Tuktoyaktuk for some Muktuk: August 2019

"There are strange things done in the midnight sun that would make your blood run cold" R .W. Service.

So, just before COVID-19 19 hit the world, we travelled north to where Dad lived for a few years as a child—roughly age two till five. You would have thought he lived there his whole life to hear him go on. " when I was a kid, if you wanted running water, you had to run and get it." "My brother's Indian name was "Go Get Wood," I was "Running Water." Anyhow, you get the idea. He wanted to see the place again. Maybe it was a bit of a pilgrimage for Dad. Mom had a work friend who lived in White Horse, Yukon Territory. This would be a handy stopping point when we got there and on our way back south.

Odd coloured Black Bear. But look how big it is! Rockies Grizzly.

We went to Edmonton and stayed at Uncle Jamie's on the first day out. After that, it was wilderness; here we come. Things don't change much for a long time. There is a lot of forest. On the second day, we stayed at a hotel in Fort Saint John, BC. Pretty kush trip so far, I am I, right? Don't worry, there is a lot ahead.

White Horse was pretty cool. They said there were many tourists in town, but dude, I am from Banff. Back in Banff, we cycle 25,000 people a day this time of year. This place seemed pretty chill. We went rock climbing on the first day in White Horse. Dad and Mom ran into some of his guide friends teaching there.

Our next journey was to Dawson City with a visit to Carmacks and the Five-Finger-Rapids. This is the fabled homeland of my Dad. We took a hike down to the rapids. They used the river often to transport goods back during the gold rush era. The river is swift, but even these rapids were doable for a large boat.

The Five Finger Rapids

Dawson City is the Vegas of the North. Actual casinos are running like they did in the gold rush. A lot of the hotels and buildings were from the gold rush era. We stayed here for two days and were just tourists for a change. The food was great at the market. We went to some shows that the actors were putting on. All in all, it was an exciting experience.

Typical street. Hard to call it a city.

We were supposed to head to the Tombstone Mountains to do some hiking. Once we got to the park, it looked much like the Rockies. At the same time, we started meeting people who had driven to Tutoyuktuk. The road from Inuvik to Tuk had just been completed, and now Tuk was as far north as you could drive in Canada.

New Plan! We will drive for two whole days across the top of the Arctic so that we can run out of road. Does this seem rational to you? Because when you run out of road, you have to turn around and retrace the road you have already driven. This is a pretty typical family plan. "Embrace the suck," as my Dad says.

It is a long way between towns up here. Like, five hours apart! We saw a lot of wildlife. Bears, foxes, ravens, and wolves. It is one of the last big intact pieces of land on the earth. There is minimal human invasion. There were a lot of geological features and historic oases for wildlife. There is very little traffic on the road. Those that we do see are primarily tourists like ourselves. That new stretch of highway is a bit of a tourist draw. We crossed the mighty McKenzie River on a ferry. It is a moving lake. Dad wants to paddle this river one day.

"When in Rome...." Somebody

So, the final step is to head to Granny's cafe and order some Mucktuk. Muktuk is whale meat. More like blubber. It is harvested here and the locals eat it regularly. Dad wanted me to have this tagline:" ..this Cavier is good, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Muktuk in Tuktoyaktuk".

Grandma's Cafe, Tuktoyaktuk, NWT

Ok, that is it. We are out of road and out of time. We have to hurry back to our real lives in Banff. This is by far the most I have ever driven. We saw a lot of country and did a lot of things. The camping was great. Checking out these gold rush era cities was neet. Overall, it was a great trip. Would I do it again? No way! Do I recommend it? You bet!!