Posted 01 August from Dawson City
We are having a wonderful trip, but I guess we should start heading for home. Thanks Jay, for all the help with the roof rack while we were at the TardisDeli Motel, everything stayed in place and we didn't need to use any of the extrication gear. For that we are grateful
We got into Dawson City last night after an exciting trip down the Dempster. But that story will have to wait while I catch y'all up on what's at the end of the Dempster.
When you last heard from your intrepid correspondant, we had arrived in Inuvik. We spent 4 "nights" in Inuvik. The time flew, and we could have easily spent more time there.
First, here is a photo of the end of the Dempster. This sign is on the outskirts of town.
- EndDempster2926.jpg (81.71 KiB) Viewed 13896 times
We just missed the big celebrations of Inuvik's 50th birthday. Inuvik was established in 1958 when the government decided that Aklavik was prone to flooding and should be abandoned and a new town built. Well, Aklavik has refused to die, but Inuvik is a thriving town of 3485.
One of the touristy things we did was tour the Igloo church. Built shortly after the town was established, the Oblate Father Larocque was asked to "build a church that reflects the Inuvialuit culture". The father, who only had Grade 5 formal education, went to work, and produced a magnificent work of art, and of engineering genius. They also asked a young Inuvialuit woman, Mona Thrasher, to paint the stations of the cross. With no formal education, only with "she showed talent", she painted directly on the walls. Amazing. The paintings are still there, and she went on to become a well known Native artist. Oh, ya, one of the fathers found some scrap metal, and during the winter hammered out some artwork for the alter.
- IglooChurch2946.jpg (64.75 KiB) Viewed 13908 times
- ChurchAlter2945.jpg (62.27 KiB) Viewed 13897 times
Oh, then after the church was built, the government required blueprints. So the community flew in a drafter, and with the fathers who had built it, they created the blueprints of what they had built. Sometimes ya gotta wonder. A tour of that church should be required of all architects and engineers to see how intuitive processes work.
We didn't sleep too well in Inuvik, because although the sun does actually set after 19 July, it doesn't get dark. As a result, everyone is out and about, kids are up at 2 in the morning riding their dirt bikes, etc.
On Monday, we flew to Tuktoyuktuk to tour that town. You can't really go that far north without finishing the job. Tuk lies on the Beaufort Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean, at the end of the Mackenzie Delta. You can drive there in the winter via an ice road on the Mackenzie, but in summer it is boat or fly. Population 900, almost all Inuvialuit. Although the town regularly clears out to go hunting, fishing, or whaling.
Here's the view from the plane (Beech King Air 100 C-FMWM) as we came into Tuk. You don't want lousy pilots up here! Overshoots or undershoots are not recommended.
- FlyIntoTuk3440.jpg (50.15 KiB) Viewed 13902 times
After a tour of the community freezer -- dig down 30 feet into the permafrost, dig out rooms, and you've got a freezer, no electricity required -- we went wading in the Arctic Ocean. The rocks were too sharp and slimy with algae for me to go swimming, although I planned to.
Tuk is also the northernmost terminus of the TransCanada Trail, with a marker near the water's edge
- TCTtuk2983.jpg (68.48 KiB) Viewed 13893 times
On the way back, the plane circled the pingos so we could photograph them. The delta area is rather watery, with lots of lakes. And the camera just wouldn't stop taking photographs. These shots were taken at about 9 pm on the way back to Inuvik.
- Pingos3003.jpg (51.54 KiB) Viewed 13892 times
- TukSunLakes3014.jpg (40.19 KiB) Viewed 13891 times
On Tuesday our host Lori took us on a tour of the community garden -- converted arena -- to see how well things grow with 24 hour sunlight. When we came out, there was a couple snuffling around the deli. In talking to them, we discovered that they are the owners of the delica we spotted in Whitehorse, and that last winter they drove to Tuk on the iceroad. So, we are not the first delica to Inuvik, and they drove as far as you can drive in Canada -- even further than we could or did. Remarkable Delicas have been everywhere in this remarkable land!
The stories of the trip south on the Dempster will have to wait until the next posting.
TTFN