Day 21: A Breath of Fresh Air

I had another great night's sleep, and in the morning I went to the common area to make myself some eggs for breakfast. There I saw a man heavily invested in making himself a true espresso coffee using an original Bialetti mini percolator! Hmph! Here I thought I was a coffee geek, but this man is a true coffee connoisseur!

I introduced myself to him and learned his name was Thomas. He is a helicopter pilot who has been living in Jasper for the last six years but is originally from Austria. He told me he had just come down from Norman Wells and had also flown across the Artic Ocean as the company he works for has bases in the Arctic. He told me how he and his buddies are working hard to put out the fires in the area. Thank you, Thomas and company!!!

I shared with Thomas my route and explained that I'm meeting my other half (my wife Ronit) in Calgary in a few days. He told me he is currently living in Calgary and suggested a place called The Maven for the best breakfast in town. Thanks for the recommendation, Thomas!

The rest of the morning was spent talking on the phone to my beautiful wife Ronit and her sister, Tammy (a very gifted dentist in North Bay). We discussed what I could do about the cracked tooth, and after looking at some pictures and making a remote initial assessment, Dr. Tammy said I could continue, business as usual. That was a relief because I was worried I'd have to stop everything and drive back to North Bay to have my tooth treated by Tammy! Yes, I know it's quite the detour but hey, she's the best there is. If you live in the area check out North Care Dental, ask for Tammy, and tell them Shlomo sent you.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Next, I was off to Hay City in search of that fine single malt fuel Steele loves so much. On the way, I saw a red fox just lazily walking along. He was right next to my vehicle so I was able to get some great shots of him. He didn't seem concerned by my presence at all, he even posed for a few shots. 😉

As I continued driving, I noticed that on my display it clearly shows an icon that indicates there is a ferry right next to the highway. It seems when I was confused yesterday about the time it would take to arrive at the hotel, the writing had been on the wall (well, on the glass anyways) this whole time! I did see this symbol yesterday but had just assumed it was for a highway.

After a couple of days of driving through hazardous air quality due to the fires and smoke in the area, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Mercedes was showing the air quality at 1 PM2.5 both inside and outside! Not only was the quality good, but it was the cleanest air so far on this trip. So the freshest air prize goes to Fort Simpson! No wonder everyone loves it here. You can't go wrong with a breath of fresh air.

I arrived a few minutes early for the ferry. I watched as it ferried one single car to the island, and once he had disembarked Steele was loaded on. Once onboard, I met a guy named Leonard. He is the supervisor for the construction crew that works on the roads.

He told me they do maintenance year-round and I mentioned that I had heard they were only able to work a few months out of the year because of the snow during the winter months. He said that was true in the mountains of British Colombia and Alberta, but here in the Northwest Territories they don't get as much snow. So road work is almost always possible. Personally, snow or no snow, I'd find it very difficult working outside in freezing temperatures! I'd put it in the same category as "camping"...

We talked some more about this and that. We laughed together about the "highway" with 270 km of dirt road. I also asked Leonard if I'd be able to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights up here and he chuckled and said, you will have to wait a while...It doesn't get dark until July! So that's why whenever I wake up it's still light outside!

Close Encounter of the 3rd Bear Kind

The bear encounters keep getting closer and closer! My 3rd encounter with wild bears was definitely a close one. There I was driving down the road when suddenly I see bears up ahead! I pulled off and rolled down the window to take some pictures. Then, he started walking up the road towards the car! I rolled up the window as a precaution, but he was just happily walking along and eating his weeds and grass. But this was the closest I've gotten to a bear yet!

Samba De Park Waterfalls

I pulled into the first trail of the day. It required a bit of a hike to get to the waterfall. There were 2 trails: 1) an easy 1 km trail that takes you to the viewpoint looking down onto the waterfall, and 2) the longer red trail which leads to the riverbed below the waterfall. You're probably thinking, I'm sure Shlomo took just the easy 1 km trail, but you'd be wrong! I was feeling ambitious today and was ready to get the adrenaline flowing, so I did both!

I took the red trail, despite the marker that said "warning - difficult". But it was well worth it! I arrived at the rock bed and after hopping across the river, rock to rock, I got within 30 or 40 feet of the waterfall itself.

It was a bit physically challenging for me, but I did it in baby steps and got there successfully! I kept thinking of my new friend Dani and her motto "If you can get in, you can get out!" and continued full steam ahead. Going back would be a problem for later.

Once I got to the waterfall I was able to sit there on a giant bolder. I sat with my head back eyes closed and just felt the waterfall spray against my face. It was an amazing feeling. I was so glad I did this hike. In the end, it was one of the nicest hikes I've ever done. I was a bit worried I'd get lost on the way back, but I had left little signs along the way in so I could follow them back.

Once I'd gotten back to my car I stopped at the ranger office of the park to tell the ranger there was an amazing trail and waterfall they have at this park. He told me he had planned to take his kids there on the weekend but had forgotten his gun at home. I asked him why he'd need a gun to go to the waterfall and he responded "For the bears, of course". I told him that I had finished the red path and had left my bear spray in the car and he gave me a "What were you thinking??" look. He explained that this is bear territory and I should always always have my bear spray with me. Point well taken! Sure am glad I didn't run into any bears.

Can't Tow a Tow Truck

After driving quite a long distance on dirt roads with no humans or vehicles in sight for miles, I suddenly saw a collection of trucks and some people at a rest area. This rest area also had a creek that Leonard had told me I should check out so I pulled right in.

Here I met Harold and Teddy. Teddy had arrived to service the huge tow truck that was parked in the rest area parking. It had a very large RV, a pickup truck, and a motorcycle all on the flatbed. That's a lot of vehicles to tow. The only problem is that the tow truck itself had conked out and Teddy was trying to repair it. In the meantime, its auto-passengers were now stuck in this rest area.

A couple of days ago, the tow truck driver had to abandon the scene and find his way back to Hay River (3 hours away), meanwhile, Teddy, was driving 3 hours towards the vehicle to assess it and then had to drive 3 hours back to Hay City, wait 2 days for parts to arrive, then drive 3 hours back to the rest area to fix up the truck.

He now had all the parts he needed and was working on the big tow truck. That done, he has another 3 hours of driving back to Hay River, and the tow truck driver will be on his way back to his truck to continue his journey. I can only imagine how much all that must cost for him to get the truck fixed! And those poor owners whose vehicles were being towed, who have been waiting days to get them back! Moral of the story: Do not allow your car to break down in the middle of the Northern Territories...

Deh Cho Bridge

As I continued the journey, I realized the bugs were back. Every time I stopped the car there would be thousands of black flies zoning around my windows within seconds. These flies are ferocious! When they bite you they literally remove a chunk of your flesh and it is painful. I already got to experience a few of these flies feasting on me and it was awful. I just don't understand how the moment the car stops they are instantly there. How do they know where I am??

I arrived at The Deh Cho Bridge, a 1.1 km long cable-stayed bridge across the 1.6 km span of the Mackenzie River. The bridge was on the Yellowknife Highway near Fort Providence and was opened in 2012 after a couple of years of delays.

It was created to replace the ferry that was operating there previously. I tried to take some good photos but as soon as I got out of the car I was immediately attacked and ravaged by a bunch of black flies. I definitely took one (bite) for the team! All to get my dedicated readers some pics, but then it was back in the car as quickly as possible and off I went.

Ptarmigan Inn

The day was coming to its end and I headed to my home for the night, the Ptarmigan Inn. On the way, I stopped for a car wash. After hundreds of miles on dirt roads, Steele was so filthy that none of the sensors were registering anymore. The windows had giant chunks of dirt splattered on and the wheels were inlaid with clumps of mud.

I finally made it to the Inn by 6:00 PM and was welcomed by Mahmoud who helped me take my luggage up to my room. He then guided me downstairs to the Conference Center for the best internet the hotel had to offer. Thanks for the help, Mahmoud!

The Inn was cute, with a nice restaurant and a very active onsite bar. My room was a small suite with a full kitchen, bathroom and dining area. I was a big fan and found the place to be very clean and well-run.

I'm off to bed. Until tomorrow, folks!

-Shlomo