Monday, June 15, 2009

Graham and I were both off Monday and Tuesday to spend the day with Mom and Dad. We started things off with a wonderful breakfast of homemade crêpes. The produce man was in town so we were able to stock up on fresh fruit. Not that it’s not in the grocery stores here, but he’s fresher and cheaper. (Graham, insert smart comment here.) Chocolate and banana crêpes, blueberry and strawberry crêpes, and kiwi on the side…my mouth is watering now.

Our homemade breakfast of champions

To work off this amazing treat, we set out to walk around the Boot Lake Trail nearby. It was overcast day, but no rain yet. The trail was pretty muddy and flooded in some parts but we made it by. A few detours were needed. Partway through, it did start to rain but, coincidentally, we walked by a makeshift tepee just off the trail. We ducked into that for the few minutes it rained.

Dad, Mom & Jen in tepee

If someone were watching us we may have sounded a little crazy, but with it being bear season we had to keep making noise. Our skills must have worked because we didn’t see any on our walk.

Birds' nest on Boot Lake Trail

They got to see the cemetery. There are very few grave markers made of stone. Simple, wooden crosses make up the majority. It’s not very big since the town hasn’t been around for too long.

Inuvik Cemetery

Cranberry bushes growing in stump

The trail can be walked in under an hour but we took almost three hours. I could embellish on the birds’ nest and ravens that we saw but, honestly, it was because bottles and cans are worth 10 cents a piece and alcohol 25 cents! We couldn’t walk by them – the guilt was too much.

Boot Lake Trail

I’m telling you, one could live off of bottles and cans up here. We’ve made 100’s off of them since February.

Dad & Mom with our loot

Jen

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Mom and Dad’s second day here was truly awful. Or so I had thought.

The thing was, I thought that by the end of the day, we had done everything there was to do in this town. It turned out, this wasn't the case.

We started off at the Visitors’ Centre, which gives information about Inuvik, but also has physical objects from the north. Leathers, beadwork, animals, etc.

We got a tour of the Community Greenhouse, which is in the old arena. Garden plots are requested and paid for yearly. The daycare that I work at has a plot so I’ve been able to get my hands dirty in that one. When you have a plot you also have a number of volunteer hours that you must fill. Giving tours is one way to do that. Everything is really grown up in there now.

Community Greenhouse

Dad, Mom & Jen at Community Greenhouse

Dad and Mom at Community Greenhouse

We walked through Aurora College. As is the case with some of the public buildings in Inuvik, you are asked to remove your shoes in the college. Mud and dust is the reason for that.

The pool and arena were next. The curling and skating rinks were being set up for the Inuvik Petroleum Show, which is the biggest ‘show’ all year. Not exactly an exciting event unless you have something to do with petroleum. The town is really clean around that time, so that’s a perk. Mom and Dad were impressed with the pool, which both Graham and I work at. You can see photos of the pool at www.inuvik.ca (it’s called the Inuvik Family Centre).

That evening, Deanna and Dave picked the four of us up to go for a drive along the Dempster Highway. A ‘highway’ that when another vehicle goes by you are left in a thick cloud of dust for half a kilometre. Our first stop was the golf course. Dave showed us the portable greens that you carry with you to each hole when no grass is available. There is a driving range on which you frequently lose the ball you hit to the ravens that swoop down and swipe them. Saves running out to get them yourself I guess.

Jen and Deanna at golf and country club

Dave with golf green

The first wildlife sighting was an owl and the lemming he caught in front of us. I could be lying since I have no photos to prove that part but we did get some of the owl himself.

Owl along Dempster Highway

We pulled over at one creek where a guy was fishing with his dog. Mom giggled nervously when I pointed out what was hooked on his belt. She wished it were a gun, but it was bear spray. It’s hard not to use it on the bugs sometimes along the Dempster.

At another creek we pulled over because Dad spotted a beaver swimming in it. He eventually started to flip up in the water and slap his tail down (the beaver, not Dad), so we took his warning and moved on.

View along Dempster Highway

After going over a few crests we reached the part of the river you need to take a ferry over to get to Tsiigehtchic. Again, it’s pronounced exactly how it’s spelled. ☺

Tsiigehtchic ferry

Another beaver was by the shore here and we got some photos. This is where we turned around as it was around midnight. Notice that no flash was needed for photos…

Beaver in Mackenzie River

Mom and the Mackenzie

Dad took a turn driving back

Now they’d even seen the Dempster. What the heck were we to do the rest of the time?

Will exaggerate more later,

Jen

Mom and Dad Come to Inuvik

Mom and Dad traveled all the way from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Mom has wanted to do just that since she was in grade five.

They spent a couple of nights in Yellowknife on their way here.

They arrived on Friday, June 12th in the afternoon. Graham picked them up at the airport. They lazed around our apartment until we were finished work at 5:30.

The excitement started that evening with a trip ‘uptown’ to the house that tipped over. Houses are built on pilings here to keep them off of the ground/permafrost. The pilings need to be checked often to make sure they’re sturdy. A few weeks after this happened, the town raised $20 000 for the woman who owns it.

Jen


Mom & Dad arrive in Inuvik.

House tipped off of pilings.

Dad, me and Mom.