Day 30 - May 20 I SUPPOSDE WE SHOULDN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT TRAFFIC AND UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES

A 2 hour tour with a local in a pickup (there are no other kind of locals) was a great way to end our visit to Nunavut. We did a lot of walking in beautiful weather yesterday so this was a welcome opportunity today. Sunny and relatively clear but around minus 17 with a very blustery wind made us happy to be under the cover of an old pickup.

After all the talk about the benefits the Inuit receive from the government, I had to laugh when Ryan showed us the first homes they were given to get them out of their igloos. Gee, thanks guys, this is nice. Not so much.

The cemetery looked striking up on a hill beside the road. Karen asked if the bodies were preserved for burial until the summer month (yes, it's singular) thinking that would be rather easy to do but was told they use a backhoe to break through the ice and snow instead.

Interestingly enough, there is an auto graveyard right next door.

The Redfish Art Studio has a wonderful slogan, "We make cool sh*t from junk." It was founded on the idea that Inuit youth (16 to 30+) can achieve great things and be inspired if they are given the opportunity and provided guidance and a safe place to express themselves. With the co-operation and support of the Redfish, the RCMP, Family Services and the Department of Justice, the program is intended to address the needs of the at-risk youth in the community.

The trip on the ice road was somewhat astounding. There's not a lot to see but ice and snow and you can't tell what's land and what's water but the most surprising thing to me is that the ice road is functional into July. Summer is most definitely the shortest season - not much more than a month.

Father Steinmann from northern Quebec built a stone church in 1954. Using seal oil and clay as mortar and broken rocks for the walls with caribou fur between the two layers of rock for insulation resulted in a beautiful stone church. In 2006 it was destroyed when set ablaze by vandals. A new roof and reconstructed walls renovated the church to its current condition. This photo was taken on my Sony camcorder from about a kilometre away. With my steady hand (NOT!) I'm surprised you can ever see it.

Tomorrow's a travel day with a late start. Back to Yellowknife for one night.

😎