The Website of Kyle Thomas (KyleWith)
On Friday a friend and I left Yellowknife and headed north. In my Jeep. We jumped onto the Ice Road that heads to the Diamond Mines and just kept driving.
The lakes got longer, the trees shorter and then all of a sudden they were gone.
We saw birds…
The landscape changed…
There was a sign…
And dead caribou…
Finally we ended up on the tundra.
First you must go read Yellowknife Photographer Pat’s blog post My Love/Hate Relationship with the Aurora.
My response is preach, brother preach. I get where Pat is coming from. You see one photo of the aurora, you have seen them all. I am guilty of being an “aurora chaser” going out night after night looking for the aurora to photograph. I don’t know why. Its not like I do much with the photos.
I’ll uploaded one or two on Flickr, maybe one to YkOnline’s Facebook Page and then they disappear into my archive.
It must be because aurora photography is not just about getting great photos of the aurora, which is nice, it is more about actually getting out and experiencing the wonders of the NWT on a consistent basis. For me anyways. Last week for example I ended up on Johnston Lake, which is way up an ice road. If it hadn’t of been for the aurora I would have not gone up there. I wouldn’t have seen a couple foxes, a lynx and heard an owl.
That said though, the aurora are the most marketable tourism product the NWT has to offer. People, whether we agree or not, find the aurora borealis fascinating and spectacular and want to see it in person. So in order for us to convince them to come to the NWT and spend their money here, we need to show them that we have the best lights show in the world. This involves photos. This involves us as local ambassadors to talk and show how great they are.
I completely agree with Pat on the front that the NWT also has amazing people and culture. Personally I love documenting people more than the aurora. People can tell stories… the aurora are – and to quote Pat – green blobs.
The solution I see, not that there needs to be one, is capture people with the aurora, bring them north to see them and then expose them to the north’s rich culture, history and people.
As a kid I flew by bush plane to some of the most remote places in the north and I absolutely loved it. This past weekend my joy of flying and adventure was rehatched as I spent the weekend at Yellow Dog Lodge.
Yellow Dog Lodge is about a 15 minute flight or 30 kms north of Yellowknife, on a point between Graham and Duncan Lake. The lodge is beautifully situated with viewing points of both lakes
Upon landing on the cleverly named “Rainbow Dock” I had the pleasure to finally meet the lodge owner and operator, Gordon Gin. Gord has been operating the lodge for over 6 years and has done many improvements since I last visited back in the early 2000’s.
Right off the bat I was given a tour of all the facilities, and there is a lot going on. The main building houses the kitchen, dining room, lounge, and sitting room on the main floor. Then there are staff quarters below and guest rooms above, featuring spacious double beds or singles. There are then two winterized cabins and another full service cabin, which acts as the winter lodge. Of course there are then all the extras, like the wood burning hot tub, sauna and Internet.
The one facility that really stuck out to me and makes Yellow Dog Lodge unique was the dock house. Imagine a barge with Astroturf, railings all around the edge and a 12×14′ prospector tent on it. If you haven’t guesses yet, it is a floating campsite, fully equipped with a BBQ, stove, generator, camp supplies, canoe and an onboard lou.
While many people travel to these lodges for great fishing and meals without having to worry about anything, some are looking for that great outdoor adventure. They are wanting to experience the Northern Frontier and the dock house is perfect for them.
When I first arrived at Yellow Dog Lodge a couple, originally from Russia but living in the USA, were heading back to Yellowknife after spending an entire month on this dock house. They couldn’t have been happier I heard them saying to Gord as they boarded the plane.
It is pretty simple to stay on the dock house and Gord will help with logistics, like food and getting to it, but it can be completely a self-service operation. The dock house is also equipped with an outboard motor so if a person so choose they could have a different view each morning, move out of bad weather if it appeared or even move to where the fish are biting best. This truly is a unique northern outdoor adventure you are not going to find anywhere else.
To me Yellow Dog Lodge isn’t a place to go trophy fishing, although the fishing is amazing, it is a get away vacation spot where you come to bond with your friends and family. It is where you would go to have a special time with those you are with. I imagine a father and son coming to the lodge and spending the weekend fishing and hiking together or an office get-together to unwind after a big project is complete.
It is also a place to make new friends and swap stories. I spent many evenings and meal times conversing with Gord, the cook Heddy and another guest Lisa from California. We all came from different walks of life, different experiences and had different stories but now we are all connected because we were all at a remote lodge in the middle of nowhere together.
Yellow Dog Lodge is right in my backyard but when I was there I felt like I was a million miles from anything. It was without a doubt peaceful.
*Disclaimer: Yellow Dog Lodge is a client on mine through my day job. I was flown to the lodge by the owner for a meeting. I was not asked to write this article.
I don’t know how much time I will actually have to post updates about Inuvik while I’m actually here but I thought I would try and make some notes.
First of all, while still in Yellowknife, our Canadian North flight 444 was delayed due to preparation for the Yellowknife Airshow that will be happening on Saturday. Several other aircrafts were occupying the tarmac and airspace around the airport.
Something else I also learned was that flight 444 also has a stop over in Norman Wells, NT, another community I haven’t been to but hope to spend more time in. Not this time unfortunately, I don’t even think I’ll be getting off the plane.
Finally though we were able to take off towards Norman Wells, an hour late. The first leg of the flight to Norman Wells was 1 hour and 7 mins. They severed us fresh bannock and jam and played Family Guy on the inflight entertainment…
My day then became an unexpected journey. Upon arriving in Inuvik for the first time I called a number that was provided to me to setup a flight to Tuktoyuktuk the next day. Well it just so happened that flight was going to Tuk in an hour.
I hustled to the hotel, checked in, dumped one of my bags and took off back to the airport. At the airport I met a truly northern pilot, Bob Heath of Aklak Air, who has been flying the Inuvik region for 25 year. He is a really neat guy so I’ll tell you more about it in a post specifically about my Tuk flight adventures, which I will link to here.
Feeling overly exhausted when I finally got back to Inuvik all I wanted to do was fall asleep but I thought it best I get some food. I tried out the Tonimoes Restaurant, which was actually pretty decent.
After dinner I took a stroll down main street and picked up some bottled water – there is a water advisory on right now – so I wouldn’t get dehydrated in the ridiculously hot temperatures the arctic has been seeing.
Oh and if you are looking for a hot summer destination, the arctic might just be that place.
I have lived in the north practically all my life but I’ve never actually been to Inuvik, NT. I’ve actually been to more of western Nunavut than western NWT. I’ve been to Cambridge Bay, NU, Kugluktuk, NU, Bathurst Inlet, NU and so on.
I’m excited to see what is going on in Inuvik. The terrain has always intrigued me and been somewhat of a mystery to me. It is further north than Yellowknife but is still below the treeline and lies along the arctic coast.
The point of my trip to Inuvik is business but I will have the flexibility to explore the area and find out what is going on up there. My goal is to try and experience Inuvik as if I am a tourist and record everything I am seeing and doing.
While I’m in Inuvik the Great Northern Artists Festival will be taking place, which will be one of the events I’m going to check out. The festival features artists from all over the north showcasing there art and taking part in workshops.
Tomorrow I may even get the chance to go to Tuktoyuktuk, NT, which is an even smaller community.
Let the adventure begin.