the munitions stoage facility at the end of a trail at the south end of the air strip, on what I believe was a man-made, or at least man-reinforced, peninsula in the middle of a swamp.  There were berms on all sides of the bunker in the air photos, and they are still as high as they had been when they were originally built.  I would guess they are 10-15ft high.  From the hole someone before me had dug in the side of the berm, I'd say they are sand and then topped with a layer of larger stone for structure.  The pad the building was on is concrete, thick and in perfect shape.  The pad is covered in moss and small seedlings, but could easily be cleared off with a flat shovel, or used as it is to pitch a tent.  Berms on all sides gives shelter from the worst of the wind.  Unfortunately someone has dumped some garbage on the NW side of one of the berms, away from the pad.  Rumour has it some locals believe the ammunition bunker is *inside* the earthen berm, which clearly, it is not.

Garage

Garage at Domestic Site

In the spring of 2012 I had seen what I now know as the garage building at the Casey domestic site, where the barracks, mess hall, and other comforts were located.  I had not noticed the exhaust vents located in the floor, or noticed that the large L shaped hole in the floor has stairs leading down, and we presume was used to get under vehicles to perform maintenance.

Generator Building

Generator Bldg

Behind the garage, through what is now the forest, is another cement foundation with channels in the concrete for what I believe would have been cables or conduit.  It has been going back to nature seemingly at a greater rate than the garage, and Pierre Nadon had a good question; why?  Why is the generator building covered in shrubs, leaves, dirt, and moss - when the foundation of the garage is mostly bare and easily accessible and viewable for what it once was.  Well, I think there's a simple answer.  Someone, interested in the history of Casey like us, has very possibly cleaned off the cement pad/foundation of the garage while exploring.  The garage is also right beside the road that leads to the airstrip, and is easily visible - drawing more attention.  The generator building is not obvious, and not easily accessible.  I believe I'll need to shovel off the foliage and dirt the next time I'm there to try and uncover the original footprint of the generator building.  Without trees growing into the concrete, hopefully the concrete wont deteriorate at quite as fast a rate.

Control Tower

I had completely missed the control tower the last time I went to Casey, but Pierre was able to point it out to me.  The basement is flooded, and there is no way out since the stairs had fallen in many years ago.  It's a rather gruesome horror show of dead things; mainly mice and frogs. Luckily you can see the entire basement, and it's quite clear there isn't anything interesting down there anyway.

Casey 2014 - Trip Planning

[Previous posts about previous trips, planning and history re: Casey and Parent in 2011 and 2012 can be found here, here, here, here, and here]

Back on topic; what haven't I seen, and what do I want to see, when I go back to Casey, Quebec to see the Cold War-era 2.5Km concrete airstrip, in the middle of nowhere, later in 2014?

National Air Photo Library Image
Casey Emergency Air Strip - 1964
(Full-size 50Mb)

topographic view of the above air photo (approximate)
atlas.gc.ca

Yellow Circle - Unknown

From what I've read, I believe the building in the yellow circle is a radio building of some sort; HF? VOR? UHF/VHF?.  It is at a high point of elevation, but I did not find the path up the hill but did try to bush-whack it unsuccessfully on my last visit. 

National Air Photo Library Image
Casey Emergency Air Strip - 1964

Red Circle - Domestic Site

A mess hall, quarters, and all the necessities of a base were stationed at this location.  I do not have a site plan of the area, so I'm not sure what all of the buildings were.  I do know from the last time that there are only foundations which remain.  At the south end of the base there is an underground water reservoir, I presume fed from a pumping station down by the water.

National Air Photo Library Image
Casey Emergency Air Strip - 1964

Aqua Circle - Unknown

I don't know what's there, but I presume it was some sort of radio building.  The elevation is lower than the yellow circle, but still a high point.  Again, I presume it is; HF, VOR or UHF/VHF.

National Air Photo Library Image
Casey Emergency Air Strip - 1964

Green Circle - Unknown

Not sure what this building was either; HF? VOR? UHF/VHF?

National Air Photo Library Image
Casey Emergency Air Strip - 1964

Bruno Gauthier took the following pictures of the remains of a building in the green circle above when he visited the site in 2013.

Photo Courtesy of Bruno Gauthier

Photo Courtesy of Bruno Gauthier

Photo Courtesy of Bruno Gauthier

Photo Courtesy of Bruno Gauthier

Pink Circle - Unknown

These two little buildings are near the water, and might have to do with pumping water, I'm not sure.

National Air Photo Library Image
Casey Emergency Air Strip - 1964

Blue Circle - Ammunition Magazine

Clearly, from the berms, and it's location beside the airstrip, this is a munitions storage magazine.  I believe from it's design it was intended for conventional not "special" munitions.

National Air Photo Library Image
Casey Emergency Air Strip - 1964

Preparing for the road trip to RCAF Station Parent and Casey

(UPDATE: This trip happened) 

To recap, I'm going camping with ~8-10 of my craziest friends in the near future, and here's where we're going, in excruciating detail for my next of kin.  All times are approximate, and I've put no times to events on Day 2 and Day 3 because other than getting home around dinner time, I have no schedule I need to keep!

Day 1 ~450 Km:

• 09:00  Depart from Carp, ON
• 09:45  meet the rest of the expedition at Tunney's Pasture, by the giant microwave dish.
• 10:00  Pick up the downtownie, in the market
• 10:15  Travel to Mont Laurier, QC; via the 105, 107 and 117
• 12:30  Meet the Montrealer who's joining our merry band of lunatics there.
• 13:00  Allowing time for the unexpected, depart from Mont-Laurier for Parent, QC
• 16:00  Arrive at Parent, QC, make camp

View Larger Map

Day 2 ~55 Km:

• Break camp
• Explore the remnants of RCAF Station Parent
• Travel from Parent to the Casey Air Strip
  (NB: The road is not mapped, I will be GPSing it and adding it to Google Maps upon my return)
• Explore the remnants of the Cold-War-era air base near Casey, QC
• Make camp!

View Parent, QC to Casey Air Strip in a larger map

Day 3 ~500 Km?

This is where it gets a little hazy.  By this time we've been in the middle of nowhere, in below freezing (at night) temperatures, for 2 sleeps.  Some of the expedition may have become disenfranchised with the trek's vision.  Some may be cold.  Some may be whiny. 
By the start of Day 3, if all goes according to plan, we will be waking up at the abandoned airstrip at Casey, QC.  If we haven't done enough exploring the day before, we can explore some more.  By noon, at the latest, we should be heading home.

I have a "Plan A" and a "Plan B". 

Plan A  ("The Safe Way" - Back the way we came ) ~500 Km

• Casey, QC to Parent, QC
• Parent, QC to Mont-Laurier QC (Wave goodbye to the Montrealer who would take the 117 back East)
• Mont-Laurier to Ottawa, drop off the downtownie and whoever else.

If by day 3 we've had an incredible time, and we all feel invincible, we get to take the "new" way back, the road less traveled.

Plan B  (AKA The Yippe-Kay-Yay Way - BOOYAH!) ~480 Km

• Head along the forrestry roads from Casey, QC to "Chemain de Manouane" 
• Head SE along Chemain de Manouane, find the turn off SW toward Rivière-Rouge
• Decision time
• If the road toward Rivière-Rouge looks traversable by a Jeep Liberty, a Subaru, an Iltis, and a couple of pick up trucks - GIVE 'ER.



RCAF Station La Macaza - 1963
Credit: Donald Norrie

• If the road toward Rivière-Rouge looks too rough, head to Saint-Michel-des-Saints, to Montreal, and to Ottawa - skip the following instructions.
• Head to the Correctional Services Canada La Macaza Institution... and try not to get arrested. 
• See BOMARC Missile bunkers
  (from a distance I expect)
• Take the 117 to Route Des Ormes to the 323
• Take the 323 to the 315
• Take the 315 through Mayo to the 148
• Take the 148 to Ottawa

View Larger Map

Weather
Here are the weather forecasts for the areas which we will be visiting. 
In case of rain, snow, sleet, hail, tornado, flying pigs - too bad, we're going anyway...
DOORS OFF!

It's quite possible there will be a few people who won't talk to me after I put them through this! 
It looks like it's going to be really cold!

Planning for Camping in Parent, QC and Casey, QC

(UPDATE: This trip happened)

If you hadn't noticed, my fall trip to Thunder Bay, Ontario (~1450km) fell through, completely.  By buying my Iltis from Renfrew, I missed out on an awesome 2-3 day camping extravaganza, in near freezing temperatures, across northern Ontario.  Yes, I was in fact looking forward to it.  I'll need to do it eventually, but for now the plan is shelved. 
I hope to extend the trip all the way to Sioux Lookout, Ontario (via Armstrong Station, Ontario).

What I do have on the agenda is the original plan to drive to Casey, Quebec and see the abandoned cold war concrete airstrip. 

When?

Looking at the recorded temperature highs, lows, and averages for the area I think late April or early May are the safest ideas; so the camping party can enjoy the time as best as possible, as soon as possible, without many bugs.  The nights will be cold, so that should kill off the bugs/mosquitoes.  I hope.

Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada

I discovered that Library and Archives Canada (395 Wellington Street, Ottawa) has several collections including old military archives containing everything from commanding officer logs, to the layouts of sewer systems, where and how roads were constructed, etc..  From that information I should be able to study up on the facility.  I've looked up online, through their search tools, over a half a dozen different applicable files.  I'm hoping to find enough records about RCAF Station Casey to make a composite map/collage of the area, and know where to look for building foundations or other facilities such as water pump facilities, power facilities, sewage facilities, off-site radio facilities, etc. 
From that information we'll know what we're looking at and where we're going.

The National Air Photo Library
(Natural Resources Canada)

The National Air Photo Library
(Natural Resources Canada)

In order to get a better idea of what buildings have stood on the site of the old military airstrip, it only makes sense to consult old air photos.  I've spoken to the staff at the National Air Photo Library (615 Booth Street #180, Ottawa) and they are very eager to help with this kind of research.  I just need to find a time that works for both their office hours and my schedule that will allow me to work with them and review some of the vintage air photos from the 50's, 60's and 70's of the area.

What route?

This is the part that I'm having difficulty with.

The last trip to Parent, Quebec took the main road from Mont Laurier to Parent, but that's easy, because it's the *only* road to Parent!  The road is dirt, but it is very wide and easy to drive.

View Larger Map

Parent, QC to Casey, QC

Casey, QC
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/37889047.jpg

Thanks to some local advice I've recently been given, I can confirm that there is a road from Parent to Casey which is passable by regular vehicles, thanks to the 2011 logging which has been happening East of Casey, QC!  Unfortunately it's not really "on the map" yet, but I expect will turn into a real road eventually and get picked up by Google Maps.  It's plainly visible from Parent to Casey all the same, using Google Satellite view.  Disregard the blue line, the road is sand/dirt and viewable pretty much right down the middle, left to right.

View Larger Map

Then comes the challenging bit... Casey, QC back to Ottawa, ON for some, and Montreal, QC for others.

Casey To...
Casey to Montreal or Ottawa share the 1st leg to the Manawan road. The road from the Manawan reserve to Saint Michel Des Saints was built in the 70's, it is a good road, then it's the 131 all the way in to Montreal - but...

View Larger Map

How to get from Casey to Ottawa?
Well... you know the old ditty... You take the high road and I'll take the low road... there's a road on the map, which doesn't look very big, but goes right where I want it to.  I've been burned by Google Maps before, and I'm intent on having it burn me again, so unless someone can tell me that road is a impassable ATV only hell hole I'm going to do it!

View Larger Map

Not Ottawa?

Oh, so you noticed that is not Ottawa... yes indeed, that's the site of the former CFS La Macaza - home of the Canadian 447 SAM Squadron from 1962-1972 who manned the famous BOMARC nuclear tipped anti-aircraft missiles - that's right, one of two nuclear SAM sites on Canadian Soil!  This is the location of the camping trip "BONUS ROUND" if we've made it this far without killing each other or ourselves we can drive by, wave, and likely not actually stop... because the former base is now a medium security prison for sex offenders and recovering substance abusers! 
Camping with me is never dull!

From there we go on to Ottawa!

View Larger Map

There we have it.  To Ottawa, via the 323, then the 315, and the 148.

The name of the game will be fill up at every gas station, and drive like a psychopath.  Hey, when in Rome...

 

Road Trip to RCAF Station Parent (Parent, QC)

For the past decade or so I've wanted to do a cold war road trip through the southern states and west coast; hitting most of the national labs, test sites, aircraft graveyards, and other historically significant places to do with the cold war and nuclear weapons programs. Unfortunately, due to the increased level of paranoia in the US, I don't think a foreign national coming into the country to take pictures of missile bases and such would be terribly popular, and might even end me up in jail. So, what's a guy to do? Well, what do we have IN Canada that's interested? Beavers, Moose... we have the Diefenbunker! But... the Diefenbunker is a hop skip and a jump away from my house, there's no fun in that. What about the radar stations from the 1950's which protected CAN/US interests from the Soviet bomber fleet? I knew there was one in Foymount ( a nice day trip if I went there ) but I didn't know how many other sites there were across Canada. According to Wikipedia, 44! Then I found out about the BOMARC program, that adds at least another two sites. With a little digging I found the locations of all these sites; they stretch from coast to coast, and then up the coasts! I don't know that this idea is quite the same as the cold war road trip that I'd originally went looking for, but it sure started to look interesting.
Looking for information regarding the current state of these sites, I quickly discovered something. Some of these sites have been razed to the ground and totally wiped off the planet. Others have been re-purposed and are inhabited ...But many were re-purposed, then abandoned - and the radar sites that are the most remote, are the most intact. Radar stations which are close to urban centers (I'm looking at you Montreal) have been burned out, grafiti'd, and generally abused. The bases I'm most interested in are those which look as they did, or even if the buildings were razed, I'd like the area to look as they did. I realized that I wanted to get up there, and take a lot of pictures. I wanted to chronicle what it looked like today, and by being there, understand some of what the people went through when they were stationed to these remote stations. I want to get to the top of each hill, stand where the radar station was, and take pictures of the view - as the first people stationed there would have 60 years ago. 

MY FIRST?
I settled on a radar station that was located near Parent, Quebec; RCAF Station Parent (1950-1963).
By doing my research, I found many family pictures of people who were stationed there, the winter carnivals, halloween, christmas parties... you name it. The bonus; many of the pictures had the station or it's buildings behind those who were posing!

HOW FAR?
Looking at how far this trip would be, I didn't think ~400Km would take *that* long, and I'd pack a lunch, and probably a sleeping bag. Google suggested that the trip would take ~9hrs. WHAT? Well, after the first two hours of travel gets you to Mont Saint Michel, the road quality drops off. What's the good news? I found pictures of the roads around there:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/parent-quebec-50674
Dirt road, yes, but not so bad! Google has no idea how quickly people can travel on an unpaved road, so I hope it's just a very conservative 9hrs. Also, the road is *THE* road and realistically should be beaten down by the trucks, as it is the ONLY road that heads south from town, and there is a heavy lumber industry in the area.

LODGING
I was kicking around the idea of camping vs. Motel, but once I found out that only one of four motels in town gave you your own bathroom (all 1 star I might add), I figured camping sounded pretty good. With the bears... Sleeping with a shotgun... The camp site also has toilets and showers; civilization! I tried calling ahead to reserve a spot; they were quite surprised I even called, and insisted they would have lots of space.
I get the idea nobody in their right mind goes to Parent, Quebec to camp...
http://www.tourismehsm.qc.ca/thsm_en/index.php/food-and-accomodation/camping/355.html

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADA
The national archives have copies of all the commanding officer's logs from the ten year period the station was in service, as well as the years preceding that when it was being built. It is incredible how much information is contained with them, including reference to the Cuban missile crisis and elevating their threat level to DEFCON 3A!
I have lots of stories from the commanding officer's log regarding the very interesting and colourful beginnings of the base (including Canada Goose and UFO stories...) but here are two of my favourites:

"the combined mess building was taken over by the RCAF and to relieve the boredom for those on the scene, a combined canteen was organized on 18 Mar 53. To mark the opening of the canteen and also as it presented the first opportunity for those present to reciprocate for the hospitality extended by the local inhabitants, a party was arranged for the night of Saturday, 21 March. This party was intended as only an informal "do" and would be by written invitation. However, the local inhabitants, isolated as they are from what is going on in the "outside world", let their imaginations run wild as to what an Air Force function would be. As a result, the number of people invited steadily grew in order not to offend anyone and word came back to the RCAF personnel of elaborate purchases of evening dresses, etc. Rather than disillusion those who were going to such great lengths, the small party of RCAF personnel kept adding to the programme for the evening. As a result, the final party and the free dinner that went with it would have done justice to any of the large messes in the RCAF. The food for the party was prepared and given free by the firm of Crawley & McCracken, who were mentioned earlier as catering contractor for the project. The company spared no expenses in preparing a wonderful spread. The next morning a great deal of food remained and all the members of the RCAF Detachment dined on it rather than the rugged bill of fare they were accustomed to daily in the camp cook house. Afterwards a quantity of food still remained, and so it was decided to parcel it up and donate it to an encampment of Cree Indians situated halfway to Parent. This was probably the best food the Indians had had in many a moon as they had been scavenging the garbage dump for food from the contractor’s camp. From that time on until the Indians broke camp with the coming spring, the RCAF vehicles passing through their camp were treated as "the great white fathers" and received the joyous shouting and waving of all the "braves". This one episode has been recounted in some detail as it can serve as a criterion of the many pleasant experiences enjoyed by the Detachment in the early stages of 14 ACW Squadron."
    - CC Underhill, Wing Commander, Commanding Officer, 14 ACW Squadron
        November 30th, 1953

"of interest for the record to note the social and economic side effects that the construction of the radar station invoked. Prices of commodities and services in the town of Parent immediately soared, especially those services catering to entertainment and relaxation of a large body of construction workers. The peak work force was in the neighbourhood of 1,000 men and with the high rate of pay and a cost plus project, money was plentiful. The purveyors of alcohol and hotel operators in particular, found their income exceeding their fondest expectations. In a town where previously only one ancient taxi cab operated, now a fleet of thirty modern taxis roared uninhibited on the gravel roads making a small fortune for their operators. Under such conditions it was inevitable that social dislocations would occur and the writers of this chronicle have heard the stories of impromptu battles when gangs of lumberjacks and construction workers met head-on in the town of Parent. The high point of this episode was the night in Parent when a hundred men were involved simultaneously in one huge free-for-all on the main street."
    - CC Underhill, Wing Commander, Commanding Officer, 14 ACW Squadron
        November 30th, 1953
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO THERE?
I get a lot of people asking what I want to do up there. Well, it's like a treasure hunt really. To the casual observer, the base is a bunch of razed buildings, and some Primary Married Quarters buildings still stand. To the treasure hunter and amateur historian (um, me) I have found out where the pipes run, how much rock had to be blasted, where the septic facility was, that there was a 100,000 Gallon reservoir buried at the top of the hill, and potentially a 2nd 10,000 Gallon reservoir. Those holes weren't filled in, so they're still there - vast caverns buried underground. The basements of the facilities are likely still intact as well, although some deterioration of the concrete can be expected and has been photographed by previous adventurers. Someone mentioned welded doors leading to a tunnel, where are they, and where do they go? No, I'm not going up there to break and enter, but I will photograph the entire area and try and put together an idea of how the base was laid out, back in the day.

WHO LIVES THERE?
The Village of Parent has a large lumber mill which employs at least 150 locals. The village is (at most) 250 people, so it's a one industry village; but they have a gas station, corner store, post office, churches, etc. They are a hub of outfitting come hunting season, as they are in the middle of nowhere Quebec - I bet the hunting is pretty darn good up there (too bad I don't hunt). I just hope the locals are as friendly in person as they have been on the phone. I suspect they'll like a little influx of cash at the local resto/bar.

WILL YOU VISIT ANYTHING ELSE?
As well as the Main Site (at the top of the hill) and the Domestic Site (at the bottom of the hill, where they slept), there is a small landing strip, an antenna I'd like to check out (for the view), a derelict hydro electric dam somewhere which looks very creepy, and a fire station which is begging for me to photograph it!

WILL YOU SEE IT ALL?
No, sadly I know I will not. There is a cold war airbase east of there with a ~14,000+ foot CONCRETE runway, but inaccessible to a two wheel drive pickup (mine). I need at least a 4WD truck or jeep. Anyone want to lend me an H1 for the weekend? No? Bah. To the best of my understanding RCAF Station Casey was built (or seriously upgraded) in the 1950s by the American Army Corp of Engineers, who blasted a channel around the airstrip to divert a significant amount of water traveling along a stream/river, and installed the massive runway to service fully laden nuclear bombers, en route to the USSR. B-52 bombers, to be exact, needed that long an airstrip to land/get up to speed with their full payload of ordinance. If there was a B-52 doing maneuvers in Canada's North, the US wanted to make sure they had a few emergency airstrips dotted around to service their planes. Well, that's the official story, so far - I think the base was used for more than that, but I have more digging to do.
I know with certainty that the base was located near the rail line, so any heavy equipment, fluids (gas), or ordinance could be easily shipped in. The airstrip was extremely remote, and invisible from the rail line. I know for a fact the base was capable of refueling planes up to and including the 1970's (as the below plane crashed on takeoff). The RCAF Designated Base was officially closed in 1960.
Since that time, there has been at least one crash (in 1972 killing all three aboard). That crash was a Lockheed L-1049H, the same type of plane that was used by The Rolling Stones, and frequently flown by Air America... you remember them, right? The airfield was also the site of the biggest coke bust in Canadian history, performed by an RCMP interdiction squad, after four CF-18s gave chase. I believe the aerodrome ceased to be operational in the 1980's for anyone's use, but I'm looking into that.

Reference:
"Captain Jim Carlin and (it is believed) Flight Engineer Rick Riccatelli lost their lives in the crash of another Connie ... On 9 June 1973, Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation N173W (c/n 4674) was taking-off from Casey, Quebec in Canada when it crashed into trees soon after take-off and was destroyed by explosion and fire. The third crew member, First Officer A. Condey, was also killed in the crash. The aircraft had been modified for spraying pesticides on forests and it was engaged in these operations on the day of the crash. The investigation revealed that the flaps had been retracted prematurely after take-off. N173W was previously owned by Lance Dreyer's Unum Inc."
http://www.adastron.com/lockheed/constellation/stones-connie.htm
"1992 Casey Quebec - RCMP seize record 4,323 kilos of cocaine with a street value of $2.7 billion. The Canadian military, with the help of the US DEA, track the plane from South America, then chase it with jet fighters and military helicopters over New Brunswick, forcing it to land at a remote Quebec airstrip; on Nov. 20 they close a processing lab in Laval and arrest 4 Quebeckers, 3 Columbian nationals."
http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/ancient-medieval-early-modern-ages/40946-today-canadian-history-2.html
-Stef