July 23 to 29, 2017 ; 60th Parallel, NWT to Tisdale, Saskatchewan

Sunday ;  60th Parallel, NWT to Manning, Alberta

Cloudy and cool, heavy rain in the evening starting seconds after our arrival behind the Nova Inn in Manning, Alberta, our boondocking spot for tonight.

This morning we pulled out of our campsite, dumped our waste holding tanks at the campground's sani-dump station, drove out onto the highway, turned south and ... entered Alberta.  Goodbye, Northwest Territories !

We drove south all day on Alberta Hwy. 35.  How do we know we're in Alberta ?  Easy !  The road is flat, straight, and more straight !  Apparently they don't allow roads to curve in Alberta.  HA HA HA !  We stopped for lunch at a roadside pullout.  I napped after lunch.  Around 5 PM we reached High Level.  First stop was the municipal sani-dump station to refill our freshwater tank from ... HUH ? ... a coin operated water treatment plant.  Okay !  Last time we encountered one of these was in Fort Liard, NWT, and we regretted not using it.  And this one didn't seem as complicated to use as the one in Fort Liard.  Second stop in High Level was the Visitor Information Centre to pick up some travel planning information.  Last stop in High Level was the Independent Grocer's Fuel Bar to refill Lanoire with diesel.  By the way ... she reached 333,000 km.
( 208,125 miles ) today !  What a great truck !

Around 8 PM we reached Manning.  We drove around town looking for an acceptable place to boondock overnight.  We finally settled on the large gravel parking lot behind the Nova Inn.  While Joanne went into the camper to begin preparing our ( late ) supper I took Bo for a walk.  When he was finished I put him into the camper, then took the little bag of dog waste over to the inn's nearby garbage dumpster.  Before I could make it to the dumpster and back ... a violent electrical thunderstorm with really heavy rain began.  In just a few seconds I was drenched with cold rain.

And no, no ... the wild Oyster Mushrooms did not kill us !  Or even make us ill !

Monday ;  Manning to Peace River, Alberta

Sunny and warm.  Overnight we had darkness for the first time in over two weeks.

It's too complicated to even try to explain, but ... Emma escaped from the camper during the night.  I found her at 7 AM this morning, very scared, cowering underneath the truck, crying loudly.  Poor baby Emma ! ! !

We got a late start to our day.  Late this morning we left our boondocking spot behind the Nova Inn and drove to the municipal dump station in Manning where we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank before heading out of town, southbound on Hwy. 35 and then Hwy. 2 to Peace River, just a bit more than an hour away from Manning.  First stop in Peace River was the No Frills Fuel Bar where
I refilled Lanoire with cheap diesel.  WOO-HOO ... cheap fuel in Northern Alberta !  Next was Wal-Mart where we had lunch in the parking lot, and I confirmed that McDonald's free Wi-Fi reached the parking lot.

After lunch we got directions to a laundromat and drove into town to do laundry.  We found the laundromat ... < sigh > ... closed on Mondays !  DARN !  We drove back to Wal-Mart and spent most of the day in their parking lot.  I had a lot of computer work to do, most of it online.  While I downloaded photos from the camera and processed them in the computer, and did a lot of online work Joanne went shopping in Wal-Mart and Freson Brothers, a local supermarket.  I was still working online at 7 PM so Joanne decided to prepare supper.  I finished my online work about 7:30 PM and by 8 PM we were finished eating supper.

Boondocking overnight at Wal-Mart was certainly an option, but Joanne wanted to see a free campground that wasn't very far away, so off we went.  Just a few miles out of town we found the lovely Cecil Thompson County Park, adjacent to the Northern Sunrise County office building.  Cecil Thompson Park has a large pond, stocked with trout for fishing, lots of green space with picnic tables and playground and exercise equipment, and about half a dozen unserviced campsites.  No charge !  Courtesy of Northern Sunrise County.  Well ... thank you !

We took Bo for a walk to the fishing pond.  We took Emma for a walk to the fishing pond, but she's a little spooked today by her overnight outdoor adventure last night.  Poor baby Emma.  Joanne and I walked around the lovely park area, watching families with children fish and play on the playground equipment.  We admired the large gazebo in the park which looked like a great place for wedding photos or family gatherings.

Joanne formulated a plan to probably stay here tomorrow night as well, spending tomorrow getting caught up on some errands in town, then having a nice barbecued steak dinner here tomorrow evening.  Good idea ... I'm feeling cumulative fatigue from so many days of driving.

Tuesday ;  Peace River, Alberta

Sunny and hot.

We slept very late this morning and got a slow start to our day.  Once we finally got ourselves in gear we left Cecil Thompson County Park and drove back into the town of Peace River.  We found our way ( with a bit of sniping at one another ) to the municipal sani-dump station where we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled with freshwater.  Then we drove to the laundromat.  Joanne got the laundry started then we had lunch in the camper.  After lunch while she worked on doing laundry I worked at a table in the laundromat using their free Wi-Fi to check e-mail, then I worked on reconciling our monthly Bank of  America statement and our monthly Canadian dollar MasterCard billing.

From the laundromat we drove back out to Hwy. 2, to Wal-Mart ... again ... for a few items.  Then across the highway to No Frills for soft drinks.  Around 4 PM we left Peace River and drove 13 km. / 8 miles on Hwy. 684 / Shaftesbury Trail to Strong Creek Park, a municipally operated park with a small, free campground.  Thank you to Joanne for finding free campgrounds two nights in a row.  We got settled into a campsite, then spent a couple of hours just relaxing, enjoying the very nice weather and lovely park surroundings.

Around 6:30 PM I lit a campfire and cooked supper on it.  Fresh beets wrapped in foil, potatoes wrapped in foil, and thick, juicy steak grilled over the open fire.  Another great campfire cooked meal !  I spotted an unusual pair of birds in a tree behind our campsite.  I was able to use our Sibley bird book to identify them as Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.  After supper we went for a long walk around the large park, enjoying the warm evening.

Wednesday ;  Peace River to Athabasca, Alberta

Sunny and hot.  Too hot for Emma !  Seems odd that a cat from the desert would suffer discomfort from summer heat in northern Alberta !  Oh, well ... she's old !

This morning we refilled our freshwater tank and dumped our grey waste tank before leaving Strong Creek Park campground a bit south of Peace River.  We returned to and drove through the town of Peace River ... again ... then headed south on Hwy. 2.  Near the town of High Prairie Hwy. 2 turned east.  We stopped in High Prairie, parked at the Sports Palace ( town arena ) to have lunch.  I napped briefly after lunch.

We continued driving east and southeast on Hwy. 2 for the rest of the day, through the town of Slave Lake and all the way to the town of Athabasca.  Shortly before reaching Athabasca we refilled Lanoire with diesel at a cheap "rez gas" station at Island Lake.  We stopped in Athabasca to have supper and boondock overnight in a lovely city park on the Athabasca River.

I’m becoming tired of Alberta where the worth of a man seems to be measured by how loud his diesel truck and/or motorcycle is.  And to the fifteen year old “sk8tr boy” wearing the top hat as he plays on his skateboard in the skateboard park in this city park ... I have to say ... “Son ... face reality !  You’re in the Godforsaken town of Athabasca in northern Alberta.  Lose the top hat !  You just look ridiculous”.  Oh, well ... maybe in a year or two he can get himself a loud diesel pickup truck.  HA HA HA !  And an unskilled labour job in nearby Fort McMurray making sixty-five bucks an hour !  HA HA HA HA HA !

Thursday ;  Athabasca, Alberta to Pierceland, Saskatchewan

Sunny and hot.  Some things did not go particularly well today.

This morning we left the parking lot of the city park in Athabasca and continued eastbound on Hwy. 55.  We stopped in the city of Lac La Biche to run some errands, none of which got completed, thanks to the ineptitude of the young woman who assisted Joanne at the Visitor Information Centre.  She sent us on "wild goose chases" and none of what she gave us directions to was where she sent us ! ! !  I returned a phone call to my cardiologist's office in Penticton, BC and made an appointment for a cardiac stress test in late August.

We stopped to have lunch underneath a highway bridge over the Sand River.  While Joanne went into the camper to prepare lunch I walked down to the river to take a look.  Sand River was a muddy brown, very fast flowing, little river.  I walked back to the camper door, turned around to look for Bo and .... there he was, about a hundred feet away, standing in the fast flowing river, taking a drink of muddy brown water.  BO ... GET OVER HERE ! ! !  < gritting my teeth >  And you wonder why he gets four day long bouts of diarrhea ? ! ?

Later in the afternoon we arrived in the town of Cold Lake.  The Visitor Information Centre staff here were much more helpful.  We dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled with freshwater at the Visitor Information Centre's sani-dump station.  We refilled with diesel fuel at the No Frills Fuel Bar.  We bought groceries at Sobey's.  And Sobey's sent us to Canadian Tire to refill our five gallon drinking water jug.  Why would Canadian Tire have a water refill machine but not the supermarket ?  On the way out of town to the east we saw the weekly Farmer's Market had just started ( Thursdays 4 to 6:30 PM ).  On impulse I slammed on the brakes and turned in.

WOW !  Good decision !  I should have known !  In keeping with the demographics of this northern Alberta area, the Farmer's Market was filled with old Ukrainian women selling home cooked food !  I bought a large tray of freshly home made holuptsi
( Ukrainian cabbage rolls ), speaking a few words of my almost forgotten Ukrainian language to the old "Baba" selling food.  For reasons unknown to me, she pitied me because we were travelling, so she gave me a ( four dollar ) tray of her home made lemon sour cream sugar cookies because she felt sorry for me.  HA HA HA !  Thank you !  Joanne bought a home made strawberry, rhubarb, and wild blueberry pie.
< salivating as I type >  I bought a jar of  "Bumbleberry" jam, made with Saskatoons, strawberries and raspberries.

We continued east on Hwy. 55 into Saskatchewan and at the tiny village of Pierceland we turned north onto Hwy. 21, a gravel road, and drove about 27 km. / 17 miles to Sandy Beach campground in Meadow Lake Provincial Park.  There were only a few sites available, they were $30 serviced sites ( we wanted an unserviced site ), and there was a $10 park entry fee on top of that.  Forty bucks to park overnight.  No thanks !  We turned around and drove 27 km. of gravel back to Pierceland.  In Pierceland the building identified as the Visitor Information Centre was ... < sigh > ... now the town bakery, despite the signage outside still indicating it was the Visitor Information Centre.  With some assistance by the bakery owner we found our way to the abandoned RV park in town where we sneaked in to park overnight.  And we were not the only ones there !  An elderly couple in a fifth wheel trailer, who had an even worse day than us, were parked there overnight as well.

Friday ;  Pierceland to Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan

Sunny and hot.  Drove too many miles today.  Tired ! ! !

This morning we sneaked out of our overnight boondocking spot in the abandoned RV park ... gee, just like being in Mexico ... HA HA HA ... and drove to the sani-dump station at the Visitor Information Centre ... oops, I mean bakery ... where we refilled our freshwater tank and dumped our grey waste tank.  We headed out of Pierceland eastbound on Hwy. 55.

We stopped at the Visitor Information Centre in Meadow Lake, because there was a Farmer's Market there and we were looking for some information on Prince Albert National Park.  After the many, many, many Visitor Information Centres we have been to in Canada, United States, and Mexico, the one in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan wins the award for the WORST staff !  A young < cough > Indigenous woman wearing a black hooded sweater pulled up over her head and down to her eyebrows, thumbs flying over her cell phone, refusing to look up and make eye contact with us.  When we asked for some information on Prince Albert National Park she rudely grunted at us to check the brochure rack.  Joanne bought some fresh produce at the Farmer's Market.  There were many interesting home cooked products to buy, but we bought plenty just yesterday at the Cold Lake Farmer's Market.  As a result of chatting with one of the vendors, Joanne will be sending pie recipes to her.  HA HA HA !

We parked across the street from the Meadow Lake Visitor Information Centre in the Extra Foods parking lot to have lunch.  I napped briefly, then refilled Lanoire ( reached 335,000 km. today ) with diesel at the Extra Foods Fuel Bar.  While I was napping Joanne was reviewing some new travel planning information and came up with a new plan.

We left Meadow Lake heading south on Hwy. 4.  At Hwy. 3 we turned east.  We stopped for a brief rest at Spiritwood.  I realized the Wi-Fi signal inside the Spiritwood Visitor Information Centre ( now closed for the day ) reached the parking lot, so we stayed long enough for me to get online and check e-mail.  We continued east on
Hwy. 3 to Hwy. 12, then south on Hwy. 12 to the town of Blaine Lake.  We continued south then east about a half an hour beyond Blaine Lake to the Doukhobor Dugout House ( a.k.a. Doukhobor Caves ) National Historic Site, which Joanne decided while
I napped that she wants to visit.  It is open only five days per year, only on Saturdays in July, so ... she saw this as opportunity knocking.  We arrived there hoping to boondock overnight, but that was not possible.

We returned to the highway, drove south about another half hour looking for a rest area marked on our map but apparently no longer in existence ( YUP ... travelling in Saskatchewan is just like travelling in Mexico ), then reluctantly drove all the way back to the town of Blaine Lake to boondock overnight.

Saturday ;  Blaine Lake to Tisdale, Saskatchewan

Sunny and hot.

This morning we left the town of Blaine Lake and drove 8 km. / 5 miles south on paved Hwy. 12 and 10 km. / 6 miles east on a gravel road to the Doukhobor Dugout House Historic Site, arriving just in time for the 11 AM guided tour.  A costumed interpreter guided us around the archaeological / historic site, showing and telling the story of the three hundred Doukhobors who fled religious persecution in Russia in 1899, living here for five years from 1899 to 1904 in "dugout" houses on the banks of the Saskatchewan River.  And it fills in a piece of the puzzle for us, explaining how in 1904 about one hundred of those folks moved to BC, near Castlegar.  We have visited the Doukhobor Museum near Castlegar, BC a couple of times.

After the tour ended, about 1 PM, we drove back to Hwy. 12, and back to Blaine Lake where we refilled our freshwater tank at a service station / ice cream / pizza shop.  We phoned Prince Albert National Park to inquire about campsite availability.  Getting discouraging news we decided to skip going to the national park.  < sigh >

From Blaine Lake we headed northeast on Hwy. 40, then east on Hwy. 3 to the city of Prince Albert.  We crossed over the North Saskatchewan River on the Diefenbaker Bridge into the city.  We stopped and shopped at North West Company Fur Marketing where I bought a pair of beaded, fur trimmed, sheepskin lined moccasins.  Very nice !  Much cheaper than similar products in the Northwest Territories where the price was $300 to $350.

We took Bo for a walk alongside the North Saskatchewan River, then had a late lunch in the camper.  We had lunch quite late because we had eaten a thick slice of clay oven baked Doukhobor bread slathered with butter and jam at the Doukhobor historic site.  After lunch we drove through Prince Albert, refilling the truck with diesel fuel and refilling an empty propane tank at Lake Country Co-op.

We headed out of Prince Albert eastbound on Hwy. 3.  We drove to, and stopped for the night at the town of Tisdale, home of Brent Butt, Canadian comedy icon.  We got a campsite at the Lions campground, adjacent to and administered by the Tisdale Riverside Golf Club.  Nice campground.  I think we might stay here two nights, resting and getting caught up on some chores tomorrow.

After we got settled into a campsite we took Bo for a long, leisurely walk around the nearby sports field and playgrounds, doing some "Bo-gility" on the playground equipment.  HA HA HA ... he still enjoys going down children's playground slides.  What a silly thing for a little dog to like !

When we returned to our campsite I prepared a campfire for cooking supper.  Bo and Emma were both outside on tie-outs while I was preparing a campfire.  < blink blink >  Emma squatted and peed on the grass ? ! ?  Well, that was odd !  Didn't know she was an "au naturel" kind of kitty.  The last time she was outside and had to pee she went to the door of the camper and asked to be let back inside to use the litter box.

For supper tonight we had a "wiener roast" with bratwurst type sausages.

DSK

July 16 to 22, 2017 ; Yellowknife to 60th Parallel Territorial Park, NWT

Sunday ;  Folk On The Rocks Music Festival, Yellowknife, NWT

Today started out sunny and warm, but in mid-afternoon it clouded over, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped a lot.  By suppertime the sky cleared but it remained windy and cold.  Yellowknife's summer was ... yesterday !  And it's over ! 
HA HA HA !

This morning we dumped our grey waste tank, refilled our freshwater tank, and left the campground to drive 3 km. / 2 miles to the music festival site.  We wanted to arrive early in order to find a good parking spot for our large rig.  We arrived about 11:30 AM, and did find a good parking spot.  The music festival began at noon today.

We viewed a variety of musical performances throughout the day.  And when there was nothing of interest to us we returned to our camper to have lunch or a snack or ...
I worked on my computer.  We were parked close enough to the festival entrance that
I could receive the festival site's free Wi-Fi in our camper.  So I got some online work done that otherwise would have had to be done tomorrow at McDonald's.  I also bought some holistic / herbal products from one of the vendors selling at the festival, including an excellent spruce pitch and beeswax salve for wounds that's probably better than what I ( and my mother and my grandmother ) have made in the past. 

We left after about the third song of the final performer on the main stage, at about 10:30 PM.  He wasn't really our "cup of tea".  We returned to the campground, I did some chores, Joanne washed dishes, and we each had a cup of hot chocolate to end the day.  We're both still discombobulated by this midnight sun concept.  There's no onset of darkness to cue your body and mind that the day is almost over and it's time to "wind down".

We were both slightly disappointed in the music festival.  And we both felt that we did not receive good value for money spent, considering the $220 spent on two festival tickets and $134.40 spent on camping fees.  And ... there's a generation gap in music festival "appreciation".  Our generation of old people wants to attend music festivals to listen to the performers.  Younger people attend music festivals to guzzle booze and socialize loudly.  At last year's Edge Of The World music festival on Haida Gwaii and this year's Folk On The Rocks in Yellowknife I just kept wanting to turn around and say to the people around us ...

SHUT THE FUCK UP ! ! ! ! !

Monday ;  Yellowknife to Chan Lake Territorial Park, NWT

Today was mostly cloudy, a bit windy, and cold !

This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater tank, and left Fred Henne Territorial Park campground for the last time, to run errands in Yellowknife before hitting the road again.  Wal-Mart to replenish supplies, Canadian Tire to adjust the air pressure in all the truck tires, Co-op Market Place to replenish groceries, Co-op Fuel Bar to refill Lanoire with diesel, and Bumper To Bumper to refill one of Elsie's propane tanks.  As we left the city we stopped at the Folk On The Rocks site to have lunch in the now deserted parking lot.

As we passed by the meat section in Co-op Market Place one of the butchers had just brought out from the back and was stocking on the shelves packages of freshly smoked Lake Trout and Whitefish caught in Great Slave Lake.  Yellowknife is perched on the shoreline of Great Slave Lake.  I bought a package of each of the smoked fish.  I ate smoked Lake Trout for lunch.  MMMMM !  First time I've eaten Lake Trout, and obviously, first time I've eaten smoked Lake Trout.  The Lake Whitefish from Great Slave Lake are much larger than the puny little Rocky Mountain Whitefish I catch in the Similkameen River at home, and elsewhere in the BC Interior.  I hope that the larger Lake Whitefish are not as bony as the little Rocky Mountain Whitefish.

After lunch we headed away from Yellowknife on Hwy. 3.  I hesitate to say we headed south, because for quite awhile the road from Yellowknife heads northwest to get around the North Arm of Great Slave Lake, then the road turns south.  Our planned destination for today was North Arm Day Use Territorial Park, but we arrived there earlier than we had expected, so we kept driving until we reached Chan Lake Day Use Territorial Park where we stopped to have supper and boondock overnight.

Again today as we drove we encountered Wood Bison ; a large herd and a solitary large male who became agitated when Bo began barking at him.  We quickly drove away as he flicked his tail and gave us the evil eyeball !  GEEEEEZ, Bo ... you're going to inspire a buffalo to charge at us !  When we saw Wood Bison on our northbound leg last week Bo was lying on the back seat of the truck, too ill to care that we were viewing Wood Bison.  It certainly is great to see him feeling healthy again and excited about travelling and having adventures.  When we viewed the large herd of Wood Bison today, one of the large males was stripping the bark off a tree using his horns. 
< shrug >  Don't know why  !  Some kind of rutting behaviour ?

No bugs in the cold weather !

During the night we were awakened by the loud sounds of a car and truck entering the rest area.  They stopped about twenty feet from the rest area's two bathroom buildings and garbage dumpsters.  Many FIRST NATIONS people poured out of the two vehicles.  Soiled diapers were tossed out of the vehicles.  Bags of garbage were tossed out of the vehicles.  Not dropped ... TOSSED !   People urinated and defecated in the parking lot.  One woman dropped her pants, squatted, defecated in the parking lot, wiped herself with a towel, and tossed the shit soiled towel in the parking lot !

AND YOU WONDER WHY OUR "FIRST NATIONS" PEOPLE ARE OFTEN STEREOTYPED AS FILTHY DRUNK INDIANS ? ! ? ! ? !

STEWARDS OF THE LAND ... INDEED ! ! ! ! !

I hope some of Canada's "Indigenous" community read this ... and weep in shame !

Tuesday ;  Chan Lake Territorial Park to Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park, NWT

Mostly sunny and warm.  A half hour of clouds, and twenty minutes of light rain, around suppertime.

Yesterday at lunch time I discovered that Emma quite likes smoked Lake Trout.  Today I discovered ... HA HA HA ... Emma LOOOOOVES smoked Whitefish.

This morning we left the Chan Lake Territorial Park Day Use Area and continued south on Hwy. 3.  At Fort Providence we refilled with diesel and freshwater at Big River Shell.  A few miles later we stopped to have lunch under the five year old bridge over the Mackenzie River.  Up until five years ago, crossing the Mackenzie River was done by ferry during the summer, and ice road during the winter, with no way to cross during spring thaw and fall freeze, like the Liard River crossing near Fort Simpson.  We had lunch ... and I fished the mighty Mackenzie for twenty minutes ... at the abandoned ferry dock underneath the bridge.

After lunch we continued south on Hwy. 3 until it ended at Hwy. 1 / the Mackenzie Highway.  We turned southeast on the Mackenzie Highway until reaching Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park on the Kakisa River.  We selected a campsite, checked in at the park office, and got settled in our site.  I napped briefly then we hiked to Lady Evelyn Falls with all my fishing gear.  ALL my fishing gear, both fly fishing and traditional fishing !  I had read about the wonderful fishing in the deep pools at the base of Lady Evelyn Falls and was eager to give it a try.  We hiked the steep trail down to the top of the falls.  Well !  What lovely falls !  But no one over the age of about twenty-five would be capable of getting down to the base of the falls in the gorge below !  HMPH !  Tough, steep, uphill hike back to the campground with all my fishing gear !  And, of course,
I had taken my Nitroglycerin spray out of my pocket when I lay down for a nap, and forgot it on the counter when we went on the hike.  < rolling my eyes >  Dumbass !

Around 6 PM I began preparing for a campfire.  About 6:15 PM as I was about to light the fire ... it began to rain.  SHIT !  I quickly put the firewood, the folding chairs, and everything else into the truck.  About twenty minutes later, after the rain ended, I took it all out of the truck and started over.  I cooked stupendous Dan-O-Cheeseburgers over the open fire.

Late in the evening ( around 11 PM ) we took Bo for a bedtime walk, and due to his eagerness we ended up hiking all the way down to the falls and back up again.  YUP ... still no Nitroglycerin in my pocket !

Wednesday ;  Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park to Hay River to Little Buffalo River / northeast boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park

Sunny and warm.  Drove more miles today than any other day on this trip so far.  WHEW ... tired !

This morning we dumped our black waste tank before leaving Lady Evelyn Falls campground.  Instead of returning to the highway we drove 5 km. / 3 miles to the tiny hamlet of Kakisa, population about 40, to look around.  In the village was a government road works crew, using a small "street sweeper" to ... sweep the streets.  < blink blink >  The Government of Northwest Territories has enough money to bring street sweepers to remote villages with a population of forty people ? ? ? ! ! !  Actually ... we've seen quite a lot of "tax dollars being spent" up here in NWT on projects that seemed rather questionable.  Where does the Government of Northwest Territories get all that
money ?  Certainly not from income tax !  Most of the population of NWT seems to be unemployed < cough > Indigenous people.  Certainly not from sales tax !  There is no territorial sales tax !  Could their money be coming from "transfer payments" whereby the federal government of Canada takes tax revenue that it gets from rich provinces
( like BC ) and gives it to poor provinces / territories ?  Could taxes that I have paid as a resident in BC be going to pay for a street sweeper in Kakisa, NWT ?

We returned to Hwy. 1 and continued southeast until reaching Hwy. 2 at Enterprise.  We headed northeast on Hwy. 2 until it ended at Hay River, probably the nicest town we've been to in NWT.  We ran errands in Hay River.  First we bought groceries at North Mart.  Very reasonable grocery prices !  Next was the Visitor Information Centre where we refilled our freshwater tank and got some travel planning information. 
I stopped at Home Hardware to buy some worms for fishing.  They didn't have any.  Why not ?  Because ... fishing with live bait is prohibited in the Northwest Territories !  HMPH !  Should have read the damn fishing regulations !  HA HA HA !  Refilled with diesel at Homesteader's Inn ( and restaurant and fuel bar ).  HMPH again !  Why are diesel fuel prices in most of the NWT towns and villages almost the same price as in BC's Okanagan region ?  And way cheaper than fuel prices in northern BC ?

From Hay River we headed east on Hwy. 5.  Lots of construction on Hwy. 5 !  When Hwy. 5 turned a bit to the southeast we entered Wood Buffalo National Park through its northern boundary.  And not surprisingly ... saw a Wood Buffalo ... more correctly called a Wood Bison.  We crossed the northeast corner of Wood Buffalo National Park ... the largest National Park in North America ... and at its northeast boundary at the Little Buffalo River, we stopped around 8 PM to boondock overnight, just pulling off the road near the bridge over the Little Buffalo River.  While Joanne prepared supper I fished
( without live bait ! ) for about fifteen minutes, catching nothing.  HMPH !  Probably would have caught something if I'd have had worms !  HA HA HA !

Thursday ;  Little Buffalo River, NWT to Pine Lake, Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta

SO ... I have just sat down at the picnic table in our campsite ( at 7:20 PM ), to begin working on my laptop while I cook supper over a campfire, when Joanne walks over ...

J ; " < sniff sniff >  What's that bad smell ?"  D ; "What bad smell ?  I don't smell anything bad.  Maybe something on the campfire ?"  J ; "HEY !  Why is all the hair on your right arm singed off ? ? ? "  D ; "< looking at my arm > HMPH !  I don't know !"  HA HA HA !

Today was sunny and warm, a very pleasant day.  Except for lots of horseflies in
mid-afternoon.  We have figured out that the horseflies show up mostly on warm days, in sunshine, away from water.  They don't like shade.  They don't like water ; creeks, rivers, lakes.  They don't like wind.

This morning we left our well hidden boondocking site at Little Buffalo River and continued east on Hwy. 5 towards Fort Smith.  Before reaching Fort Smith we took a
13 km. / 8 mile side trip down Parson's Lake Road, "a single lane dirt bush road"
( Parks Canada's description ) to see Salt Plains Lookout in the NWT portion of Wood Buffalo National Park.  On the way to Salt Plains Lookout four large Sandhill Cranes flew up in front of the truck.  At Salt Plains Lookout we met three friendly people from Alberta who are travelling a similar route to us.  They gave me some fishing tips.  While walking around the viewing area I found a shed snake skin.  Very interesting !

We were driving ( too fast ) back to the highway, on the "single lane dirt bush road", enjoying the warm sunshine, feeling mellow, when all of a sudden ... HOLY JESUS ! ... a large buffalo jumped out of the bush and landed on the road right in front of us ! 
I slammed on the brakes ... HARD ... locking all six wheels, and as I slid on the gravel, the buffalo turned sideways and lurched away from us.  As the truck slid to a stop, the Dodge Ram badge on the hood of the truck looked like it was about to Dodge Ram itself up the buffalo's ass !  I missed the buffalo by inches !  SHEESH !

Now ... at 9 PM ... loons are beginning to "call" on Pine Lake.  AHHHHH ... the sound of Canada !

Just on the outskirts of the small city of Fort Smith we stopped at Queen Elizabeth Territorial Park to have lunch in their picnic area.  After lunch we entered the city and went to the Wood Buffalo National Park headquarters to get information.  We paid for one night of camping at the Pine Lake campground then headed into Wood Buffalo National Park, driving south on Pine Lake Road to Pine Lake, crossing the sixtieth parallel from NWT into Alberta on the way.

Once we arrived at Pine Lake we selected a campsite, then went for a short hike to the lake.  Very beautiful.  Crystal clear water, sandy beach.  Bo waded in and drank. We walked down the beach to the day use / picnic area, then walked back to the campground down the road.  Joanne and I changed from long pants into shorts, then returned to the lake to go wading.  Thanks for the great idea, Bo !

As you already know, I lit a campfire, burned all the hair off my right arm, and cooked supper over the fire.  Another great campfire dinner of baked potatoes, a thick juicy steak, and Caesar salad.  MMMMM !  Well done, Daniel !

As I'm sitting at the picnic table typing this at 9:15 PM Joanne is playing with the campfire like some kind of juvenile pyromaniac.  HA HA HA !  Playing with campfires turns her into a twelve year old again !  You go, girl !

At 10:30 PM we could see that the sun was a large orange ball "sitting" on top of the trees across the lake.  We walked down to the lake to watch the sun set behind the trees.  And watch and listen to a group of about six or eight loons, flying over the lake, "water walking" on the lake, calling loudly to one another with those wonderful loon calls, and just having a great time on a warm, romantic, summer evening.

Life was good today.  For us and the loons !  Well ... except for just about schmucking the buffalo !

Friday :  Pine Lake in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta to Hay River, NWT

Mostly cloudy, warm, humid, sky clearing late in the evening.

This morning we drained our waste holding tanks at the Pine Lake campground's
sani-dump station, then drove 60 km. / 38 miles north on the Pine Lake Road back to Fort Smith just across the sixtieth parallel into the Northwest Territories.  Before arriving we stopped to hike the Karstland Loop, an 800 meter / half mile hike through karst terrain, with sinkholes that are hibernaculum for garter snakes.  HEY ... I kid you not !  That's what it says in the Parks Canada information sheet.  HA HA HA !

Bo had difficulty with the hike.  I think he is having cardiovascular issues ... ( aren't we all ? ! ) ... and certainly he is having poor vision issues.  Poor old Bo !  I think his hiking days may have ended today !  Despite his struggles to complete the hike, he did enjoy harvesting his own wild Saskatoon berries and wild raspberries. Although I just about had to bring the berries to his mouth before he could see / smell them !

In Fort Smith we stopped at the Parks Canada Wood Buffalo National Park headquarters so that I could drop off a survey form.  And they had Wi-Fi so I retrieved e-mail while Joanne prepared lunch in the camper in the parking lot.  < sigh >  Getting my old laptop computer booted up, connected to the Internet, retrieving and reading e-mail was a forty-five minutes process.  Slow, old computer, and slow Wi-Fi !

We refilled with diesel before leaving Fort Smith, then headed west on Hwy. 5 all the way back to Hay River.  Around 4 PM I became sleepy so we pulled off the road and
I had a brief nap.  Saw a buffalo as we drove, probably the last one we'll see.  We arrived in Hay River around 7 PM.  We refilled our freshwater tank at the Visitor Information Centre then drove to a local car wash and washed a lot of mud and gravel road grime off the truck and camper.  WHEW ... spent twenty-four bucks ... a Loonie at a time ... at the self-serve car wash.  We drove across the West Channel of Hay River to get to Vale Island, to explore and find the Fisherman's Wharf where fish are sold right off the boats on Saturday morning.  We stopped at a Great Slave Lake beach access spot for a few minutes to view and admire the driftwood laden beach.

BUT ... it was late already.  We were "out of steam", hungry, tired, and crabby.  We sniped at one another as we drove back to the Visitor Information Centre to prepare and eat supper, and boondock overnight.  We arrived back at the Visitor Information Centre around 9 PM and had supper about 9:30 PM, continuing to snipe at one another for the rest of the evening.

Saturday ;  Hay River to 60th Parallel Territorial Park, NWT

Joanne's sub-title for today ; Adventures In Eating With The Kirby's

Sunny and warm during the day, cloudy in the evening.

This morning we left the parking lot of the Visitor Information Centre in Hay River and drove across "New Town" Hay River, crossing the bridge over the river into "Old Town" Hay River where we went to the Fisherman's Wharf for their weekly Farmer's & Fish Market.  We wandered around looking at all the vendors, deciding that it was too early
( about 11 AM ) to have fresh fish and chips for lunch.  Joanne bought fresh produce.  The only boat selling fish at the wharf was selling only fresh Lake Whitefish caught this morning in Great Slave Lake.  We wanted fresh Pickerel.  We drove to the far end of Vale Island / "Old Town" to a fish seller.  She only had frozen Whitefish, no Pickerel.  Darn !

We drove back across the river into New Town to buy groceries at North Mart.  MMMMM ... great fresh baked cookies !  After grocery shopping we drove back to Old Town to have lunch at Fisherman's Wharf.  It was about 12:30 PM.  Joanne was worried that if we waited too long the fish and chips sellers would run out of fresh fish.  Good point !  We selected a fish and chips vendor who was coating her fresh Whitefish in a beer batter then deep frying it and serving it with freshly cut French Fried potatoes, home made cole slaw, and freshly baked bannock.  Good meal.  Not cheap !

After lunch we drove back to the Visitor Information Center to dump our waste holding tanks at the sani-dump station and refill our freshwater tank.  Thank you very much, Hay River Chamber of Commerce.  We RV'ers really appreciate those amenities.  We began to drive out of town westbound on Hwy. 2, stopping on the edge of town at Homesteader's Inn to refill the truck with diesel.

As we pulled off the highway and into the fuel station, there was an inebriated First Nations man / drunk Indian staggering down the side of the road facing into oncoming traffic.  As I was filling the truck's tank with diesel fuel, an RCMP truck with two officers pulled over beside the drunk man, who was carrying a bottle in his left hand.  After a brief discussion, one of the RCMP officers began the process of arresting the drunk.  The second officer "assisted" his partner by launching a flying tackle into the drunk, knocking both of them tumbling into the ditch.  The first officer walked a few steps into the ditch, kneeled on the drunk's back, and began to hand cuff him.  The second officer, who had rolled further down into the ditch than the drunk, picked himself up, ran over and again "assisted" his partner by kneeling on the back of the drunk's head.  They got him cuffed and into the RCMP truck.

I was watching this while refilling the truck's fuel tank, and began to make loud, "smart ass" comments ( similar to bold, highlighted comment below ) about use of excessive force.  Joanne suggested that I was expressing my concerns in an inappropriate manner.  SO ... I walked over to stand across the ditch from the two officers, who were finished arresting the drunk, identified myself by first and last names, and asked for their identification cards as it was my intention to file a complaint about use of excessive force.  The "bully" / second officer loudly and aggressively told me his name.  The first officer sheepishly did the same.  No identification cards were offered, despite my request.

HOW "ROUGH AND TOUGH" DOES A BULLY RCMP OFFICER HAVE TO GET TO ARREST A SCRAWNY DRUNK INDIAN WHO IS ALMOST TOO DRUNK TO STAND UP ? ! ?

I will be filing a "use of excessive force" complaint !

We drove west on Hwy. 2 to the little village of Enterprise.  We viewed a Black Bear and a Wolverine while driving.  We stopped in Enterprise to shop at Winnie's Dene Art Gallery & Gift Shop, buying a couple of small items as souvenirs of our visit to the Northwest Territories.  From Enterprise we headed south on Hwy. 1 to the 60th Parallel Visitor Information Centre and 60th Parallel Territorial Park campground at the Northwest Territories border with Alberta.  We picked up some Alberta travel information and paid for a night in the campground.  As we were returning to our truck in the Visitor Information Centre parking lot we began to chat with a couple from Switzerland who have travelled all over the world in their camper van and today were entering the Northwest Territories.  We chatted for quite awhile, and invited them to visit us in Yuma, Arizona next winter when they are on their way to Baja California, Mexico.

We got settled into a campsite, and while Joanne prepared a sautéed fresh vegetable medley using vegetables purchased today, including beet greens, I lit a campfire to cook chicken over the fire.  While waiting for the fire to be ready to cook on, I found a lovely batch of mushrooms growing low on an aspen tree.  Joanne pulled out my Mushroom Hunter book and identified them as edible and delectable, wild Oyster Mushrooms.  WOO-HOO !  She cleaned them, I grilled them over the open fire, we ate them with our grilled chicken and sautéed vegetable medley ... they were GREAT !

Now ... since this is Saturday evening ... the end of my weekly journal entry ... you'll all have to wait an entire week to find out whether or not we got sick or died from eating poisonous mushrooms.  HA HA HA !

DSK

July 9 to 15, 2017 ; BC / NWT border to Yellowknife, NWT

Sunday ;  BC / NWT border to Fort Liard to Blackstone Territorial Park

Welcome to "North Of 60".  Well ... we certainly are "off the beaten path" !

Bo was sick overnight and today with intestinal distress / diarrhea.  That actually gave us an opportunity to witness the phenomenon of "Land Of The Midnight Sun".  When
I walked Bo shortly after 11 PM last night, the northwest sky had sunset glow.  When we awoke to deal with his illness around 1:30 AM it was dusk.  At 2 AM the northeast sky begin to glow with dawn.

Today was cloudy, very warm, and humid.  The mosquitoes and horseflies were ... horrendous !  Wildlife viewed were ; a female Black Bear and her cub, a Great Gray Owl, and a Ruffed Grouse.

This morning we left our overnight boondocking spot beside the "Welcome To Spectacular Northwest Territories" sign and headed north into NWT on Hwy. 7 / the Liard Highway, a gravel road !  After about an hour or so we reached the small community of Fort Liard.  We stopped in their municipal campground hoping to refill our freshwater tank, but there was no water.  So ... I helped myself to some of the free firewood.  There was a sign advising that water was available at the water treatment plant in town, so we headed there.  The water there was not free, and the process of obtaining water seemed too complicated for me, so ... we unwisely did not refill our freshwater tank.  We would regret that later !

The little Dene store selling Native arts and crafts was not open.  Nothing in the little village was open !  The Tourist Information Centre, the fuel station, the library ... everything was closed.  We left town and continued northbound on Liard Highway.  When we got hungry we stopped on the side of the road and had lunch.  After lunch we continued northbound on Liard Highway.  Just before reaching our destination for today we stopped at Upper Blackstone River day use / picnic area and I tried fishing in the Upper Blackstone River.  BUT ... within fifteen minutes I decided the water was running much too fast for effective fishing, and I gave up.  Most of the rivers up here are still flowing deep and fast.  As if it were still early spring !  Maybe up here this is early
spring ?

Well ... this is strange !  As I am typing this at 8:40 PM, the clouds have broken, the sun is shining, and ... there is violent thunder nearby !  Emma is beside me on the dinette seat, and she is worried.

We arrived at our destination for today, Blackstone Territorial Park, late in the afternoon.  Our first stop within the small campground was the sani-dump station to refill our freshwater tank.  HMPH !  No water available !  We registered and paid for a site, then parked and got settled into our site.  Nice view !  Behind our site is the large Liard River, and the Nahanni Mountains beyond the river.  I lit a campfire, Joanne wrapped potatoes in foil, I set them on the grill to bake, then we went for a long walk with Bo, hoping that might make him feel better.  It didn't !  His intestinal distress continues.  Shouldn't have eaten that cat food the "next door neighbours" left in their campsite when they left yesterday morning, Bo !

UH-OH !  It has just begun to rain heavily.  I guess that would explain the violent thunder.  Despite the fact that the sky behind us, over the Liard River, looks clear.

After our walk I removed the potatoes from the grate over the open fire, then grilled a marinated steak over the fire.  Caesar Salad, barbecued steak and baked potatoes was our meal in celebration of having made it to the Northwest Territories !

Well !  That didn't last long, did it ? ! ?  The rain has stopped ... after about five
minutes !  The heavy thunder continues, so ... ? !

A few minutes after I typed that, after I had turned off and put away my computer ... the torrential downpour began.  And after a few minutes of exceptionally heavy rain ... the hail began ! ! !  In an aluminum roofed camper, it was deafening !  I wonder how pock marked the camper roof is ?

Monday ;  Blackstone Territorial Park to Fort Simpson, NWT

Sunny and warm.  Joanne wonders ... why is the Northwest Territories more "third world" than Mexico ?  I wonder ... why did Pope John Paul II visit the campground where we are at tonight, and conduct a mass here, in 1987 ? ? ?  Did God tell him to "spread the word" at the place He had most forsaken ? ? ?  HA HA HA !

For the second night in a row we were awakened frequently by Bo.  He is still ill !  Poor baby Bo.  Late this afternoon we bought some medication in Fort Simpson that will hopefully help him.  As a result of being awakened so often during the night, Joanne was feeling poorly today.  And ... < whispering > ... she was REALLY cranky !

After showering in the campground's shower building we departed Blackstone Territorial Park rather late this morning.  We continued heading northeast on the Liard Highway, so named because it follows the Liard River, more or less.  When we stopped to have lunch at a roadside rest area, we discovered teensy little wild strawberries.  While Joanne prepared sandwiches for lunch I harvested little tiny wild strawberries, smaller than raspberries, but sweet tasting nevertheless.  They were very good mixed into vanilla yoghurt.

Eventually we reached the end of the Liard Highway when it reached the Mackenzie Highway, which more or less follows the Mackenzie River.  Our choice was to turn right off the gravel Liard Highway onto the gravel Mackenzie Highway or ... turn left onto the PAVED road to Fort Simpson, about 60 km. / 37½ miles away.  We needed diesel fuel, and medication for Bo, so ... we turned left !  About 45 km. later we had to cross the huge, fast flowing Liard River on a small ferry.  During the winter there is an ice road across the river.  During spring thaw, and fall freeze up, Fort Simpson is accessible only by helicopter !  The fee to be picked up by helicopter at the Liard River and flown 15 km. to the town of Fort Simpson is ... wait for it ... $265 ! ! !

When we arrived in town we went to the Northern Store to buy medication for Bo, and some rather expensive groceries !  And I refilled Lanoire with diesel fuel !  A hundred and twenty bucks to fill the tank !  And it wasn't really that low on fuel !  We drove to the Fort Simpson Territorial Park campground on the edge of town and found that there was no water refill there.  The campground attendant directed us to the Visitor Information Centre to refill our freshwater tank.  We drove back into town and refilled our freshwater tank at the water spigot on the side of the Visitor Information Centre building, then went inside to collect travel planning information.  When I discovered the availability of Wi-Fi inside the building I decided to get my laptop computer and get caught up on online work ; retrieve e-mail, retrieve some investment data, and post my blog entry.

We returned to the campground and selected a site.  I started a campfire while Joanne prepared foil packets of meat loaf and vegetables for me to cook over the open fire.  She also prepared a mixture of cooked ground beef and rice to feed Bo to help resolve his intestinal distress.  Supper was great !  The late evening weather was very pleasant.  While I am sitting at the picnic table working on this journal entry at 9:45 PM ... sun still fairly high in the sky ... Joanne is sitting beside the campfire giving herself a manicure.

Tuesday ;  Fort Simpson to Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park, NWT

Sunny and very warm, nice weather !  The horrendous horseflies persist.  And their bites hurt !  Bo continues to be ill, for the third day.  Time to seek veterinary help.

This morning we departed the Fort Simpson Territorial Park campground, drove around the 1987 papal visit site, and drove back into town to the Visitor Information Centre.  While I refilled the camper's freshwater tank Joanne went inside to find a veterinarian.  The nearest veterinarian is in Yellowknife, more than 625 km. / almost 400 miles away.  We phoned and made an appointment for Friday.  In the meantime, the veterinarian suggested an alternative to the Imodium clone medication we have been administering to Bo.  We drove to the Northern Store and bought Pepto-Bismol.  HMPH !  Our bill included a charge of twenty-five cents for the little bag that they put the tiny bottle in.  That kind of Northern Store rip-off is consistent with yesterday's experience.  The diesel fuel pump indicated my purchase was $120.00.  The register inside the store indicated $120.79.  No explanation could be given.  I asked to see a manager.  The "manager" was as unable to explain as was the counter clerk.  I advised the manager how it would be resolved.  He would hand me seventy-nine cents, and do it with a smile ... and
I would be on my way ! ! !  He handed me seventy-nine cents, but there was no smile !

We left Fort Simpson and drove back to the Liard River ferry crossing, crossed the river, and continued on the paved Fort Simpson access road back to the Mackenzie Highway.  We had lunch in a roadside rest area, then drove east on the gravel Mackenzie Highway to Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park.  We got settled into a campsite, then went for a hike to see the falls.  By the way ... how do we know we're still in Canada ?  Easy !  Our campsite is littered with Export A cigarette butts and Molson's beer bottle caps ! ! !

We walked through the campground and back to the highway.  The highway bridge is over the Sambaa Deh Falls on the Trout River.  I have been eagerly anticipating fishing here in the deep pools at the base of the falls, after reading about it.  The campground attendant advised me that to access the "fishing hole" one must rappel down the cliff face into the Trout River Gorge !  Yeah ... right !  Do I look like the kind of guy who rappels down vertical cliff faces into deep gorges ? ! ?

We viewed and photographed the falls.  Quite spectacular !  We returned to our campsite, and I lit a campfire to prepare dinner.  I grilled chicken thighs over the fire.  Excellent !  Bo seemed a little more perky this evening.  And he hasn't had a bout of diarrhea in ... < checking my watch > ... over seven hours !  That's a huge improvement over the last two days when he had to go every two hours !  Wish us luck !

I am typing this at 9:30 PM at the picnic table beside the campfire in our site.  The sun is at about the same level in the sky that it would be at around 4 PM at home.  Last night it didn't even darken to a dusk level !  Land of the midnight sun ! ! !

Wednesday ;  Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park to Chan Lake Territorial Park, NWT

Sunny and very warm.  The weather is much warmer than I had expected for this far north.  Bo seems to be improving.  That's a great relief for us !

This morning we departed Sambaa Deh campground and continued east on the gravel Mackenzie Highway.  We found out later in the day that a well maintained gravel road is much better than a poorly maintained asphalt road !  As we drove. every time we crossed a bridge over a creek or river that looked the least bit promising, we stopped and I fished briefly.  Red Knife River, Wallace Creek, Axe Handle Creek, and at the end of the day, Chan Lake, all produced nothing !  HMPH !  I can't catch fish in the Northwest Territories.

Late in the afternoon we reached the eastern end of the Mackenzie Highway, and we turned north on Hwy. 3 heading towards Yellowknife.  Our destination for today was Fort Providence, and the Territorial Park there.  When we arrived at the small Native ... sorry, First Nations ... village of Fort Providence, we tried unsuccessfully to refill with diesel fuel at two unattended, self-serve "cardlock" type service stations.  Couldn't get them to work !  We went into the Northern Store to buy a loaf of bread.  The store was being rearranged, and nothing was on the shelves, everything was on the floors, mostly in boxes.  We briefly considered buying a loaf of packaged bread, but thought better of it, and left without buying.  The Northern Store chain of grocery stores in northern Canada fails to impress us, and that includes the one we shopped at in Churchill, Manitoba almost two years ago when we were up there to view polar bears.  Each Northern Store that we shop at seems worse than the one before !

With a touch of disgust we left the village of Fort Providence and drove a short distance to Fort Providence Territorial Park, our campground destination for tonight.  It was about as impressive as the Northern Store !  We decided not to stay.  We considered both the village and campground of Fort Providence to be "write-offs".  We returned to the highway and refilled with diesel at a Shell station on the highway, then continued north on Hwy. 3 towards Yellowknife.

After about another hour on the road we stopped to boondock overnight at Chan Lake Territorial Park, a day use / picnic area park without a campground.  I fished for about an hour in beautiful Chan Lake while Joanne prepared supper.

Thursday ;  Chan Lake Territorial Park to Yellowknife, NWT

Mostly sunny and warm, a bit cool in the evening.

We have reached Yellowknife, our primary destination on this trip.  We travelled 2792 km. / 1745 miles from home to here.  That's further than home to Yuma, Arizona ! 
I have driven for eleven days in a row, and I'm tired !  And despite travelling a great distance on the gravel of the Liard Highway and Mackenzie Highway, the worst road conditions of the trip were the final 200 km. / 125 miles of "paved" road to Yellowknife today.

We slept a bit late this morning and didn't leave Chan Lake until about 11 AM.  We continued northbound on Hwy. 3 and just a few miles after leaving Chan Lake we encountered our first Wood Bison of the day.  A solitary male lying down beside the road.  We stopped and took pictures.  A short while later we came across a herd of Wood Bison, mostly cows with calves, but including a few males who were "protecting" the herd as they crossed the highway.  Joanne was not able to count the entire herd, as some had already crossed the road and gone into the forest, but she did count
twenty-seven that crossed the road in front of us.  WOW !  That seemed to make the entire trip so far worthwhile.  Later another large herd crossed the highway in front of us, but by the time we reached them they were all across and into the forest.  Our last Wood Bison encounter was another lone male standing beside the road.

The forest ... such as it is !  The trees became smaller and smaller as we drove further and further north.  There is a line marked on our map, not very far north of where we are, marked "northern limit of tree growth", a.k.a."the tree line" !

We stopped at Mosquito Creek so that I could fish.  I lasted about fifteen minutes.  There's a reason the Dene people named it Mosquito Creek !

We arrived at Fred Henne Territorial Park on the outskirts of Yellowknife about 5 PM.  It had taken us about six hours to drive about 230 km. / 145 miles.  The paved road was so rough that Emma puked !  All over her soft, fluffy, yellow baby blankie !  Poor
Emma !  We checked in then drove to the sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks and refill with freshwater before settling into our campsite.  We took Bo for a walk ... he now seems to be constipated ... < sigh > .... then went at 6:30 PM to an "Indigenous Culture" presentation at the campground's amphitheatre.  The presenter was a woman from Inuvik, NWT.  She's a member of the Gwichen tribe, an excellent seamstress, and an expert in Indigenous clothing history.  She told stories and exhibited Indigenous clothing, arts, and crafts.  AND ... had made bannock biscuits and an "herbal" tea made with some wild picked forest ingredients for the audience to eat and drink.  I had two cups of tea and two bannock biscuits.  Slathered with butter and raspberry jam.  And... say goodbye to supper's plan !  HA HA HA !  A member of the audience was a local man, a member of the Dene tribe, host of CBC Radio's Indigenous stories show called Trail's End.  He recorded the woman's presentation for his show, and he also told stories.  We were the only members of the small audience who were not from nearby.  And we comprised two thirds of the "white" audience.  The woman presented us with a lovely gift ; a copy of a book on Indigenous clothing history, published by the Museum Of Civilization in Ottawa.  She was a contributor to the book.  And another woman presented us with a small gift as well ; a small piece of fish scale art, like a picture painted with coloured fish scales, an Indigenous art form.

The presenter woman's two daughters were in the audience.  One was sewing a pair of beaded moose hide slippers.  The other one had just flown in from Calgary, where she now lives, so that she could attend this weekend's music festival.  We chatted with her about the music festival, and told her about attending last year's Edge Of The World music festival in Haida Gwaii.  When we told her about that festival's Saturday night main stage entertainer, Buffy Ste. Marie, she said ... "who ?".   HA HA HA ... we told her to ask her mother, which she did.  Her mother knew !

Friday ;  Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Sunny and warm, a bit windy and chilly in the evening.

First thing this morning Joanne walked Bo and ... HALLELUJAH ! ! !  First thing I did this morning was cancel this afternoon's veterinarian appointment.  Before leaving the campground to run errands in Yellowknife we dumped our grey tank and refilled our freshwater tank at the campground's sani-dump station, conveniently located in front of our campsite.  The sani-dump's proximity to this campsite is why I reserved it online long ago.

First stop in Yellowknife was, of course, Wal-Mart.  While Joanne shopped I went into McDonald's and used their free Wi-Fi to retrieve and send e-mails.  The grocery section of this small Wal-Mart wasn't great, so the next stop was the nearby large supermarket.  By the time we were finished grocery shopping it was time for lunch.  Joanne suggested we alter our plans to have supper at a local restaurant she had chosen, and go there for lunch instead.  Okay !  We headed to Old Town.

We found our way into Old Town and then found Bullock's Bistro, a "hole in the wall" shack with a reputation for outrageously good fish and chips meals.  Well ... the food was outrageously good !  And the prices were outrageously high !  But ... at least the outrageously high prices were mitigated by the outrageously good food.  Which is not always the case in expensive restaurants.  The outrageously high prices, and outrageously good food, were both incongruent with what a "dive" this place was.

We each had a small bowl of fish chowder ( $10 per small bowl ) made with local Whitefish caught in Great Slave Lake, a few feet from the restaurant, then shared a plate of fish and chips ( $40 ! ), made with pan fried Arctic Char.  OH ... WOW !  First time I've had Arctic Char.  Stupendous !  Seems to be a member of the salmon family. 
I tried to have Arctic Char in Churchill on my 61st birthday / Thanksgiving 2015, but the restaurant we were at in Churchill had run out of Arctic Char.  The pan fried Arctic Char was topped with a cilantro and lime and garlic pesto type sauce.  I'm salivating again as I type this.  The salad was served with a feta cheese and garlic dressing.  EVERYTHING in this tiny restaurant is fresh, home made, including the breads and rolls, even the ketchup !  DAMN ... I'm just about drooling on my shirt as I type this !  HA HA HA !

After lunch we explored around Old Town awhile, including checking out the government wharf, and Yellowknife's houseboats.  I went in search of a Yellowknife icon ... Ragged Ass Road.  Found it !  Not easy !  From Old Town we drove to downtown to the Visitor's Information Centre.  After finding it, and finding a nearby parking spot large enough to accommodate Lanoire & Elsie, we discovered that the Visitor Information Centre was relocated !  AW, **** that !  I wasn't motivated enough to find it AGAIN and find a parking spot AGAIN !

We drove to a laundromat that we had seen earlier in the day.  While Joanne started doing laundry I went off in search of a car wash large enough to accommodate Lanoire & Elsie.  The lower four feet of the truck and camper are coated with a thick layer of caked on gravel road grime.  And apparently it will remain there for some time to
come !  Both of Yellowknife's car washes were not large enough to allow Lanoire & Elsie through the door.  < sigh >  Both car washes had doors that were twelve feet high.  Lanoire & Elsie are twelve feet and three inches tall !  I returned to the laundromat and while I waited for Joanne to finish doing laundry I sharpened knives and tightened eyeglass screws.  And listened to CBC Radio's Trail's End show broadcast of the story we listened to last night at the campground.

On the way back to the campground we did a bit of exploring around the airport, which is very near to the campground.  We found Buffalo Airways, made famous by the TV show Ice Pilots NWT.  I took a photo of one of their famed DC-3's.  We found the Folk On The Rocks music festival site on the shoreline of Long Lake, across the highway from the airport.

We returned to the campground and drove slowly through all of it.  Much larger than we thought it was !  We delayed supper until late in the evening, and all we wanted was a very light supper.

< BURP > ... WOOO ... garlic !  Excuse me !

Saturday ;  Folk On The Rocks music festival, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Sunny and warm.  No bugs at the music festival site.  Mosquitoes in the campground when we returned about 11 PM.  Gee ... this lack of darkness is discombobulating !

We slept late this morning.  Got a late start to the day.  On the way out of the campground we emptied our waste holding tanks and refilled with freshwater.  We drove to Wal-Mart and while Joanne went inside to buy me some Calamine lotion I did some preventive maintenance on the truck.  I had a rough night.  Now ... a few days after all the horsefly bites ... all the insect bites have swollen and are itching me to death.  All night long I kept waking up, needing to scratch itchy bites.  To no avail !  No amount of scratching relieves the itchiness !  Hence the Calamine lotion.  Wish me luck tonight !

We arrived at the music festival site around 12:30 PM.  It's about 3 km. / 2 miles down the highway from the campground.  We found a good parking spot and had lunch in the camper before entering the music festival.  The Folk On The Rocks site was well designed and well set up, with three small stages, a stage in the beer gardens, and a large main stage.  We enjoyed a variety of music throughout the day, wandering from stage to stage.  We had supper in our camper.  And we left about 10:30 PM when the final act of the evening began on the main stage.  It was NOT to our liking.  Joanne has concluded that music festivals always put their best acts on second last.

Yellowknife observations ;  Lots of French Canadians in Yellowknife.  Poutine very popular !  Seems to be lots of LGBTQ community as well.  Cab drivers are all blacks from ... Nigeria ?  Ethiopia ?  Young women's fashions up here are ... well ... downright weird !  All the white girls were getting severely sun burned today.  Guess they don't get to wear skimpy summer clothing much up here.  HA HA HA !

DSK