Aug 31, 2012 - The Arctic Adventure

It's about 3500 kilometers, give or take, from Canmore to Inuvik via Red Deer. And we needed to do it in 5 days. Daunting. When Gene purchased a new vehicle that needed to make the trip, he invited Dad Lorne and brother Dale to keep him company, and the Arctic Odyssey was born. We set off with the new Acadia packed to the rafters and saw parts of the country that few "southerners" get to experience. The golden oceans of grain in North Central Alberta, the dense boreal forests of Northern Alberta, B.C. and the Southern Yukon, the innumerable...

Aug 4, 2011 - Northwest Territories

We did indeed head up to Northwest Territories this morning. I’ll say right up front that we were underwhelmed. This is how it went. From our campground in Fort Nelson, we drove back along the Alaska Highway about 15 miles to the intersection with Liard Highway. This is sometimes called the Liard Trail and that’s what is on the road sign at the junction. It is possible to make this a longer adventure to Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, and some Alaska travelers do that. From Grande Prairie, Dawson Creek, or somewhere...

Aug 8, 2010 - North West Territory

The Northwest Territory is quite an experience. Long, straight, gravel roads bordered by endless forest. We almost thought we were on Pinkham's or the Escourt Road in northern Maine. There are lots of wood bison up here. Prime habitat seems to be road right-of-ways. We encountered few vehicles on the roads, mainly tank trucks from the oil fields. There is a lot going on up here in the roadless areas: natural gas and oil fields, diamond and gold mines. Supplies get moved in the winter on ice roads. We saw no active timber harvesting nor pulp...

Apr 29, 2010 - ain't it good to be back home again....

We’re home. After a great visit with family and friends in Vancouver, Lillooet and Edmonton, and a spectacular drive through BC, we are back in Yellowknife and really enjoying reconnecting with good friends, family and our trusty dog. We go back to work on Monday after a whole year of freedom. It’s going to be REALLY tough getting up in the morning and getting back into a regular work routine! But for some reason we don’t seem to be getting much sympathy!!!. It’s been a fantastic year for us and, because people have been asking, we decided...

Sep 4, 2009 - Back to Alberta where I grew up

Can it really be so long and so many stories since we spoke? Yet here it is Sept.4, Labor Day weekend and we are camped at beautiful Lundbreck Falls campground with a river side site. But let's back track to Hay River, NWT. Since leaving we continued on the Waterfalls route. Just look at the magnificence of the Alexandra Falls. All I could say over and over was WOW! I've been to Niagra Falls in Ontario and its commercialism makes it pale in comparison to falls like this. And then it was back to Alberta where I was born and raised so it was...

Aug 13, 2009 - Waterfall Route to Hay River

Yellowknife is such an interesting city to visit with its unique blend of city high rises and ATV's on the streets. We still can't get used to ATV's being allowed on public highways but up here in the north, anything is possible. Part of the list I'm compiling from the north is one that includes best places to eat. Happy to say we found the best fish n' chips in Yellowknife...kind of a strange thing for us coming from the west coast. But at Bullock's Bistro, tucked into a 1936 old cabin we found a fun atmosphere and the best food. I love...

Aug 8, 2009 - Back into BC and on to Yellowknife, NWT

So much has happened since our last entry at Teslin. There is no straight across route from there to Yellowknife, NWT so we had to go back to Watson Lake, Yukon. There we visited with friends and took photos of the famous Sign Post Forest and our sign.With all ideas it started with one idea and has grown into over 65,000 signs from all over the world. And then we were on the Alaska Higway heading south back into BC, and our first stop at Liard Hot Springs. But Boo had other ideas. We shouldn't have been so presumptious as to think she...

Jul 13, 2009 - Exploring Inuvik

Inuvik was first conceived by the Canadian government in 1953 with the intention to replace the hamlet of Aklavik in the Mackenzie Delta which was subject to flooding. The new community was first named “New Aklavik” but this caused confusion for the delivery of mail and supplies. So in 1958 the name “Inuvik” (place of the people) was chosen. The town has seen over the year’s expansion and retraction mainly linked to exploration in the Mackenzie Valley and Beaufort Sea for oil and gas. Today Inuvik is the administrative and commercial centre...

Jul 12, 2009 - Crossing the Arctic Circle and into Northwest Territories

After a not so restful night (the neighbouring room had their television on loud till two in the morning!) at Eagle Plains we headed out again on the Dempster Highway. Fortunately the weather was brighter and dry. We had on the road found several areas where the road also acted as an emergency airstrip. Just passed Eagle Plains we found this again. The road ahead seemed to continue for miles. It did! At mile point 252 miles we crossed the Arctic Circle Latitude 66º 33’N. Here we got out and took our respective photographs so we could prove...

May 10, 2009 - still no bike for Lynda!

Well, we are back in Yellowknife after checking out our new bikes, preparing to leave next Wednesday (May 13), and Lynda still does not have a bike! Seems that the good folks at Marinoni, the bike builder in Montreal, made a mistake in welding her frame, and her bike will not arrive in Edmonton until at least May 19, the day we leave for Ireland. Lynda was of course upset! Soooo ... plan B is to rent a bike in Ireland, have her bike shipped to Dublin, and pick it up when we finish our Irish tour! We will be contacting bike shops in Dublin...

May 6, 2009 - No bike for Lynda yet!

Soooo, we are flying to Edmonton tomorrow to try out our new bikes, except Lynda's bike has not arrived! The bikes were built in Montreal, and shipped to the bike shop we are dealing with in Edmonton. Despite the best guess estimates that both bikes would be in Edmonton by today, Lynda's is still somewhere enroute. The bike shop, Redbike, has been great to deal with, and this tardy arrival is not a reflection of their overall service, which has been terrific. We have already had to push back the test rides by two weeks. We were supposed to...

Nov 5, 2008 - Second trip to the Arctic

SECOND STINT AT HOPE BAY - 10TH OCT - 10TH NOV, 2008 After a much too short two weeks off, I was again boarding a plane bound for Yellowknife. This time I was flying out of Winnipeg and at least this trip I knew what I was getting in for. I had purchased all my required winter gear and even bought myself a new laptop (about an hour before going to the airport) for the boring nights stuck in camp. After the compulsory nights stay at the Chateau Nova in downtown Yellowknife, I was once again on the Dash 7 heading north to lovely Robert’s...