Blogs from Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada, North America
The Dempster Highway
Published: June 22nd 2011North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
June 20th 2011
The Dempster Highway. That small sentence holds a huge amount of intrigue for me. It has been a destination that I have wanted to conquer for a few years now. It was 3 years ago that I decided that I would go up the Dempster, see the midnight sun and then take on the rest of Canada. Since deciding to do the Dempster I have spent time looking into the facts of the road, but more so seeking the experiences of those who have traveled her length. I came into this trip expecting flat tires, broken windshields, battered shocks and bruised body. The stories of others vary from one end of the spectrum to the next, some have made the trip and come off the road with just a rock chip, others have had multiple flat ... read more
A warm shower in Inuvik!
Published: July 25th 2010North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
July 25th 2010
Ok..........Phew that was tough! Quite possibly the toughest ride I've ever had to do on a motorcycle. 380 kilometres of mud. It seems so easy to just type the word out....mud.....but it posed quite a few problems. Basicallly, Adam and I were the only 2 idiots on the Dempster over the last 2 days riding bikes north. In fact, we only counted a dozen cars or so over the entire 380 kms. But we made it after 81/2 hours of battling the elements to a hotel room and a hot shower. We had to stop at one point to unclog Adam's radiator. Basically his bike was no longer being cooled efficiently and so we used a camelbak bladder as a "pressure washer" (Nevil squeezing the bladder and Adam squirting water into the radiator) to clean everything ... read more
Great Northern Arts Festival
Published: July 21st 2009North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
July 21st 2009
There are so many things that I will remember about the Great Northern Arts Festival. The art was varied and impressive. We were able to watch the native artists working on beadwork,yarn, painting and stenciling. There were carving tents to watch the stone, antler and bone carvers. We were able to see several pieces in differnet stages of the creative process. Friday night we attended the ArtCirq. It is a circus performed by members of a small communtiy in Igloolik. It was very entertaining! On Saturday I attended a workshop on Digital Photography. I look forward to doing some unique things with the pictures form our trip.... read more
Up the Dempster Highway to Inuvik
Published: July 17th 2009North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
July 17th 2009
We made it back to Fairbanks for a couple days to recoup. We wanted to get to the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik, so we drove like crazy to get here.... We went almost 400 miles the first day from Fairbanks to Tok, over the Top of the world Highway To Dawson City. Took the ferry across the river and spent a night in Dawson. We got on the Dempster highway, unsure of what to expect. After the experience on the Dalton Highway, we got new tires and hoped for the best on our next 500 mile dirt road. The roads were in very ggod shape and we made good time. We spent the night at almost the 1/2 way point in Eagle Plains. What a great surprise! The food was very good and the ... read more
The Dempster Adventure
Published: July 20th 2008North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
July 17th 2008
Hey hey! We left the story in Dawson City. Now we are in Inuvik, Northwest Territories where the only way to get here from Dawson is...THE DEMPSTER HIGHWAY....that's right: A one way road, 750 kilometers of gravel and mud and pot holes! And oh yes, let us not forget the unforgettable: MOSQUITOS. In addition to the challenges, we saw some unbelievable views. Beautiful mountains, tundra, and boreal forests and wildlife accompanied us on the way. We hope that our return trip brings more sunshine so we can see even more! (we hit a lot of rain along the way). Our first stop on the Dempster was Tombstone Territorial Park where tundra meets mountains. We did some very picturesque walks to the frozen ice sheets on the North Klondike River and some guided walks with very knowledgeable ... read more
The end of the Road music festival/Buddy:)
Published: August 19th 2007North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
Boating and swimm'in in the delta
Published: August 18th 2007North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
August 4th 2007
What better way to end a day than swimming and boating with friends:) After work Sean and I took our pals, Joana, Emily, Greg, Dan and his friend Ruth, out into the delta. And then we took a dip in one of our sample sites! Brrrrrrr... read more
Great Northern Arts Festival
Published: August 18th 2007North America » Canada » Northwest Territories » Inuvik
July 26th 2007
I did not get as many photos of this festival as I wanted to, but I did get many videos of the drummers! This was the 19th Great Northern Arts festival held in Inuvik, NWT. This is a world class event that showcases the north, northernart and artists to the world! The festival brings people together to celebrate the art and to pass on their individual skills and traditions. There is a gallery set up with hundreds of works of art from a limited number of artists and events are held throughout the week. Sue, Jolie and I attended the opening ceremony for the festival last friday. We arrived at the end of the speechs but we were just in time to see the Inuvik drummers and dancers perform (videos). The WHALEBONE was also brought in ... read more
