Dear Followers,

Thanks for being patient with us. We are being slow with our blog entries partly because when we write our blogs we end up fighting about writing style, but mainly because we both came down with the flu. We are feeling better today so we figured we would give you an update on our lives in Inuvik.

With our days off we have been able to learn about and explore parts of town. One of the things we have noticed on our walks have been the buildings. Most of the buildings sit on supportive stilts which elevate them above the ground surface. This is an important design feature of the houses and buildings in Inuvik due to the permafrost. Permafrost, meaning permanently frozen ground, covers the majority of the land surfaces in the Northwest Territories. This creates a problem in Inuvik and other communities when constructing houses. During the warmer months the permafrost thaws causing the ground and therefore the buildings to shift.  The supportive stilts are drilled into the surface below the permafrost which helps to reduce the shifting effect.

On our walk we made our way to the Mackenzie River which is the largest and longest river in Canada, spanning 1738 km before emptying into the Arctic Ocean. It acts as a drainage basin for 20% of Canada's land mass. It collects water from the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon and Northwest Territories and provides the Arctic Ocean with 11% of its fresh water. This plays an important role in regulating the ocean temperature and surrounding ecosystems. The Mackenzie River also acts as a passage way to connect isolated communities. In the summer months boats are a popular mode of transportation for people and resources and in the winter months it becomes an ice road. Driving along the ice road to the Arctic Ocean is one of the popular tourist activities in Inuvik. We hope to get a chance to drive along the ice road but we are both pathetic as we don't have our driver's licenses. We will have to find someone who does.

Prior to coming to Inuvik, we had heard countless times from our friends and family to watch out for the polar bears. Being here we have learned that there are NO polar bears in Inuvik as it is not close enough to the Arctic Ocean. We are about a 2-3 hour drive from the Arctic Ocean. However, word on the Inuvik street is that we are close to a grizzly bear hang out aka the dump. Survival tip #1: don't go to the dump. Survival tip #2: if you go to the dump, make sure you go with someone who runs slower than you do (sorry Virginia). Survival tip #3: if you are the slower runner, think ahead and trip the faster runner (sorry Erin).

Like true Torontonians we will always find a place to shop, even in Inuvik. There are a lot of beautiful paintings, jewellery, carvings and moccasins handmade by local Aboriginal artists. We each have purchased a few things for ourselves and for family back home. It was no easy task to find the perfect gift for our mothers. However, we managed to find a soft soap stone bear carving with a friendly face for Virginia's mom and a non pink, durable size 8.5 pair of moccasins for Erin's mom. Success, the criteria have been met!

As for the weekend, our plans include drinking and dancing at the local pub, dogsledding, a church igloo tour and sleeping. We are back to work on Monday.   Wishing you all well back home. Until next time, cheers!

Igloo Church

View from hotel

Mackenzie River Ice Road

Downtown Inuvik

Mink Hat

Inuvik Hospital

Walking to town

Inuvik Houses