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by Krystyna Cruises in Canada are different Here there are no tropical islands no coral reefs or palm- shaded lagoons Instead there are the Mackenzie River in the North west Territories Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba and the fjords of the British Columbia coast three waterways for three unusual Canadian cruises The Mackenzie River lifeline to the western Arctic was discovered by Sir Alexander Mackenzie who in explored it to its mouth on the Arctic Ocean Modernday explorers can take a weeklong package vacation and retrace this mile route on the cruise ship MS The package actually begins in Edmonton Alberta with a jet flight to Hay River Northwest Territories Here a bus meets you at the airport and you are taken on a tour of this community of 3000 one of the largest in the Territories This is where the Mackenzie River starts its journey to the Arc tic Ocean providing a route for the transportation of goods to com munities along its shores In Hay River there is an unusual secondary school designed by an Indian architect Its exterior is composed entirely of curves there are no straight lines or corners It is painted in such a way that the color changes from a warm red to a bluish tint depending on the inten sity of the sunlight The school has a central concourse and the various facilities are contained in blocks divided by transparent walls which radiate from the centre From Hay River the bus takes you along the Mackenzie Highway to Fort Providence There you hoard the 103foot for the trip down the Mackenzie River The ship sleeps 20 guests in double cabins Captain Don who has lived in the north and plied the river for over 12 years says its pretty well up to the passengers to decide what kind of cruise they will have There is no set itinerary al though stops are planned for all the settlements along the river Unscheduled stops are easily arranged If for example he hap pens to have birdwatching enthus iasts aboard Capt Tetrault is more than willing to pull in along some of the marshes to let them watch to their hearts content He will even atop the ship so passengers can have a barbecue on the shore or wander off to collect rocks At Fort Simpson the Laird River flows from the Mountains of British Columbia to join the Mackenzie bringing with it a load of glacial silt turning the broad Mackenzie to a sandy brown This was the site of the Fort of he Forks built in 1804 by the North West Company of fur traders In the Hudsons Bay Company built a fort here and named it after the companys governor Sir George Simpson From Fort Simpson the Nor- continues to sail down the slow broad Mackenzie which drops only 500 feet in its long journey to the Arctic Indian legend has it that a giants once went out of control and ignited a bed of low- grade coal near what is now Fort Norman Indeed the coal was burning when Alexander Macken zie reached this spot in 1789 poss ibly ignited by a flash of lightning Fort Good Hope is the oldest community on the lower Mackenzie River the first fort having been built about 100 miles downstream in 1804 In 1836 the community moved to its present site at the north end of the sevenmilelong Ramparts Canyon Religion quickly followed the trappers and settlers to the north and in the Church of Our Lady of Good Hope was started by an Oblate lay brother Patrick Kear ney The small white church still stands and inside it are a number of murals depicting biblical scenes and Indian life As the sails on to the town of you see families living in fishing camps along the rivers banks as they did hundreds of years ago seemingly unaware of the encroachment of the cen tury Before reaching the crosses the Arctic Circle latitude degrees 33 minutes north Like crossing the equator this is an occasion which merits the breaking out of bottles of champ agne and going ashore to walk across the circle Inuvik is a town built on stilts The buildings are all constructed on pilings sunk into the permafrost below the tundra If construction is carried on directly on the tundra the permafrost melts and the ground becomes marshy To avoid this holes are steamed into the permafrost the pilings are driven in and the permafrost is allowed to refreeze Only then is construction began Sewer and water lines are carried in aboveground conduits located on the Macken zie River Delta is the federal gov ernments western Arctic admin istrative center One of the main industries is trapping The town was built in 1954 its name is Eskimo for Place of Man The heritage of Canadas Eskimos is evident in the architect ure of Our Lady of Victory Church which is shaped like an igloo It is built of wooden blocks and painted white The dome is made of bronze is a thriving community with hotels cocktail bars and satel lite television If weather and ice conditions permit the Norweta will sail even further north to the town to Tuk- toyaktuk Along the way 100foot frost bolla can been seen on the means it looks like a caribou According to legend an Eskimo woman was once forbidden to look at the caribou A novel holiday Canad She disobeyed and looked at a herd wading in the shallow water at the mouth of the Mackenzie The cari bou turned to stone When the tide is low at this point the reef resembles a herd of caribou On the seventh day of the cruise you board a jet in Tuktoyaktuk for the return flight to Edmonton A southbound cruise including the same main stops is also available In the Norweta will begin cruising the Mackenzie northbound on June and will make its last trip southbound including air f and return is cruise alone i well in I Wed April 14 1976 A novel holiday Cruise Canada disobeyed and looked at a herd in the shallow water at the th of the Mackenzie The to stone When the tide at this point the reef mbles a herd of caribou In the seventh day of the cruise you board a jet in Tuktoyaktuk for the return flight to Edmonton A southbound cruise induing the same main stops is also available In 1976 the Norweta will begin cruising the Mackenzie northbound on June and will make its last trip southbound on October Cost including air fare from Edmonton and return is Cost of the cruise alone is Reservations should be made well in advance I For fanciers of saltwater cruising there is something slightly different on Canadas west coast The ton 329foot Northland Prince sales out of Vancouver British Columbia every Tuesday returning the following Monday Besides taking freight and supplies to communities along the coast of BC it carries passengers through spectacular scenery reminiscent of the fjords of Norway First stop after leaving Van couver is Ocean Falls From there its on to Masset in the Queen Char lotte Islands a group of islands shrouded in mists low clouds and Indian legends The Indian village of Haida near Masset is the site of new totem poles carved by the Haida Indians also known for their car vings in a black hardened mud stone The Wildlife Sanctuary located here is home to geese swans and ducks From Masset the Northland Prince steams on to the ports of Port Simpson Stewart located on the border with Alaska Alice Arm at the end of Observatory Inlet Kincolith and Prince Rupert 30 miles south of the Alaska pan handle Prince Rupert has a natural ice- free harbor and calls itself the hali but capital of the world Average annual catch is 16000000 pounds It also provides a western port for prairie wheat and is the northern most British Columbia Ferries stop Here you can visit the Museum of Northern British Columbia and see examples of totem poles carved by Haida Indians from the Queen Charlotte Islands The museum houses a collection of Indian art and artifacts including a Chilkat Indian blanket made of mountain goat wool There are fine examples of Haida and totem poles in several of the citys parks The west coast version of the Reversing Falls is located in Prince Rupert harbor It is a rever sing tidal stream between the and Morse basins From Prince Rupert the ship continues on to Butedale back to Ocean Falls and on to Bella It was near presentday Bella that Alexander Mackenzie became the first white man to see the Pacific Ocean after crossing North America by land The words Alexander Mackenzie from Canada by land the twenty- second of July one thousand seven hundred and ninetythree are imbedded in a rock in Sir Alex ander Mackenzie Provincial Park At one time the Bella Indians numbered about 5000 most of them living along the Bella Coola River Their numbers have been diminished by disease and only about are left all of them live in the town which bears their name As in many towns in British Col umbia Bella has a number of good examples of totem poles The Northland Prince leaves Bella to return to Vancouver This trip along the BC coast is similar to the cruise on the Nor weta in that there is no planned itinerary for day by day passenger activities When the Northland Prince stops at a port you have a chance to explore the town on your own A roundtrip deluxe ticket incl- four meals a day costs 346 The semideluxe fare which also includes four meals a day is If you wish you can take your car aboard the ship It will cost you 75 to take it as far as Prince Rupert and if you wish to take it to a port beyond Prince Rupert The Northland Prince accom modates passengers For vacationers who prefer a luxury ship theres the MS Lord Selkirk II sailing Lake Winnipeg Manitoba The Lord Selkirk II offers a wide choice of cruises to suit just about any holiday timetable These range from sevenday cruises which start at per person to the twoday weekender which starts at You board the ship in Selkirk Manitoba and the first stop is Grand Rapids where the Sas katchewan River flows into Lake Winnipeg Grand Rapids is the site of a 600000 horsepower Manitoba Hydro generating station Western Canadas first tram way was built in 1877 as a means of portaging the Grand Rapids The were drawn by horses A flatcar and section of track are preserved here as a monument On the shore of Lake Winnipeg at Gimli there stands a 20foot statue of a Viking warrior symbol izing the Icelandic heritage of this community Although Gimli is now home to Canadians of a number of extractions it is still the largest Icelandic community outside Ice land Each summer there is an Ice landic Festival with residents dressing in traditional costumes and taking part in two days of sing ing dancing and merrymaking Manitobas largest Indian reserve is located at Berens Rapids which is also a portofcall for the Lord Selkirk II Here visitors can sample bannock pio neer bread baked over an open fire Aboard the Lord Selkirk there are a number of activities to keep passengers busy You can try shuffleboard or skeet shooting Theres music for dancing or listening in the York Boat Lounge there are scrumptious meals in the Company of Adventurers Dining Room and excellent facilities for just relaxing in the Lady Selkirk Lounge The Lord Selkirk II which has a capacity of 130 will start its first cruise June 13 and its final cruise of the season will begin Oct ober 1976 For further information please contact the Canadian Government Office of Tourism Kent Street Ottawa KlA