Category: Along the Great Divide

Nanuk Polar Bear lodge is very comfortable, featuring excellent cuisine and appropriately themed refreshments…

The big attraction is, of course, the bears.  Several black bears stalk around the lodge itself.

But polar bears are what we came for.  We searched for them on foot, slogging through sticky mud….

and on “rhinos”, conveyances specially constructed for the boggy tundra-like terrain…  although they got stuck in the mud more than once, much to Henry’s delight.

Hayden found some moose teeth!

More of Mother Nature’s beautiful wild flowers….  such stand-outs in what most consider a bleak landscape!  Compensation for the white sameness of winter…..

And yes, some extraordinary polar bear moments…… this handsome young fellow was a little too interested and had to be – well – discouraged….

 

Another day, after several hours of fruitless searching, we came upon a point between the bay and a stream with an amazing number of polar bears.  Trust me – from our vantage point in this photo, we can see no fewer than 16 bears.  Some on the shore, some on the land, some in the water.  It was a sighting that rivaled the best that our guides had ever seen.  Hard to convey just how exciting the moment was.  You’ll just have to come visit yourself!

Grand things come to an end, and we had to return to Churchill through rain, clouds and delays caused by the same…..

and from there back to Winnipeg.  

With a full day left before the end of our adventure, we decided to check out some more wildlife at the zoo, including a very cool polar bear area, a pelican feeding and butterfly sanctuary…

Holly arranged a limousine for this outing….. a nice touch before our parting….. Holly, Clay and company back to sweltering Texas, and Henry and I back to Whitehorse in Yukon Territory where the truck and trailer are patiently waiting.

A beauty shot from the plane over the Rockies….

And for us, back to Whitehorse for a few days.  Henry picked up a bug and was bedridden for a day to regain strength before hitting the open road again.

He’ll be back in no time.  We stayed in the same hotel we were in before our dog-sledding trip in February 2015.  The view this summer is much less romantic than it was during that cold crisp winter…..  

We’re pleased with the Manitoba experience with family…. hope they are too.  From here, we have no particular agenda.  Will probably meander east through Yukon and BC and then into Northwest Territory.  No need to get back to Texas until it cools off a bit!

PS – This means little to anyone but me, but this is my 100th post on this blog!  So many memories, lots of photos, and a few miles covered.  Some faithful followers…. thanks to you all!

 

 

Muncho Lake, British Columbia

Tucked into a lakeside cabin …….

Snow is to continue all day today.

After several days in Whitehorse we ventured east slowly. We will brave the elements tomorrow to head closer to our next waypoint …. Yellowknife, capital of Northwest Territories.

The snow was just so lovely (hard as that may be for those of you from the frozen north to believe)……

We broke loose from our not-so-cozy cabin to proceed across the countryside, and enjoyed seeing just a few others who weren’t afraid of the cold weather…..  (We hear so often of caribou herds, but these are the only ones we have seen.)

This kind of weather inspires one to seek a fire (which the lodge owners where we had stayed refused to light, as “it’s not winter yet”.  Humph!).  The delightful lady whose roadside inn features magnificent cinnamon buns (best in the galaxy!) had a happy little blaze going.

(Please note how important it is to mark your cinnamon bun by pressing your index finger firmly into its moist and gooey surface!)

A couple of black bears at the side of the road had also apparently found something worth digging for….

uncaring but more likely unaware of the fate that awaits some of their brethren…

The snow did not hold, but we were soon distracted by the herds of bison (big herds!) strolling by the roadside.  (Look for babies popping up out of the grass on the second clip…)

Finally the Northwest Territories border appeared and we were excited to be moving into a new space, although doubtful that it could possibly contain anything special or exciting to our jaded travelers’ eyes.

 

To paraphrase Shakespeare, the course of true adventure never did run smooth.  Yes, there must be hiccups (hiccoughs?) along the way.  And when you have almost 10,000 miles on the road, it’s madness not to expect them.

Relieved that they survived the Dempster highway north and south without problems, the tires nonetheless took a beating…

We wisely got some new ones in Whitehorse before venturing further….

(If the wheel looks a little naked, it’s because a couple of hubcaps were “appropriated” during our extended stay in Whitehorse…..  We didn’t even notice until the tire store guy pointed it out.)

All thankfully was well until we reached the outer reaches of Yellowknife.  There,  sections of severely undulating road surface caused by permafrost finally took its toll on a wheel bearing…… causing the entire wheel assembly to disintegrate, including the axle!!

We dragged the trailer into town on 3 wheels (with sparks issuing from the dragging section!) and were directed to an auto repair store, where thankfully the proprietor, Ken, was still around.  He allowed us to spend the night on his property and promised to address the problem in the morning….

We spent several days exploring the history and beauty of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories – and we were not quite prepared to be so charmed by the former and dazzled by the latter….. but that will be the subject of the next post.

In the meantime, we secured accommodations at different venues, including a b&b where Henry expended some energy helping the owner Lisa with some improvements….

Lisa gave us a Chinese good-luck token to help us on the way!

So far it hasn’t worked so well.  Further tragedy ensued – while on a flight-seeing trip over the Great Slave Lake, Henry missjudged the force of the prop blast of a 450 hp De Havilland  Beaver float plane. His cell phone was ripped off its lanyard when he stuck it out the window for a better shot ….. to disappear into the 8th deepest lake in the world!

Wheel structure repaired, we bid farewell to Ken and his wife Emmeline….

 … and set off from Yellowknife toward the province of Alberta.  A pedestrian frantically signaled us less than 1/4 mile from the repair shop….. Smoke was pouring from under the trailer!  The repair had not held; the tire was rubbing against the trailer frame about to burst into flame!!

Alas, a new axle must be ordered and installed…… and we return to town to wait (more or less patiently) for a few more days.

Worse things could happen……

But this beautiful double rainbow encourages us that the worst is over…..

Next post will show the fun parts of our stay here!

What a surprise Yellowknife has been!  Capital of the Northwest Territories, the population is only about 20,000 (total population of NW Territories is 45,000).  Surrounded by boreal forest and tundra, nestled among pristine lakes, it is a magnet for fishing enthusiasts and…. folks seeking the aurora borealis, or northern lights.  Plenty of decent restaurants and shopping, presumably because of its many visitors.  In a nutshell, we like it here.

Located along an inlet on a huge lake, Yellowknife has an interesting houseboat community.  We stayed in one for a couple of days, only accessible by canoe…..

And yes, there was a fabulous northern lights display….  but I can’t show you the photos as they seem to be messing up this posting.   I will try in a different post.

Photos of the day spent exploring the lake by canoe…… are on the phone at the bottom of the lake.  Another day, however, we took a 1956 DeHavilland Beaver for a flight-seeing trip…. fabulous weather and views.

Here’s a video flying over the old town (and houseboat neighborhood)….

Again, beautiful weather and pellucid waters made for gorgeous landscapes.

This is not what we expected when we decided to visit what looked like a lonely point on a map…… more points for the value of wandering!

The last few days were spent in an apartment with still another great view over the inlet….

A new axle has been installed on the trailer, and we are once again planning on departing today, heading south toward Alberta.    More later!

Can’t imagine how these photos interfered with the last post……. 

Here are a few shots of the northern lights from the houseboat.

This weekend is supposed to be quite active for the aurora…..  maybe we will see more from down south!

Holed up in the trailer at Cedar Lake in central/western Manitoba….. We are utterly alone, the only indication of human presence the few bits of trash that we have already incinerated.

We have been here two nights so far and I have been outside pretty much only once…to enjoy the gigantic fire Henry built against the cold and drizzly rain. 

We have the beach to ourselves… pelicans migrate overhead and gulls dive offshore… but whitecaps punctuate the water’s surface; my feet are blocks of ice and I had uncontrollable chills in the night.  

We are here on a quest.  Henry has never found amber in a natural setting before, and his research indicates it is possible on the shore of this lake.  Hopeful that tomorrow the rain will cease, the wind will die down, and we can take the canoe or ATV out and hunt for the precious substance.

The inhospitable atmosphere does not depress at this time; instead, it enhances the memories of the extraordinary warmth and congeniality of the people we have spent time with over the last week or so.  In no particular order, other than chronological….

We met Lynn and Stephen last year on the Queen Mary (maybe the best part of that cruise!) and decided to touch base with them when we were near Edmonton, Alberta.  Stephen is a (mostly) retired public servant, politician and former mayor of Edmonton.  In spite of our last-minute contact, they took us around the city that they helped invigorate and clearly love, including a visit to the largest mall in the world.  

Later on the road….. Sarah was minding her own business in her beautifully-manicured yard in rural Alberta when Henry hailed her from across the lawn.  Originally from Ireland, her family moved to this property when she was 7 years old.  Her parents raised 16 children here in this house constructed in stave-lock design. 

Now a single lady of 100 (!), Sarah is glad to meet us, and excited to let us know that nearby lives a neighbor with an airstrip.  We were able to print a copy of our photos to give her, and promised to fly over if at all possible.  (Here is her neat-as-a-pin property from the air the next day.)

Murray and Vicky were having a cup of coffee on their porch when Henry’s curly white head poked through their shrubbery to ask about the farm with the airstrip.  We ended up spending a while on their porch talking about…. everything!  Murray took us around the area – gorgeous rolling farm land and pastures…

Vicky prepared a delicious dinner (one of the first home-cooked meals we’ve had in a while), including rhubarb pie.

We spent the night in our trailer on their front lawn, and awoke to beautiful early morning light.

Jim and Francey were quite busy the next day with chores at their grain farm.  Warned by Murray, they were happy to let us take off from their well-tended turf airstrip…. And Jim joined us aloft in his fixed-wing airplane, giving Vicky a flight-seeing as well.

Once again, amazing courtesy extended to us…… lunch with Francey and Jim, a look at his tractor-pull machines, and fun with their animals – dogs, cats and horses.

(Spent several hours the next few days making thank-you hot pads, which are on on their way to the folks above…. merely a token of our gratitude for their kind hospitality.)

This adorable fellow (Gabriel) and his pony (Beauty) caught Henry’s attention near Marcelin, Saskatchewan.

Shortly we were surrounded by curious young men in caps and suspenders.  They were quick to offer help when Henry mentioned that the trailer’s axle attachment needed some welding.  They led us to their nearby farm – a colony of Hutterites, not unlike the Amish, who live simply and communally in accordance with their religious faith and social dictates.

While one from their community was busy welding, they wanted to see everything on and in the trailer, with dozens of questions about how things worked, where we had been and where we were going.  The children were inquisitive too, but also very sweet and gracious.

Henry could not help but support them by purchasing a vast array of sausage made on their farm! 

We have discussed before a desire to distance ourselves from the rest of humanity, especially with the divisiveness and indignity of politics in our home country; the violence that appears to feed on itself; and the fact that articulate discussion and mutual respect seem to be things of the past. 

Here are kindness, generosity and curiosity… due in part to the rural spirit, and perhaps also to the reputed politeness of the Canadian character…. but in any case a welcoming blend.  If only we could attain this level of caring within our own society…

……… Back to Cedar Lake, a few days later …….

We finally left Cedar Lake, after abortive attempts to find amber.  A visit to the local First Nation township provided some insight into a thriving lake fishing business……

along with a warning from the local fisherman that Sasquatch sightings had been reported in the area where we camp.

Later that evening, we were visited twice by more folks from the township… the first fellow was not positive about our search for amber, and moreover did not discount the Sasquatch rumors.  The second group of guys (supposedly seeking moose) advised us that the site on which we were camping was a spiritual place of the Iroquois people, and we should not be surprised to hear strange noises in the night.

Hmmmm…. didn’t feel good about this place to begin with, and while the locals have not told us to leave, they have not encouraged us to stay.  Plus, it’s a miserable business looking fruitlessly for amber on these shores in this weather.

The weather breaks just before we leave…..

… but we have resolved to start wending our way south back toward the USA.  Henry’s old and battered kettle will remain behind….. a small offering for Sasquatch and/or any other ghosts or spirits that witnessed our sojourn here.

 

Slowly we slid from northern Manitoba southward, through Riding Mountain Park….. Signs of autumn along the way included spots of color and the seasonal migration of a certain species of garter snake….

We spent a couple of days cleaning up in the small town of Souris, in a nice accommodation near the local Chinese restaurant.  Peacocks (along with the occasional cat) freely roam the downtown area.

We met Murray and Donnie during an evening walk, and they invited us to their home for a nightcap and a visit!

Our route took us by the largest roadside banana on record – near Melita, Manitoba, the so-called Banana Belt of Canada, with temperatures that are (only slightly) warmer than the rest.

Finally we crossed the border back into the US….. and once again, Henry was required to give up some wood – this time, a handsome piece of driftwood that the US customs people feared might harbor the wrong kind of parasitic insect……

We lingered in the Theodore Roosevelt Park in the North Dakota Badlands (more on this in the next post), then entered South Dakota…. hitting Sturgis (the biker hub) to see one of the popular bars and for an ice cream, then checking out Mount Rushmore and the in-progress Crazy Horse memorial.

Lots of bee-keeping in the Dakotas….and Susan Two-Bulls sold Henry on some hand-crafted earrings…..

Have we mentioned that Henry likes rocks?  Lots more in the next post on this subject…. By happy coincidence we stopped at a dive in the town of Interior, South Dakota….

and met Lulu, a bartender/manager/waitress who is a passionate rockhound – happy to show us her collection of the famous Fairburn agates, for which we have been searching mostly fruitlessly for some time.

Amazing!  Fresh inspiration to renew our efforts!

The next post will feature images and video from adventures in rock-hunting, exploring and camping in the Dakotas.

Just now, we are in Nebraska – so often sneered at as boring, but in fact such a refreshing and gorgeous landscape, even from a Holiday Inn window…..

 

 

The Badlands reach across the Dakotas and down into Nebraska – rumored to contain hidden pockets of agate (maybe even the elusive Fairburns!), and without doubt composed of magnificent landscapes.  We spent a couple of weeks camping there in several locations, exploring far and wide and always with an eye to the ground.  (For the rocks, you know….)

Outdoor life, while the best way to enjoy this area, is not without its perils.  In some places, bears can be a real threat.  If you don’t believe it, take a look at the side of this shelter where an unwary camper accidentally left some food.

Yikes!

Fortunately, the worst time for mosquitoes and biting black flies is past, but your garden-variety fly can be a real pest.  When brute strength didn’t seem to faze them, we resorted to sticky fly strips, perhaps a cowardly way out, but effective.

Our remote camp site in Buffalo Gap Grasslands had a conveniently-placed deep hole in the ground that became a very scenic …. comfort station and place of contemplation…..

Damp weather and a lack of kindling became a challenge that Henry met with the simple expediency of tossing fuel on the fire (a trick that would come in very handy nowadays if he were active in politics!)

A day-long canoe trip on the Little Missouri River yielded no rocks worth toting, but we did find an impressive bighorn sheep skull…  which will soon grace the wall of Henry’s barn at home.

Generally, the wind was way too strong to take up the powered parachute, but a brief opportunity presented itself one evening….. revealing a great perspective on our camp site.

The 4-wheeler, or ATV, was key to rock-hunting and exploration in the further reaches of the parks, where of course the best specimens were to be found….. and lots of fun sometimes too.

The search for the finest agates dominated many of our days….. and it’s sometimes a back-breaking endeavor – picking up stones and rinsing them to determine if they are worth keeping.

Saw a little wildlife along the way… lots of prairie dogs, and often bighorn sheep (live ones this time).

Just a few of many dazzling sunset shots……

Our camp near Badlands National Park was right on the rim of the canyon…..  quite beautiful…  but a bit scary one night when the winds kicked up.  Henry arose at 3 am to chain the trailer to the truck (so a sustained gust wouldn’t blow us off the blocks and down the steep slope!)

We now have several hundred pounds of rocks (none a true Fairburn agate) to bring back for the Douglass, Texas garden.  As it turns out, some of the best rock-picking was….. not in the distant reaches of the badlands, but……… in the parking lot of  the Holiday Inn in Chadron, Nebraska!

Gosh, it’s gotten cold here!  Weather is crazy all over (and still hot at home), but the trend seems to be turning.  We will wander across Nebraska, through Kansas and Oklahoma (with a few stops along the way), anticipating returning home around mid-October.

Hope you are happy and healthy!

 

 

 

 

Good things come to their ends – even road trips such as this one, which included encounters with fabulous landscapes, fulfilling experiences and fascinating people.  Not with a bang, but also not with a whimper…. more like the extended shuddering, satisfied sigh of an old man slowly lowering himself into a hot bath at the end of a long day.

As we moved south through the midwest, our vision became more modest.  From picking up stones in a motel parking lot, we progressed to actually buying a few from one of Henry’s kindred-spirit rockhounds in Nebraska.  

Shortly after, another tire malfunction required a brief detour.

My mom grew up in Great Bend, Kansas… I dragged Henry to most of the special local attractions, including Pawnee Rock, a notable elevation in an otherwise flat landscape familiar to those making the great westward trek in the 19th century.

Cheyenne Bottoms wildlife refuge, a significant stopping point for huge flocks of birds on their migration across North America.

Nearby Ellinwood, Kansas, had a cool historic hotel built over underground tunnels dug by the German immigrants who settled the area.

Second cousin Kristi met up with us, the last of Mom’s family who remains in the area….. (and she got a potholder.)

Just before crossing the Kansas/Oklahoma border, we found several more critters who desperately needed a home in East Texas……

A stop in Tulsa to visit Dad’s alma mater, Tulsa University, where we had established a scholarship to honor him and Mom.

Finally returning home to East Texas, where life goes on…… a new Corvair for Henry, a visit from the grand dog Raider, and the surprise of a fabulous pumpkin vine with vivid and tasty blooms.

And so we will nest at home for a while.  Next excursion an easy National Geographic trip in January where all the details will be seen to, the itinerary composed of places we would otherwise never visit, and we will almost certainly not have to change a single tire!

To you and yours – a happy and peaceful end of the year and traditional holiday season.  We are so fortunate to have connected with many extraordinary people over the months and years, and strive to be deeply grateful for every warm human connection, every breath-taking sunset, and every small piece of evidence of the marvelous universe we inhabit…. Thank you for being part of it.