Get outta town!

May 30th, 2012
Sunrise: N/A
Sunset: N/A
Temps: 3'C - 19'C (last 24 hours)
Ground cover: dirt, puddles, scrub grass, garbage and a few little tenatious piles of snow.

So I left Inuvik. Already.

Just for a week! I had a lovely time visiting my hubby, moms and friends in BC, and now I am back in little Inuvik. A lot changed in my short time away, but first I have to tell you about my trip.

To the right is an Air North plane at the Inuvik airport. This Hawker Siddeley's notable features include a passenger compartment in the rear of the plane (behind the cargo space), a super steep set of stairs for boarding at the back of the plane, and a malfunctioning propeller. (After a failed take-off attempt they sent us another plane from Whitehorse and fed us pizza.)


Views from the air:

To the left is the NWT terrain, not long after take off.

To the right, are the spiny mountains not far from Dawson City, Yukon. Tombstone Mountain Territorial Park is propably not far away.

I don't think it would take long to fly from Inuvik to Terrace if, magically, there were a direct flight. It was a little challenging to accept that I was esentially flying over my destination at 10:30 am Saturday morning, only to have to continue on to Vancouver, wait several hours, take another flight, and arrive at 2:45 pm.

Parachute anyone?

Oh well. It was a lovely visit at home.

While I was gone, I missed break-up! In a matter of days, sloppy sheets of ice turned into a moving waterway with small icebergs in it. The river is now in full flood, overflowing its banks and backing up into tributaries and neighbouring lakes. Chunks of ice on the side are thick but melting fast, and over the last 2 days I've heard the purring of outboard motors as people eagerly take to the water. Upstream, the Mackenzie River ferry will soon be back in the water and the Dempster Highway will be passable once again.

Spring is here!

May 16th, 2012

Sunrise: 4:23 am

Sunset: 1:23 am

Today's temperatures: 0-1 'C  

Ground cover: old snow, puddles and mud

I know, I know, it's MAY, but Spring is now really here in Inuvik. The melt has begun in earnest, and the Dempster Highway is closed as the Mackenzie and Peel River ice bridges are done for the season. This past Saturday it was absolutely gorgeous out: calm, sunny and warm. It was sun-reflecting-off-snow-and-I-need-sunscreen-or-else-I'm-gonna-burn warm. It was a lovely, lovely weekend.

We took advantage of the lovely weather. A few new friends and I piled into a vehicle and drove out along the Dempster Highway to a look-out over Campbell Lake. We struggled through the rotting snow (some with snowshoes, others without) to a bare, rocky outcropping to enjoy a snack and the view of the lake and hills. We had a few biology types in the group, and they gave the play-by-play of the birds we were seeing, a sampling of the multitude of species that decend upon the Beaufort Delta for the warmer months.

Back in town, the melt was really obvious. The weather network stated a high of 13'C, but with the sunshine, it felt even warmer, and snow was melting very quickly. People were out in cropped pants and t-shirts, and lakes and ponds sprung up all over town. Soon we were enjoying BBQ steaks, salads and wine with a view from our hosts' deck. We could see water collecting on Boot Lake and the Mackenzie River beyond. And, like earlier that day, we observed many species of birds as they arrived for their summer retreat.

Back at the apartment, things looked different. The intersection had turned into a small lake, and the side of the road was a veritable stream, with water rushing down to the river. Patches of dirt and mud were visible where mounds of snow had been only days before. Things happen FAST around here! (And it's about time!)

So yes, Spring has sprung!

And on that note, yesterday we had a stiff wind blowing in from the North, local temperatures plummeted to below zero, and we got some fresh snow to cover up all that dirt.

Sigh.

However, I am going to be away for a week now, and I am eager to see how things will have changed in the time that I am away. Stay tuned...

Interesting Inuvik buildings

May 8, 2012
Sunrise: 5:09 am
Sunset: 12:35 am
Current temp: -5'C
Main colour: white

In the absence of anything super exciting to report at this time, I've decided to do a quick post on some of the interesting buildings around Inuvik. You've already seen the apartment buildings on stilts, but here are a couple more.

To the right you see the "Our Lady of Victory Church," more commonly known as "The Igloo church" amongst Inuvikians (Inuvikyites?). While I have not been here to confess my many sins, I did go to a concert here by Florent Vollant, apparently a well known Innu-Quebecois singer-songer writer, and the accoustics were quite good!

And here we have an example of the famous Inuvik "Smartie Box" rowhouses. This is one particularly colourful sample, but Inuvik has many, many row houses and the come in quite a mixture of colours. Considering that the town in blanketted in snow for more than half the year, it's quite a refreshing and colourful contrast!

Oh, and Mackenzie is the main street in town, named after, of course, the mighty Mackenzie River that flanks the Western edge of town.

Now this building, well, I'm not really sure what to call this one. An igloo house? It's just down the street from me, and I pass it several times per day on my way to and from work. Apparently it has several rental units in it, and clearly it has a number of skylight-ish windows. With all the light, I wonder how the residents can sleep in the summer time? However, it's probably great for viewing northern lights in the winter months.

And on a random sidenote, I have made a new friend in the last week. So far we have met 3 times on the little trail that I take to work. He's kind of shy, and hard to spot, but he knows how to make me smile. Can you spot him?

I feel he should have a name, but all that comes to mind is "Mittens" or "Boots" and that just feels inappropriate for a bunny in the Arctic. In fact, when I last saw him, I was walking with a colleague who was wearing rabbit fur mittens!

Unfortunately, aside from these bunnies, a squirrel and a few varieties of birds, I have yet to see much of the wildlife that the Arctic has to offer. I have, however, seen the prints of ptarmigan and lynx. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to spot these creatures as well!