Day 20: 1 Bear, 1 Chief, 2 Cranes, & a Bunch of Bison

Good morning, everyone. At 3 AM last night my knee woke me up in the night complaining about the hard work he did on the hike to the waterfall the night before. He wanted ice, stat! I was tired though, 3 AM... really, buddy? Can't it wait?? Apparently not. So off I went down the hall of the Woodlands Inn, ziplock in hand, to get some ice.

Once I was out in the corridors, I could suddenly smell smoke. My first thought was that maybe there was a fire in the hotel but after a quick glance outside I realized the whole area was thick with smoke. I checked the fire maps on the Canadian app I downloaded and sure enough, there was a big fire just north of where I was staying. It looked like it was heading towards the highway I'd need to drive on for the day, though it was showing the highway was currently open. There were 6 fires in total all around where I was staying.

At 6:00 AM I made some sandwiches and packed up early. I was eager to get the heck out of dodge! But not before I went to the beautiful hotel restaurant and had two eggs with toast for breakfast. It was quite concerning how strong the smell of smoke was inside the hotel itself, and I figured outside must be terrible. I had to go outside to grab some water bottles to bring to the room to make coffee in the Nespresso machine for the journey, and the air was intolerable.

Before I left, I sent my wife a map showing her exactly where all the fires are and where my route was taking me to assure her that I would be safe. I was planning to travel on a highway that the fire hadn't reached yet and looked contained. All the fire alerts I was getting also recommended this highway I'd be taking as the route to take to evacuate - so that sounds about as safe as it gets!

I left the hotel at 7:40 AM and the visibility on the roads was extremely poor. The smoke was really dense and the particle numbers outside the car were showing the maximum level of 500 again.

I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to get all the way to my destination. Ronit, my wife, suggested I call ahead to the hotel up north and also suggested I pack some vegetables to go along with my sandwiches. So I emailed her a picture of cucumbers celery and carrots that would accompany me on my journey. Thanks for looking out for me, love, husband.

Parker Lake

The first stop of the day was at Parker Lake. The dirt road was in ok condition though the road visibility was lousy with the smoke in the area. Once I got to the lake itself, it was eerily covered with a thin cloud of smoke, and the area was completely empty except for a small minivan with a couple sitting outside, eating breakfast.

I stopped to speak to them and learned their names were Redge and Evelyn, and they were accompanied by their pup, Rowdy. I asked if they had spent the night here at the lake, and they said they had and that at about 2:00 or 3:00 AM this morning they had started to smell and feel the smoke build up because of the fires in the area.

Redge and Evelyn live off-grid and have been traveling all over northern Canada for the last 20 years. They told me how much they love living this way. I asked how they met one another and they told me the story. Apparently, Evelyn had been travelling in America (She's from Germany) and Redge was driving in the same area. They bumped into each other at a stop on the highway and ended up getting married in 1997 and have not parted ways since.

Beaver Lake

The next trail was to Beaver Lake. Once again, I drove down a short winding trail to the lake area only to arrive and be the only soul around. I parked the car and got out to take some pictures when all of a sudden I see a woman who I would later learn is named Renee. She had walked straight out of the woods on her own and I was quite startled to see her.

I learned that she and her husband Jacques are from Belgium and that they had parked their 4x4 truck just around the corner. She told me how they had imported the 4x4 from Belgium into Canada for this trip after they had converted it into an RV camper. They are planning to use it to do a six-month road trip just exploring Canada and Alaska.

They had just come from Fort Simpson where I just so happen to be going to soon. Seems we are doing the same route in opposite directions. Renee Informed me that my route is going to contain about 270 kilometres of dirt road. She said it may be named "the McKenzie Highway" but it is in fact a simple dirt road.

That wasn’t the greatest news to hear because I was hoping that my main route would be nice and smooth. At least, as Rene and Jacques told me, it will be a very solid gravel road and should be well-maintained. They explained this is how everyone in the north travels, so it’s very safe, and not to worry. I bid them farewell and I was off towards Fort Simpson.

Bear in Mind

I was back on the road, traveling down Route 77 north bound and caught sight of another black bear off the side of the road. I stopped the car and he just looked right at me. I got out of the car to take a picture and said a friendly “good morning” to the big bear. Sadly, he didn't enjoy the greeting and took off running back into the forest.

It's good to know that they're just as scared of us as we are of them. It made me feel a bit better about hiking in the woods knowing all I need to do to avoid a ferocious bear attack is to just say "Good Morning, Mate!" in a very amenable voice.

I continued along the highway and after about 30-40 minutes of not seeing a single car in either direction, I was feeling a bit concerned. I knew it was not a well-traveled highway, but I still preferred the reassurance of seeing other vehicles to know all was well. Bear in mind the fires are still raging in various areas and I didn't want to get stranded alone!

Another driving observation was that for the 90 minutes, I'd been driving at that point since the early morning, I had not gotten a single bug splatter on the windshield. I figured either the fire has burnt them all to a crisp, or they are flying in a different direction. Or maybe there are just fewer bugs in this area in general.

Northwest Territories

I had finally entered the northwest territories! I was worried about the gas situation during this journey as I was driving into really remote areas. So I was looking to fill up on gas any chance I got. I pulled into Fort Liard in search of a gas station, but everywhere only had 87, no 91. I had 3/4 of a tank at this point, but this wasn't a great sign.

Liard River

After my failed gas excursion, I went down a small dirt road off the "main" Liard Highway (which is also a dirt road) in search of the Liard River. I was however obstructed. By who, you might ask? Well, none other than a herd of buffalo bison.

I didn't want to disturb them in their natural habitat so I did a very slow U-turn and went back to the main road. I did get a few glimpses of the river and took some nice photos, so it was all well and good. The river was flowing quite fast and I can imagine that without the smoke in the area, it probably is even more beautiful.

I continued driving and hit a bunch of construction, which is not uncommon in this area these days. It said the construction was stretching across the next 14 kilometers and so access to the paved road is blocked and I was redirected onto a dirt road.

Well, after a long long time has gone by (definitely more than 14 kilometers) I'm still driving on a dirt road. Turns out there may only have been construction for 14 kilometers, but the road itself is a dirt road "highway" that is unpaved for 300 kilometers. Nope, that's not a typo, it really lasted 300 kilometres (well 287 to be exact).

In the beginning, I was really worried that the road conditions might get bad, making it unpassable. I didn't want to have to turn around and redo the entire length of what I had already driven. Luckily, the dirt roads in the northwest territories are actually pretty firm, had no potholes and felt safe. So while it wasn't a paved highway, I was still able to travel at 90 kph on it without any issues.

At one point I came across another herd of bison just grazing lazily along the highway. One Bison even stood right in the middle of the road and challenged me to a staring contest. But by the time I got my camera out, he had moved on.

I also stopped to take a picture of one of the bison crossing signs for my wife, Ronit, who collects these types of warning signs.

Crossing Bridges

The next part of my journey was dotted with several beautiful bridges. At the first bridge, I got out of the car to take some photos over the railing when suddenly down the end of the road I saw what I thought was a big black bear. Turns out if was just a dog who belonged to one of the native tribes living nearby!

I took some great photos of the views from this bridge and several others. Each time, I stopped in the middle of the narrow bridges (thank goodness there were never any cars in either direction) and got out to take some pictures.

NETLA RIVER

BLACKSTONE RIVER

BLACKSTONE PROVINCIAL AREA

BIRCH RIVER

POPLAR RIVER

The First Nations Chief

During my drive on the never-ending dirt road highway, I suddenly saw two large birds land. I stopped in the middle of the empty road to take a picture and what do you know, suddenly there was a car coming up behind me. The driver stopped to see what I was up to and I asked him if the bird I was looking at was a wild turkey (I don't know much about birds, ok?). He laughed and told me that they were cranes!

I explained to him what I was doing and about the blog and he introduced himself as Chief Eugene (Gene) from Fort Liard. He is the chief of the Acho Dene Koe First Nations people. He told me a bit about himself and that another relative of his is also a chief, but of the Liidii Kue tribe in Fort Simpson where I was going.

I asked Gene where he was headed and he told me he was off to Yellow Knife. I learned from him that in the Northwest territories, they have the only non-rectangular license plate in North America. Instead of the standard shape, theirs is shaped like a polar bear! He also told me a bit about the different types of trees in the forest and how they were once more sparse.

He told me a bit about his responsibilities as a chief in modern times. It was a fascinating conversation and it was obvious to me that he was a true leader. The kind who leads by example, by doing and by caring for others first.

I am proud to have met him and to hopefully now be considered the chief's friend. It was a beautiful exchange of cultures and information with genuine care for one another. Even if it was just a brief 15-minute conversation.

A Bit of Math with Google Maps

So I was on my way to Fort Simpson at this point and Google Maps always tells me how many miles the drive is and how long it will take. At this point it tells me there are only 50 km left to go and the speed limit in the area is 100 kph. So if you do the math, it should take about 30 minutes. However, Google is saying 55 minutes. So where are those extra 25 minutes coming from?

Well, it all made sense once I was on the route. At one point the road ended. What happened next? There was a ferry! That's why the estimated time was much longer! Apparently, Fort Simpson is on a small island and you have to take the ferry to cross over.

Luckily, my timing was impeccable because I was able to drive right onto the ferry and it left just minutes after I'd boarded. On the ferry, I met Olivia and Sayak, and Lonnie and Brad. They were all on their way back from work.

I also met Terrance who was a young gentleman whose job it was to help load and unload the vehicles onto the ferry.

Fort Simpson

At this point, I was getting desperate for gasoline for Steele. I searched Fort Simpson for 91-Octane, but once again no one had. I had no choice now. I had to get gas or I would not make it to the next major village. I was really worried about putting regular gas inside the Mercedes, but after speaking with two authoritative car experts whom I trust (Ron S. the owner of Cowboy Toyota in Dallas, and Mike L. our company's CFO) I was reassured that using 87-Octane in a one-time basis would not have any negative effects. So I filled up and nothing bad happened. I didn't even notice a difference. (BTW - If you love Toyotas and live in the Dallas area, go to Cowboy Toyota and tell Ron that Shlomo sent you!)

I made it to my hotel for the night, The Deh Cho Suites and Kevin, the manager, welcomed me and gave me a rundown of the place. My wife Ronit had found me this spot and I loved it! The suites included a living room, dining area and bedroom and there was also a shared area with a washer, dryer, oven, cooktop, pots and pans and whatever you might need. There was even an outdoor area with a gas grill.

I learned that Kevin is from Okanagan BC from a city called Penticton. He told me he first came up to this area to work on renovations for this lovely hotel. He was then asked to stay on as the motel manager. Kevin told me he loves the area and all the people here that he meets.

In a funny coincidence, I recognized some of the guests at the hotel. Guess who they were! The very same people I met on the ferry - Olivia, Sayak, Lonnie and Brad! What are the odds?

As I sat down to work on the blog I was concerned about the internet quality, and as it's such a remote area (on an island, through 300 km of dirt road) out here. I was in shock when the internet ended up being the fastest internet to date during my Canada experience! Way to go Deh Cho Suites!

Once I was all checked in and settled, I was off to the town to get some groceries and see the waterways.

I didn't take the usual boat ramp photos with Steele, who was feeling a bit "nauseous" from the low-octane fuel he drank (hang in there buddy, we'll get you some tasty single malt 91 tomorrow!).

At one stop in the area, I met a nice gentleman named Daniel from Colorado. He had just driven 7 days to visit the Faille Cabin, which he said is a historical site of importance to the area. He is a big history buff and loves the history of the area.

I asked Daniel how he keeps himself occupied for 7 days of driving and he told me he listens to podcasts, music and even studies Japanese. His Subaru Outback was loaded and he told me that he sleeps in his car most nights. So here we have a true "Car-mper"!

I finally returned home and ate a PB&J sandwich when suddenly I felt like I had bitten into a rock. Yup, you guessed it, it was a cracked filling or tooth. So now I am in need of a dentist. If anyone knows of one in Calgary, Alberta please send me their info! I need an emergency fix this Friday, June 16!!! Until then, let's hope the tooth holds up.

That's a wrap. G'night y'all and it is only 10:45 PM!

-Shlomo