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October 9, 2009
Day Nine
Tuesday September 22, 2009
After a relaxing evening of comfort, we got up late in the morning and went exploring. We drove around town and checked out some stores and gift shops, looking for a memento that wasn't too cheesy and wasn't too expensive. I've always enjoyed the NWT 'polar bear' license plate so I picked one up - expensive, no; cheesy, yes...
We stopped in at the tourist bureau in town but found out it had closed for the season. This was typical of our journey, but a sacrifice that meant for the most part a lack of tourist-flooded roads, no shortages of fuel at any stops and more time to actually talk to people. There was a sign in the door directing travelers to an office downtown where they could receive a certificate for driving the Dempster. We'd already chalked one up for reaching the Arctic Circle (they hand them out at Eagle Plains) so we figured we should continue the trend. Downtown and on a second floor we found the tourism office and walked into the middle of a coffee break. Everyone in the office insisted we weren't intruding and given the conversations that ensued, I realized that they had welcomed the exterior influence as it was a great excuse to extend the coffee break. Very friendly people working up in Inuvik, and quite a mixture as well - a local, a Quebecois, a Newfie and an Albertan.
An interesting thing that most people notice about Inuvik is that all the utility pipes (water, sewage, etc) run above ground as a way to deal with the permafrost. This in itself isn't terribly unusual until you start to consider the influence that this change in infrastructure has on the rest of the town's layout. Pipes being above ground must be insulated against the extreme cold that is experienced this far north. You don't actually see the pipes running around town as you see the heating conduits that surround the piping. These, in turn, influence the streets as some roads must bridge over the heated piping. There's a lot to consider in a town where no one has a basement.
As part of our cost saving endeavors we decided this night to cook for ourselves. We found a day-use area with some picnic tables and firepits overlooking the Mackenzie Delta. We received a few strange looks from passerby's given that we were eating dinner on a breezy five degrees Celsius evening, but hey, it was tons better than the $30 Chinese dinner we'd splurged on the night before.
After packing up the campstove and equipment we drove around town a little more just looking at whatever caught our eyes. When the chill of the evening arrived, we retired to the hotel for some comfort and drinks around the fireplace.
End of day nine.
Posted by Dr.Unk at October 9, 2009 12:39 PM
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