Well am sitting in the Inuvik library again...they sure don't believe in disciplining their kids here..yikes. They are literally running all over the library. Of course mom and dad drop them off and I gather the library are their baby sitters.
It's snowing out there today...just lightly and it's not too cold out. I went for a short walk(almost one hour) this afternoon and explored a few streets - was going to go on the Boot Lake Trail but I saw a bear proof garbage completely pulled over with ripped bags and trash everywhere. It was probably the two legged type of animal that did the damage but it made me very uneasy. So I didn't go far on the trail at all as no one else was around..
This morning I supported the local economy and did a bit of shopping...got myself an original print and also a piece of Inuit art - not soapstone this time but something to hang on the wall. I love it.
Inuvik is very different from Iqaluit - Iqaluit was much more what I expected a town in the far north to be like. This is almost too civilized..although I would still rather bite my whole arm off than live here. One good thing....prices here are much cheaper due to being able to ship by truck - thanks to the Dempster highway which comes all the way from Dawson City, Yukon. Some of the items in the grocery store are double what you'd pay at home - not triple or quadruple like in Iqaluit. However restaurant meals are not much more expensive than at home. However I can't seem to find a place that serves local fare such as Arctic Char or locally caught fish. Instead tonight might be take out pizza....although not the local Pizza Hut thank you. Yes they have Pizza Hut and KFC here in the local Northmart. Because the buildings are so strange here - minimal windows (if any at all) and on blocks - due to permafrost you can't really judge a restaurant from how it looks on the outside. All the buildings look grim! I had a meal yesterday at the Eskimo Inn which was recommended by two people and it was all right. I am going to ask my B & B hosts about the place that says it serves pizza and pasta....
I may be going out on a boat trip tomorrow afternoon on the MacKenzie River - if I can connect with the tour operator and the other person doesn't cancel. I can only imagine how cold it will be on the river but the trip sounds like fun. There is cell phone service up here but my cell phone isn't working. Other than that no tours avaiilable at this time of year. I decided not to bother going out to see the White Huskies as they charge rip off prices. $85 to go on a hike with the huskies....we walked with Sheena in Hay River for free!!!
One good thing...I have a TV! So in the evenings I sit and read or watch TV. Not an action packed time here but that's okay. I will hit the ground running once I get home so it is nice to be able to relax and recharge my batteries and just observe life up here.
The bed and breakfast is....unique.....yes I will use that word. It is much cheaper than staying in a hotel but not a place I'd stay again.
Monday it's back to Yellowknife....if the weather behaves and then home on Tuesday. I still have a chance Monday evening to see the Northern lights and go out on a training run but it doesn't look good. I did see the Northern lights on Thursday night however it was just a shimmering white light in the sky - pretty but not the coloured lights you see on postcards.
This will probably be my last entry until I get home again. I will update the blog with pictures once I am home. It's been a real adventure and I've enjoyed the trip so much.
It's snowing out there today...just lightly and it's not too cold out. I went for a short walk(almost one hour) this afternoon and explored a few streets - was going to go on the Boot Lake Trail but I saw a bear proof garbage completely pulled over with ripped bags and trash everywhere. It was probably the two legged type of animal that did the damage but it made me very uneasy. So I didn't go far on the trail at all as no one else was around..
This morning I supported the local economy and did a bit of shopping...got myself an original print and also a piece of Inuit art - not soapstone this time but something to hang on the wall. I love it.
Inuvik is very different from Iqaluit - Iqaluit was much more what I expected a town in the far north to be like. This is almost too civilized..although I would still rather bite my whole arm off than live here. One good thing....prices here are much cheaper due to being able to ship by truck - thanks to the Dempster highway which comes all the way from Dawson City, Yukon. Some of the items in the grocery store are double what you'd pay at home - not triple or quadruple like in Iqaluit. However restaurant meals are not much more expensive than at home. However I can't seem to find a place that serves local fare such as Arctic Char or locally caught fish. Instead tonight might be take out pizza....although not the local Pizza Hut thank you. Yes they have Pizza Hut and KFC here in the local Northmart. Because the buildings are so strange here - minimal windows (if any at all) and on blocks - due to permafrost you can't really judge a restaurant from how it looks on the outside. All the buildings look grim! I had a meal yesterday at the Eskimo Inn which was recommended by two people and it was all right. I am going to ask my B & B hosts about the place that says it serves pizza and pasta....
I may be going out on a boat trip tomorrow afternoon on the MacKenzie River - if I can connect with the tour operator and the other person doesn't cancel. I can only imagine how cold it will be on the river but the trip sounds like fun. There is cell phone service up here but my cell phone isn't working. Other than that no tours avaiilable at this time of year. I decided not to bother going out to see the White Huskies as they charge rip off prices. $85 to go on a hike with the huskies....we walked with Sheena in Hay River for free!!!
One good thing...I have a TV! So in the evenings I sit and read or watch TV. Not an action packed time here but that's okay. I will hit the ground running once I get home so it is nice to be able to relax and recharge my batteries and just observe life up here.
The bed and breakfast is....unique.....yes I will use that word. It is much cheaper than staying in a hotel but not a place I'd stay again.
Monday it's back to Yellowknife....if the weather behaves and then home on Tuesday. I still have a chance Monday evening to see the Northern lights and go out on a training run but it doesn't look good. I did see the Northern lights on Thursday night however it was just a shimmering white light in the sky - pretty but not the coloured lights you see on postcards.
This will probably be my last entry until I get home again. I will update the blog with pictures once I am home. It's been a real adventure and I've enjoyed the trip so much.
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