Day 27 - May 17 YELLOWKNIFE - PART 2

The sunrise was not anything out of the ordinary but the reflections afterward were soothing and encouraging. The temperature is zero degrees and was so for a lot of the day. Add a wind chill and it's a little chilly for mid-May. May be good practise for where we're headed.

Old Town is the original settlement where the city got its start in the 1930s and is located on the waterfront of Yellowknife Bay. The peninsula on which Old Town sits is known as The Rock due to its prominent hill. It was literally the foundation of Yellowknife, a solid mass of Precambrian rock. The lamp post banners offer a warm welcome, each featuring the work of a different local artist.

A staircase leads to the top of Pilot's Monument, a 1967 dedication to the bush pilots that helped open the north to exploration. Twin Otters and Cessnas on floats and skis remain part of the Old Town soundscape in both summer and winter. The view from the top of the hill is one of the best in Yellowknife. You can almost feel the cold in this photo.

An old float base building and lot provided a look at some vintage aircraft. Yellowknife experienced a very busy summer in 1946 when the post-war gold rush hit. Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPA) was the biggest charter and scheduled aviation company in the Northwest Territories at that time.

The Wildcat Cafe was opened in 1937. It was owned and operated by several different people over the next decade and a half until 1951. By that time Old Town was no longer the commercial centre of Yellowknife and the derelict log structure was scheduled for demolition. A group of concerned citizens stepped in to save the old cafe and it was restored and reopened in 1979.

As we continued our walking tour a few more murals were spotted.

As we crossed the causeway (trust me it's just a small bridge) we entered one of the nicer neighbourhoods in Yellowknife. The whole feeling was different. The speed limit throughout is 30 kph, many people were out walking their dogs and lots of children were at play in the playground. There were even several "libraries" at the ends of driveways. People have built wooden structures with doors where they place books to be taken by anyone who desires a book. Quite a different vibe from downtown.

I do not know the internet status where we're heading tomorrow. So it will be a surprise to us all. Stay with us...it ain't over yet!

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Day 26 - May 16 - YELLOWKNIFE IS ACTUALLY A PRETTY COOL TOWN

A visit to the Yellowknife Visitor Centre seemed apropos and we can walk there from our hotel so let's do it. 

We have been here for 2 days now and have already done a lot of what we wanted to...probably should have come here when we first arrived. A few stuffed foxes drew my attention. I usually pretty much hate that but these were particularly well done.

We were also issued an Order of Arctic Adventurers, North of 60 Chapter certificate. It's a cheesy tourist participation trophy in my book but what the heck, we've got about half a dozen of these type of things at home.

The Niven Lake Trail is not long and really not that interesting, after all it circles a small lake with a subdivision on the other side of the path but it's right off the parking lot of our hotel so we had to go. 

The internet description doesn't really make it any more appealing. "This easy 2 kilometre loop explores the shoreline of a small marshy lake in the heart of a Yellowknife residential area. The short 35 minute walk is a popular destination for trail runners, walkers and wildlife". Whoa! I've seen enough ducks thank you. Not exactly my idea of wildlife, especially after the bears and bison we saw coming up here.

The least I can do is try to make it look wild and wonderful.  😅

McAvoy Rock is a strikingly large-scale public art painted on a very large rock face. The rock, the art and sculpture are part of a cross-cultural 1999 project initiated by the Foundation Franco-Tenoise.

The bronze copy of a sculpture (the original marble is in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly) stands at the foot of McAvoy Rock. 

There are also 1,500 multi-coloured symbols painted directly onto the rock facade and a teepee at the summit. The project symbolizes hope for a better understanding and cooperation amongst different peoples...we can never have too much of that.

These things are a little dopey but I kind of like them. A fellow stopped as we were taking individual shots and offered to take one of the two of us. We thanked him, talked to him for awhile then went our separate ways, two ships that pass in the night once again.

I LOVE street murals. They're a really big deal in so many Canadian cities and towns...it seems the more remote the more murals. Today's title is true; Yellowknife is actually a pretty cool town.

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Day 25 - May 15 - I'M GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS

I have not had the opportunity to catch many sunsets because when I go to bed around 10:30 the sun's still shining brightly. A little better luck with sunrises which happen around 4AM - yes, I'm often awake then. It always sets a positive tone for the day.

For starters, the Northwest Territories has the coolest Canadian license plate going!

The Ingraham Trail is designated as a northern, remote route of Canada's National Highway System. We drove the curvy, roller coaster about 100 kilometres out and back to Hidden Lake Territorial Park to attempt the Cameron Falls hiking trail. It's an incredibly diverse trail leading to a cool waterfall. Cool, it's still half frozen!

The approximate 5 kilometre trail involved some forest hiking on dry parts of the trail.

But there were more soft, muddy surfaces.

There are some very short sections of boardwalk.

The biggest challenge was the rock climbing/scrambling which accounted for about half of the trail. Thankfully, passage was well marked as no path was visible.

The most dangerous part was a long, steep, icy hike down a narrow rock corridor to the falls (then back up again). Karen very wisely chose to not do this part so I forged on alone.

It was worth it all to see the falls though probably not the brightest move.

I think I said this last year, I think I'm getting too old to be doing these things. One slip could easily have been a major disaster. Well-rooted, small diameter trees were the only thing that saved me today. I don't have a good solution. I can't think of a safer way to do these things but I'm not sure if I'm totally ready to give them up. Be that as it may, it was a great day today.

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Day 24 - May 14 YELLOWKNIFE, THE TOWN WHERE THE GOLD IS PAVED WITH STREETS

A shorter drive today but I was amazed we did not see a single sign of wildlife - sorry I don't count ducks.  😅  

Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America. Perhaps that explains why a lot of it is still frozen - that and the 1 degree temperature with a wind chill of minus 10. Nevertheless, the view from the North Arm Territorial Park was a wonderful introduction to this area North of 60.

Behchoko is an indigenous community in the North Slave Region of the territory. The First Nation is still recognized by the federal government for Indian Act enrollment, a Canadian Act of Parliament, the primary document that defines how the Government of Canada interacts with the 614 First Nation bands in Canada and their members.

Karen and I were both surprised to find a village with numerous streets and hundreds of wooden homes on stilts as the whole community lies at the northwest tip of Great Slave Lake. 

The Bristol Freighter 170 MK 31 welcomes all to Yellowknife above the sign. This freighter, operated by Wardair, played a major role in developing northern Canada servicing trading posts, schools mining properties, oil exploration crews and un-named Arctic islands. This particular aircraft was the first wheel-equipped aircraft to land at the North Pole.

We're in Yellowknife for 4 nights so have a hotel room with a full kitchen so we can make our own meals. Stay with us as we explore North of 60.

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Day 22 and 23 - May 12 and 13 - A GRAVEL ROAD CAN BE BETTER THAN SOME PAVED ROADS

 Day 22 - May 12

We were on the road at 6AM to beat the traffic to Fort Providence  😂  as we left, so too did the bison.

From Fort Liard most of the roughly 500 kilometre journey is on gravel roads but as the RCMP officer we met said, "It's better than a lot of paved roads! I shouldn't tell you this but I drove it at 130 kph!" We actually saw 5 bears today but only 2 of them were moving at a pace I could follow and capture. Got this one just as he was making his exit.

The Sambaa Deh Falls was a stop Sergei our pilot had recommended. The falls is actually the least interesting thing you see here. It's fairly high and a little loud but a mere trickle as waterfalls go. The surrounding canyon more than makes it amazing.

At the junction of Highways 1 and 3 the storied Deh Cho Bridge, the longest bridge in the north, crosses the mighty Mackenzie River. The thick ice at the river's edge reminded me just how far north we have travelled.

We had been driving for close to 8 hours so our approach to the end of the road today was most appealing, no matter what Fort Providence might hold for us.

One notable bonus is our motel room finally has a great view. The Mackenzie River flows right outside our window and though you can't tell from the photo, all that ice is flowing swiftly by with the current.

A quick little anecdote...as she left the grocery store a man watched Karen with a stern look on his face. He asked her rather concernedly if she was with the government group in town to examine emergency management and indigenous negotiation. When Karen answered no she was a tourist he broke into a huge smile and extended his arms with a resounding, "Welcome!" I wish I had a photo of THAT!

Day 23 - May 13

The plan for the day was a walking exploration of the town and river...and get a car wash! If I don't get the mud out of the wheel wells and under the panels the wheels will stop turning. It was a cold and windy day, so different from anything we've had before now. As mentioned earlier, the ice in the river is breaking up rapidly. Huge pieces are deposited along the shoreline at each bend in the river.

Our Lady of Providence Roman Catholic Mission stands proudly at the end of the road in town. The historic mission serves the local Dene community. Established in 1861, it is a significant spiritual landmark with a deep, often painful history related to early residential schooling run by the Grey Nuns. They worked as nurses and teachers in a number of the schools where they participated in the effort to remove children from their traditional indigenous ways of life in order to "civilize" them.

A very poignant memorial stands in the park in the mission fields at the end of the road. It contains a wall memorializing names and dates dedicated to the memory of the Dene and Metis descendants of the Fort Providence area. It is also dedicated to the orphans and children of the Mackenzie Valley that attended the Scared Heart Residential School. The bodies are buried approximately at the site of the memorial. 

Children's shoes and boots have been placed at the memorial to symbolize the loss.

Tomorrow we head for Yellowknife. The weather is not supposed to be good but we can't control that.

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Day 19, 20 and 21 – May 9, 10 and 11 LOWEST TO HIGHEST, WHAT AN AMAZING TERRITORY

Day 19 – May 9

As we left Fort Nelson I felt blessed we were able to spend 3 nights there. A wonderful place beyond refute. It actually depressed me leaving because I knew it was all downhill from this point on as far as accommodations go. Little did I know we would fall so far so fast.

Backtracking a very short distance brought us to the Liard Trail which would take us about 200 kilometres north to Fort Liard, NT. 

The burnt out forests regenerating ever so slowly continue to disturb me. I love how when it's time to stop and take a photo you just stop and take a photo – none of this pulling over stuff. 

Wildlife sightings were what we were coming to expect. It seems that bison numbers are on the rise again, at least in the north. They are everywhere! You really have to be prepared to stop because they don't care where they amble. On the entire drive only 2 vehicles came up behind me and maybe a dozen passed going in the other direction. No matter how you slice it we saw far more bison than vehicles by a factor of about 4 to 1. 

Only saw 2 bears. One ran off into the woods and the other sat up on a hill staring at me as I watched him.

As you cross the border into the NWT you revert back to Mountain Time but nothing could alter the thrill of being here. This is what this trip is all about. A whole new world. You bet. Wait til you see your motel. 

I knew what to expect, I just didn't expect it to really be like that. The motel is owned and operated by the adjoining General Store people. The grocery prices are not that bad but the motel...we paid more for it than we had for the fabulous place in Fort Nelson. Here we have no internet, very spotty cell service, no drinking water and pretty much nothing else that would be classified as an amenity. There is a TV but it's satellite and does not work if it's windy, cold, sunny, raining, dark...

When we checked Karen walked into the room we were assigned (a room with a kitchenette) and came out immediately. She wasn't sure if someone was still there or the room had just not been made up. Bottom line, we get to change rooms. Just ask my kids how often that happened when we travelled with them.

Day 20 – May 10 Happy Mother's Day

I'm not exactly sure what the drinking water truck was doing here but I've seen it several times since we arrived so have reason for concern. Is he making deliveries, filling a reservoir, what? We were warned not to drink the water as it is heavily chlorinated. No worries. As soon as I saw the motel I grabbed several bottles of water. 

The Liard River begins its journey in the Pelly Mountains of southeastern Yukon, flows over a thousand kilometres southeast through northeastern British Columbia then crosses into the Northwest Territories where it drains into the Mackenzie River. Here, behind our humble accommodations, it is actually quite pretty.

There is a truck bypass around this tiny town. The sign states no vehicle under 2500 kilograms can use it. That means no cars on the road. What a great idea because that means that trucks cannot use the main highway through town. Of course the only vehicle we saw on the bypass was a car so there goes that theory. 

The gas station is not even that, it's called a fuel centre because you can fill with other energy sources as well. I love these places. We've used them in SK and Tuktoyaktuk, NT so are not strangers to their operation. The biggest surprise was regular gas was $2.02 per litre. I honestly expected it to be closer to $3.00. 

Here comes tomorrow! Perhaps this is a good omen...

Day 21 – May 11

This is the single most reason I wanted to explore the Northwest Territories in more depth. Nahanni National Park is a remote UNESCO World Heritage site in the territory. The area can only be reached by flying in at this time of year. You can paddle and hike in in the summer - both multi-day excursions.

The Fort Liard airport has to be experienced to be believed. We arrived about 10 minutes before our flight. Karen went into the terminal to find the controller lying asleep on a treadmill. No need to disturb her, we know she'll be ready when needed. The entire terminal building, which also serves as the tower, and the parking lot easily fit into one photo.

It was a windy day so that combined with sudden up drafts and down drafts, particularly over the bowl-shaped mountain regions made for some very sudden, very unnerving drops. I was very concerned about getting sick but was fine. Karen was not as lucky but the scenery was stunning - no words can describe it so here it is.

Virginia Falls is the central must-see attraction. This was frozen solid last week so we were fortunate to see it today.

Our pilot Sergei worked out of Fort Simpson but picked us up in Fort Liard where we're staying. He made this a truly once in a lifetime experience!

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