Category: Along the Great Divide

Happy US Independence Day!  Hope you escape the aggravation of political posturing and are able to celebrate all the traditions and history of which we Americans may be proud…. and more importantly, that we should honor.

We did not know that Canada’s national holiday was observed so closely to our own – Canada Day is July 1, commemorating the consolidation in 1867 of 4 British colonies (now Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) into a single (still colonial) part of the British Empire called the Dominion of Canada.  This was merely one step towards Canada’s complete separation from Britain, which did not occur until 1982!  We were happy to celebrate this delightful country!

Here is one little example of so much that is admirable about this place.  We stayed at a lovely provincial park in BC called Boya Lake, a busy weekend as Canada Day approached.  When a camping area was vacated, an attendant was there almost immediately to tidy, clean and RAKE the campground for the next user.  We are not making this up!

What pride goes along with this level of care!  Even the presence of previously-mentioned flying biting insects is attributable in part to the purity of the water and the cleanliness of the air.  The politeness of the people stands out as well.

Now we are in……

Beautiful scenery, such as this view from our small local hotel in New Hazelton and more lake views…

Yukon bursts into a fabulous display of wildflowers this time of year, including fireweed, so called because it is the first flower to appear after a wildfire.  (Enjoying microphotography with the iPhone…..)

Aspen trees are a glistening part of the landscape (although closer inspection shows they too bear the mark of tiny parasites).

The wonders of Canada are just slightly marred by their bizarre choice of a national dish….. poutine, its basic form a greasy concoction of French fries topped with a strange brown gravy and cheese curds.  From here, poutine can be dressed up with bacon, and maybe even a scattering of…… what?  A green vegetable?

The wise connoisseur might pair poutine with a refreshing beer or glass of red wine….. unless he is watching his figure.

Another weight-watching strategy is to share one’s poutine with a fellow diner who is having a light and healthful veggie wrap.

The magic of Canada has not missed the attention of some of the most acquisitive and wealthy folks in our universe, however….. 

Long live Canada and the Canadians!  May they never compromise on all the qualities that make this place and its residents so special.

 

Airstrips in Canada are much like those in the US…… the small ones are amenable to campers with aircraft (even ultralights like Henry’s) and they are often located in interesting spots.

Near Prince George, BC, the Beaverley airstrip is used by local skydiving enthusiasts.  A doggie day care facility is also on the property.

Dease Lake’s airstrip was more sophisticated (asphalt), and used by fire control folks, local flyers, and helicopter and fixed-wing aerial tours.

Always intriguing views from the air…..

We camped for the better part of the last week or so, which accounts for my mostly grisly appearance….  that, and being handed a fresh fish to prepare for a meal (not a challenge I willingly would take on).

At least the intrepid fisherman cleaned it…..and in such a picturesque setting.

Poaching as a cooking method did not turn out too well; the most successful meal was mixing it with breadcrumbs and olive oil for fresh fish hash (I guess).

Nothing gets wasted (at least not in this group)…… Not even when a portion of the meal ends up (unintentionally) hitting the dirt.

Sometimes as a special treat, we have a meal “out”, as we did at this cafeteria in a temporary building that is primarily intended for the loggers in the area.  Great fresh broccoli soup, by the way!

Sometimes I get to help with the heavy lifting, but Henry really enjoys doing it himself.

After all this, we found a charming B&B in Carmacks, where we have been catching up on communications and taking long hot showers.  From here, we will head north toward Dawson City, and from there to the northernmost part of Yukon and into the Northwest Territories, staying at airstrips and campgrounds over the next week or so.  We hope to find a comfortable place with internet service in Inuvik for a break before the final thrust up to Tuktoyaktuk, on the edge of the Arctic Ocean!

Just when we think we are blazing a challenging – if not new – trail, we are humbled by stories such as the one from this couple from Colombia, who are really out there…..

…. having travelled from Florida to Dawson City (now on their way back again), carrying all of their equipment and gear with them on a single motorcycle, camping out as they go.

 Yee-haw!  They admit that it is a young person’s journey.  More power to them.  We suggested they might want to try a cargo ship when they’re ready to slow down a bit.

Happy trails to all!  More (we hope) from the other side of the Arctic Circle!

This may look like it came off a travel brochure – but it’s an actual fortuitously-sunlit photo of the Dempster Highway, which stretches from just outside Dawson City in Yukon Territory, across the Arctic Circle through Inuvit in the Northwest Territories, and finally to the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean.  The last stretch to Tuk just opened in late 2017; it previously was only accessible by plane or boat.

Speaking of which, my cousin Dani and husband Allan actually blazed the trail to this part of the world when they went through the Northwest Passage on the first large cruise ship to do so in 2017.  Their trip was amazing, seeing so much of the beauty of the Arctic waters, as well as the tiny communities who welcomed tourists for the first time!

Our road trip in contrast is on the gravel and dirt highway that is built up at least 4 1/2 feet above ground……. Otherwise, its permafrost base is subject to thawing, which would break up and buckle the driving surface.

Just a few miles before we got to the start of the Dempster, Henry noticed signs of a large forest fire off to the west.  We pulled over into a nearby gravel pit to watch, and ended up spending the night.

Quite a breath-taking view it was – a show of nature’s raw power –  and yet so common now in the western parts of North America, as weather patterns depart from their long-established norms.

Since summer in the far north means daylight extends through the night, we were up into the wee hours watching…. this photo taken at 12:30 am, just as the sun dipped a bit below the horizon –

The morning after this diversion, we embarked on the almost 900-kilometer (560-mile) trip one way to one of the northernmost points reachable by road on this continent.  Lots of people are prepared for extended stops, breakdowns and multiple flat tires!  Hopefully Henry is too!

We have to admit that the extended daylight hours have taken their toll on both of us; with sun beaming down, it’s easy to get caught up in the day’s activities; then Henry’s deep-seated fear about “burning daylight” means that we have to get up as soon as he notices that the sun is still out.  O Sleep, I miss you heartily!

Finally managed to snap a photo of a moose just down the road at…. only partially appropriately….. Two Moose Lake.  We took that as a good omen nonetheless!  (Not a great shot, but they are quite elusive!)

A fair number of folks on the highway – almost all of them in RVs or campers; some on motorcycles, and a pathetic few on bicycles loaded with gear.  I salute the determination and stamina of the latter, if not their good sense.

Not everybody is prepared for the roughness of the road – this poor schmuck’s tires were fine, but the lug nuts holding the wheel on his little car suffered stress fractures!

We were unable to find a campground or turnout to spend the night; instead set up camp on a little bluff and huddled inside while a heavy rainstorm with high winds swept through.

We thought the rain would improve the drivability of the road, but unfortunately it turned the surface into a sticky gray mess that this hapless fellow on his bicycle just could not negotiate.

Natural beauty of course….. the confluence of a couple of rivers, one with a heavy mineral content, a flower called cottongrass that is in rampant evidence across the tundra all the way north….. and an apple we had as a snack.

A bit past the half-way point to Inuvik, we crossed the Arctic Circle, where we were made welcome by a curious Arctic ground squirrel.

The Arctic Circle is at latitude 66 degrees, 33 minutes, the point at which the sun does not fall below the horizon on the longest day of the year (June 22).  From here we are in the Arctic, what some call North of 60……

Past the Arctic Circle, we entered the Northwest Territories….

There is supposed to be a bountiful caribou population, but none have appeared, except this guy.  (Apparently they spend their summers further to the east….)

Our first stay in the Arctic was the community of Inuvik, the “old” terminus of the Dempster Highway.    We spent a night there at a crappy (but still local) motel.

And then departed for the ultimate goal…..

The tundra was not as barren as expected, but dotted with small lakes and ponds, surprisingly green and scattered with cottongrass wildflowers in the summer months.

What an astonishing population of flying pests!  This photo, taken from the (closed) car window, almost captures the impression of swarms of bugs, in the near, middle and far distance, simply waiting for the door to open so as to swarm into your eyes, mouth and nose and alight on exposed and covered skin.

Once we reached Tuktoyaktuk, we felt compelled to go to the only local eatery to sample the indigenous dish, beluga whale, served both as raw chunks of blubber and as smoked flesh.  It’s a big deal culturally – First Nation people have special permission to harvest the whales and teach their children about the significance of this foodstuff and its preparation…..

The uninitiated have different reactions to it…..

(Please note I am wearing a sweatshirt which I acquired in Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America….. the span of two continents away.  Didn’t even notice this until just now…)

A major goal was to take the powered parachute out over the tundra…. Henry spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get permission to fly from the local airstrip, including a lengthy conversation with the airstrip manager, Darrell.   He explained that although not a major airport, the location had strategic significance as an early warning point for North American defense systems.  We pretty much concluded that we would not be able to fly here.

Later in the day, we recorded our journey to this northern point….

and dipped our toes in the Arctic Ocean.

Henry built a small fire on the point, then went to chat with a fellow enjoying an outing with his family.  As Henry returned, I said to myself, “Hmmmm, he just met a guy who knows Darrell.”  When he reached me, Henry said, “So, guess who I just met?”  I said, “A guy who knows Darrell?”  Henry said, “No, that was Darrell, and we can fly tomorrow morning!”

And so we did, over the distinctive geological features called pingoes, formations of ice that poke up through the permafrost…

Here’s a photo we took of Tuk from the air; the red circles from left to right show where we dipped our toes in the Ocean; the restaurant where we ate blubber; the point where Henry met Darrell and the Bed & Breakfast where we spent the night!  A small town!

It was a magnificent flight… here are the happy adventurers:

And – just in case you are curious about some of the mechanics involved with flying the powered parachute, here is how you take the air out just before you pack your chute…..

In any event, we achieved our goal of traveling to this place that we had not even heard of a few weeks ago…..

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

We returned to Inuvik and spent a couple of nights at an inn that does dog-sled outings in the winter.  They exercise their 35 huskies in summer by harnessing them to ATVs a couple of days a week for a run!

Our return down the Dempster was under cloudy skies, the truck and trailer somewhat the worse for wear because of the rough going, but intact and still functional…..  just like us.

 

 

Ravens are smart birds very commonly seen in the far north.   This crafty character loosened one of the ties holding down the canoe!

And was quite unrepentant…

Our trip on the last bit of the Dempster highway to Dawson City was overcast, but wild flowers were still a highlight.

After the far north, Dawson (in spite of streets paved in dirt) seemed a nice respite for a couple of days…. Bombay Peggy’s is an inn in an historic building that was formerly a brothel.

The town looked somewhat different from when we were there in February 2015.

Well…..maybe not so much.

As usual, nice encounters were had there…… bought woven bracelets from a young Frenchman, homemade cookies from an even younger resident….. and greeted a colorful pup anxiously awaiting his person.

Dawson has a lot of history dating back to the gold rush that began in the late 19th century; by visiting many of the historic and cultural sites in the Yukon, we earned the coveted Yukon Gold pin!

Because of its proximity and the lure of a border town named Chicken, Alaska seemed like a logical place to visit next.  Before crossing the border back into the US, we unloaded almost all of our fresh produce….. but still got caught with an apple that had to be immediately consumed or confiscated; also had to give up the firewood that had been carefully amassed.

Chicken is a tiny community that has capitalized on its funny name.

We were able to fly twice here, although the most interesting feature was the town of Chicken itself.  The Chicken Airport provided a good camp ground, which we shared with a couple from Ontario that we have run into several times in the course of our travels north.  Also shared the marshes surrounding the airport with the local moose and her yearling calf!

From Chicken, we proceed to the next Alaskan town of Tok, where the truck and trailer received a much-needed washing.

(Henry did the detailing….. )

Looks nice for our onward journey!

 

 

 

Johnstone Bay is located on the Kenai peninsula in Alaska, 30 miles east of Seward.  Jordan and Jamie are building a lodge in this wilderness, accessible only by air.  They have only had a few guests; we were among the first.

Glorious weather for the air transfer to the lodge.  No one else lives around or accesses this tract of land, where they built a couple of cabins, minimally furnished but with full facilities.

Walking paths lead through the forest to the accommodations (which they also share with their baby Roan and dogs Jazz and Ricky)… and also to a glacier-fed lake that sees virtually no other human visitors.

Almost like having a private glacier.  There are lots of glaciers in Alaska – a few get a lot of tourist traffic; most get none; this one gets visited via Zodiac by Jordan, Jamie and their guests.

Oh, and a whole slew of curious seals….

Not a great variety of rocks around the lake; but a few interesting finds, including a glittery patch of…. not gold, but pyrite.

While at the lake, Jordan picked up some glacier chunks to cool the ice chests that are used at the base lodge for food storage instead of refrigerators.

Another walk through the forest…..  and Ricky found some delicious blueberries!

Back on the rocky beach, a nice fire, and a stunning transparent sea creature..

The return chopper picked us up on the beach….

A final look at the seals and the glacier….

… some orcas in the Bay of Alaska….

then over the mountains and back to Seward.

Best of luck to Jordan and Jamie, as they continue to develop their remote retreat in this unspoiled primeval wilderness.

 

 

 

The open road is great, but a change of pace to driving the big rig is welcome.  The more settled parts of Alaska are easy to view on a train trip.

Henry uses the wait at the station to catch up with family……

The Fairbanks to Anchorage route takes you by Denali Park, with its magnificent vistas.

The railroad in Alaska is not much like Amtrak in the lower 48; the trains seem to run on time, the food is good, and the carriages are quite comfortable…. in fact, conducive to a little nap, in spite of the scenery.  Some people even fall asleep in public parks after disembarkation!

A couple of cars feature an open viewing deck, which is super for watching the passing show…. just don’t get caught in the automatic doors!

Wildlife viewing from the train is not ideal; we saw this lonely bear (speculation that it was a young male recently out on his own), but from obviously far away. 

Seward is the starting point for many adventures, most especially fishing…..

Anchorage was more fun than expected.  People here are crazy about fishing everywhere, even under a bridge in the city, where they catch several types of salmon!

A day of great weather led to a 25-mile bicycling trip along the Cook Inlet and around the floatplane airbase.

Domestic animals were out for exercise and socializing…

And most exciting was coming across a large bull moose, feeding unconcernedly along the bike path….

A souvenir bike jersey will commemorate this enjoyable day!

You may recall that we need to be in Winnipeg on 31 July to welcome Henry’s daughter Holly, son Clay and their families for an adventure in Manitoba’s polar bear region.  From Alaska, we will return to Canada and the Yukon Territory for a few days, then leave the rig again in Whitehorse and fly to Winnipeg for the family get-together.

A fun interlude in Alaska; now back to Canada and the road ahead!

The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II to connect the lower 48 contiguous United States to its then-territory of Alaska, thought to be a key point of defense against threat from opposing Japanese forces. Built largely by the US Army Corps of Engineers, it was not an easy assignment…

Returning to Canada from Alaska, we spent our first night far from any town at a really charming accommodation which was originally built to house army construction engineers and their horses during the building of the highway.  Several remnants of their occupation remain on the property, which now includes cabins, RV slots and an airstrip (which we unfortunately could not use due to high winds during our stay).

The ladies running this show were welcoming, providing us after hours with an outstanding meal in a remote outpost….. salmon lasagne, fresh greens from the garden and some delicious side salads, along with a decent bottle of wine. 

Many similar accommodations were active along the old highway, but most have been abandoned, as improvements to the highway have drastically reduced the amount of time required to travel this route.

Lucky to have had a taste of this piece of recent history….

 

 

In February 2015 we met a young family that was working a trapline near a lake in a very remote area of the Yukon…… we flew in to their camp and spent an afternoon snow-shoeing and learning a little bit about the trapper lifestyle.  Here we are then with Megan, Brian and their 18-month-old daughter Tasin.

Today they live in Haines Junction, and we had a grand time getting together four and a half years later!

Tasin is now a lively and charming 6-year-old, who is looking forward to spending this coming winter at the trapline again.

Megan is an artist who creates incredible pieces from natural materials such as fur, leather and wool.

Her dad was an inventor/tinkerer who developed a land/water prototype that Henry tried to figure out how to adapt to flight…..

Brian recently became a guide at a nearby lodge.  We spent 5 nights there, the first couple of days doing a little fishing…… very little unfortunately, as Megan was the only one to land any fish.

My fault that we caught virtually no fish!  I missed this sign in the lodge breakfast room…

Henry got to chop some wood….. while a little woodland sprite appeared in the background!

As usual, a couple of canine encounters…… and a grizzly bear track! 

Henry has a passion for geology, and wanted to try gold-panning.  Brian formerly had gold fever, and was happy to show Henry the ropes.  Some exciting ATV rides were necessary to access the sites!

No fish to speak of and no gold, but a lot of great fun.  So very pleased that we contacted Brian and Megan and went out of our way to see them.  Lesson in life – don’t ever hesitate to follow up with people you enjoy….. the payoff can be truly gratifying for all!  

We will keep up with them and look forward to seeing where life takes them next.

Life will be taking us next to Whitehorse and then Winnipeg, where we will meet up with Henry’s family for a journey to Churchill and a remote lodge on Hudson Bay for a polar bear safari…….

The long-awaited polar bear adventure in Manitoba…. with Henry’s daughter Holly, husband Matt and kids Caleb and Lily and his son Clay, wife Polly Etta and kids Kaylyn, Hayden and Hailey.  

Manitoba’s capital city was our meeting point…

The best way to transport a group this size was to just rent a whole bus!

We visited the mint where we saw how Canadian coins are produced and later learned a bit about the Hudson Bay Company, a huge commercial enterprise sponsored by the English government that was the center of industry during the colonial days.  (Below is their logo; the slogan “pro pelle cutem” means “skin for a pelt”, often interpreted to refer to the hardships the traders went through to obtain, store and ship the furs that were so treasured by the European markets.  Hudson’s Bay has evolved through the centuries and is now a retail clothing/housewares company, much like JC Penney.)

We flew on to Churchill, northeast from Winnipeg on the shore of massive Hudson Bay.  Henry made a friend on the plane…..

Churchill is a pretty small town, the major industry being tourism.  The most phenomenal feature is how perfectly positioned it is to attract beluga whales in the estuary on which the town is perched.  We first saw them on a Zodiac visit….

and later when we all went out on kayaks to get up close and personal!

Quite a thrill to have several of these leviathans nudging your teeny tiny vessel only a few feet away!

Churchill bills itself as “Polar Bear Capital of the World”, so they do get the occasional large furry white visitor.  Here are Lily, Holly and Kaylyn outside the polar bear jail…

They also have non-polar-bear/beluga-whale residents…. a fine canine and a couple of Icelandic ponies…

From Churchill, we had to separate into two groups to take the small fixed-wing flight to the remote Nanuk Polar Bear lodge, about 80 minutes away further south on Hudson Bay.  Although the day was slightly overcast, we were able to spot more than 20 polar bears from the air on each trip!  (Caleb and Matt below enjoying the flight…..)

There were 6 other people on our adventure – and as Henry and I have learned on similar outings, all of them were friendly, fun to be with and interesting.  We enjoyed hearing their stories and learning a bit more about them.  (The person in the hood is Mai, a dermatologist from Taiwan with perfect skin…. likely to remain that way, unlike mine.  She is also a master flamenco dancer!)