Flying in the north is a whole 'nuther experience. For one, security: one doesn't have to go through any, which simply feels as wrong as not wearing a seat belt while driving, so accustomed have we become to all the searches to which airline passengers are subjected. Here's the closed security door and the open waiting area door in Yellowknife Airport:
For another, cargo: we flew Canadian North, which allows two checked bags of 72 lbs each, and two carry-on bags of 22 lbs each. This acknowledges the fact that northern travellers inevitably bring things from the south: so upon request we brought Arlene a few more than the 10 lbs of butter she had requested if we could find some at less than the $6.99 a lb it costs at the Northern Store in Inuvik. Here we are in the waiting room with some of our bags of groceries (you can't see the canteloupe and the strawberries, for example).
We flew on a reconfigured Boeing 737 in which the front half of the plane was devoted to cargo. Much of that cargo was off-loaded in Norman Wells, the one stop on the trip. It lies on the MacKenzie River between the Franklin and Richardson Mountains - a geography I didn't expect to be so apparent at that point.
The raison d'etre for Norman Wells is indeed oil - though of late the wells have been running dry. This has serious implications for the price of heating oil in Inuvik, and apparently heating costs doubled this past winter, for example from $600 to $1200 for heating a roughly 1000-square foot bungalow.
The airport combines the modern with the traditional:
We arrived expeditiously, to be met by Arlene (turquoise top) and her imposing new mode of transportation:
I confess to loving driving around in trucks - there's something so capably "can-do" about it. Arlene and Shona both have trucks like this, the one brown and the other black - Arlene took us all about town in it, while Shona took Donna and me down a piece of The Dempster Highway in her's.
Interesting touristy things we could have spent far more time exploring: the Lego Hospital (nickname); the sculpture in front of the Visitor's Centre which doubles as an interesting little museum; the quilt show; the map showing the North's view of the world; Aurora College main building; Inuvik's Trans Canada Trail marker and piece of trail; the Igloo Church.
Unexpected, and a delight, was the community greenhouse, well-established in an old arena building. Part of our job as guests was to help Arlene - one of the forces behind the operation - water not only her plot but also the plots of fellow-gardeners who were away.
At least as fascinating to me were Inuvik's "utilidors" - the system in which the town delivers utilities to residents. These are above-ground pipes running behind (usually) every house; at the point where they cross streets there are little rounded bridges not unlike the ones that go over Amsterdam's canals, without the ability to be raised, of course. In the winter a steady stream of liquid keeps the pipes from freezing; the liquid is also slightly heated by recycling heat from generators that keep the system going. The utilidor system is not without its challenges, as can be read from e.g. the 54-page report on the "cost of water" in the town in 2006 (see Utilidor Report). But it sure is interesting!
We did a few other things (sorry, no pics) - shopped at The Northern Store, admired Arlene's "Originals" gift shop (she's got some marvellous jewelry and a wonderful array of fine items for every taste and budget). We toured both Arlene's and Shona's quilting workshops and were heartened to see that talented, industrious and productive quilters like they are do have a considerable stash as well as a number of works in progress. Whew, I'm normal after all!
And there was a final highpoint that deserves its own posting - stay tuned.
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