Destination Yellowknife - 24 Dec 2010

Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis In Full Splendour 1:27 AM Dec 28, 2010; , Yellowknife NWT

The Aurora Borealis, popularly called the Northern Lights are one of those enigmas of nature which have captured the imagination of mankind ever since its existence. It was the third time in my life that I saw the lights on the 27th day of December......Driving on a frozen river on ice roads was my dream that came true......

Spinning The Wheels Of Thought (Setting The Controls For The Trip)

New Year was around and there was speculation in the minds of people as to where our troop was headed this time. We had the following locations in our mind -

a. Regina Winnipeg Tour

b. Woodbuffalo National Park (Northern Alberta)

c. Northern BC (Western Loop)

There were many constraints to make the tour -

a. It was winter time and driving out would mean risking it on roads which would be completely ice laden.

b. People had exhausted all their leaves. 

And one fine day this idea to go to Yellowknife suddenly sprang up. 27th of Dec was a holiday for Boxing Day, and it fell on a Monday. We decided to take days off on 28th and 29th. I had also taken a day off on the 30th, as I had one day of vacation remaining to my credit. A drive up North past the 60th parallel meant that we needed a large vehicle - a big powerful 4 wheel drive SUV that would have tires large enough to come out of snow. 

We tried hard but we were not getting a large SUV this weekend. Every agency was out off cars. We finally managed to take one from the Enterprise Rentals on Macleod Trail (South East Calgary). We picked up the vehicle, a GMC Yukon on the evening of 23rd. That evening we had some purchases to make for the trip. To our horror it turned out that the defrosting mechanism in the vehicle was not working and the windshield was icing up from within a few seconds, thereby making driving the vehicle a peril. We went to the Airport to get the car exchanged and after some negotiation the agent was able to get us a car from the National Agency at the Airport. We came back around 12.30 and parked the car in the Enterprise Parking Lot on 8th Ave SW (10th Street).

Day 1 - Dec 24, 2010

Calgary - Edmonton - Whitecourt

Distance Covered : 480 KM (by maps)

Average Temperature :  -27 °C 

24th Dec, 2010 - Beginning Of The Trip. Snap Taken At 5 PM

The plan was to start early on the 24th after finishing office. The scheduled time of 2 PM was missed by horrendous margins and we were able to move only by 5.30 PM. Yellowknife is about 1800 KM from Calgary and is in the Northwest Territories. The drive takes about 24 hours if done non stop in summer. We had decided to split the drive into parts taking night stops in between. 

Trip Map - Calgary (Alberta) To Yellowknife (Northwest Territories)

We had a headcount of 6 - Myself, Anand Sastry (my flatmate), Ganesh Sarag, Avneesh Gupta, Ram Yaganti amd Monojit Dhara. The third row seats had been left vacant to accommodate the luggage and we ourselves split 3 by 3 on the first two rows of the SUV. This time Ganesh had also picked up his Canadian license and was eligible to drive. He took the wheel first. As per Monojit's request we stopped by at the Best Buy store to buy a Video Camera just so that we could capture the Northern Lights, and that too if we saw any. Then we drove up HWY-2N to Edmonton. Just short of Edmonton we stopped for fuel,  where I took the controls of the vehicle, and then drove on till we broke for food at 9:00 PM in Edmonton. The venue was an Indian restaurant and Mr Gurmeet Kapoor, the host, kept us engaged in his sweet tales.

Dinner Halt At Edmonton - 9 PM

The distance from Calgary to Edmonton is 300 KM and takes about 3 and a half hours. From here on to Whitecourt is another 180 KM and takes about 2 hours. Our night stop was planned at Whitecourt, which we reached at 12 midnight. Monojit had to do some adjustments to accommodate us in the hotel. The drive till Edmonton had been by far comfortable by winter standards. The drive northwards to Whitecourt however, had increasingly begun to get more and more snow and ice capped. 

Arrival At Whitecourt, AB - 12 AM

The Hotel In Whitecourt - Our Night Halt

Day 2 - Dec 25, 2010

Whitecourt - Peace River - High Level - Enterprise - Hay River

Distance Covered : 920 KM (By Maps)

Average Temperature : -35°C

1400 KM still remained to be covered to get to Yellowknife, which could have been crunched in just one day in warmer conditions in Southern Alberta. But it would be a feat to achieve in complete icy conditions way up near the 60th North Latitude. The consensus was to drive up as far North as we could until we found ourselves a place to make a night halt. Though we had planned to push off by 8 AM, by the time people got ready we had knocked off heavy hours from the clock and we were able to leave only by 10.30 AM. Ganesh was on the wheels for the first half. Though it was too chilly with the temperature (coupled with windchill) at many places dipping as low as 35 below zero, we were occasionally stopping for snaps.

Destination Snow-where

At One Info Centre, Somewhere Before Peace River

Our next halt was at Peace River, Alberta, which is about 310 KM (3 hours 45 minutes) from Whitecourt. We reached Peace River at 1:00 PM. Everyone was very hungry and so was the vehicle. But to our dismay every restaurant and food joint was closed in the town. So we sped further up North and when we were out of town we found a fuel station. There at least our vehicle was able to satisfy its hunger. As we did not find any source of food in the vicinity we continued further.

The 5.3 L GMC Yukon Never Let Us Down Even On The Toughest Of Ice Roads

In Search Of Food - The Village Of Peace River, Alberta

After traveling 40 kms out of Peace River to the West, we took a right to turn North on HWY-35. As we went further North driving became tougher with the thickness of snow and ice increasing on the roads. We kept riding till we reached the village of Manning, Alberta. This was about 100 KM from Peace River and took us another hour and 15 minutes on the clock. We luckily found a restaurant in the Gas Station where we got some home made subs.

Manning, Alberta. The Tour Continues Further North Amid Extreme Winter Conditions

Pit Stop At Manning - 3 PM

The pit stop that was made at Manning was a welcome respite for everyone including the SUV. The Yukon has an enormous engine that returns 7 to 7.5 KM to the litre on the highway. Out stomachs too have an enormous engine that like the Yukon had been grunting for food for a long time. This stop was a good long break and invigorated us with that much needed zeal and grit to continue ahead. We must have taken about an hour at Manning and when we started at 4 PM on our road further North, the skies had started showing signs of darkness. I took over the Pilot's seat at Manning.

A Freshly Cleaned Patch Of Road, Lovely Sight Nevertheless

The drive was becoming more and more torturous as we headed Northwards towards the 60th parallel. The choice of vehicle we had made was indeed paying fruits that time. Any lighter vehicle would have meant trouble navigating the thick snow. This heavy mammoth was keeping up to its reputation of being a sumo wrestler on those extreme roads. We had to turn on the 4WD Low option on many occasions to beat the conditions. And even with such sheer power and weight we did have a few skids due to poor visibility and inability to see road markers due to the ice on the road.

196 KM further North of Manning came the village of High Level. The drive from Manning to High Level took us about 2 and a half hours. At just 6.30 PM it had become pitch dark. The vehicle was doing good on even the worst of roads. We had felt a need to fuel up in High Level but seeing that there was enough gas, we continued further. This was a big mistake as we later learnt. Although we had started to feel the need to halt, it was decided in unison that we would break at the first place which would offer both food and shelter.

The only probable next halt would mean a drive further North (277 KM, about 3 and a half hours) to the village of Enterprise, which comes in the Northwest Territories. Going further North was very necessary so as to reach closer to Yellowknife. About two thirds of the way between High Level and Enterprise is the great dividing line between the two provinces of Alberta and Northwest Territories. This is the 60th Parallel North. Please note that Northwest Territories is not formally a province but a territory of Canada.

Braving The Cold -35°C On The 60°N Latitude

We reached the 60th Parallel at 9 PM. It was too cold outside with the mercury plummeting 35° below freezing point. I was able to feel the fatigue by now, which had been caused due to continuous night driving in the snow. We stopped on the very physical line and took some memorable snaps.

Pushing up further North we reached the village of Enterprise at 10.30 PM. It was a very disappointing sight for us. The village looked desolate with all hotels and inns closed. The SUV had just enough petrol to take it another 60 KM. We were trying to frantically find out hotel numbers from the Internet using the 3G network on our phones. Most of the calls went waste as no-one picked up the line. In the end we got through and we were answered by an inn owner who happened to be a lady. She was too concerned looking at our condition and the weather outside. She told that we should go to the village of Hay River. This however is 42 KM offset from the Mackenzie highway, which we were traversing on. We took the risk as we had no other option other than freezing to death in the cold. Our fuel supply would not have lasted the entire night had we switched on the engine and the heater in the vehicle.

The Hay River Highway was full of snow and we had to drive very slow as it was snowing profusely. We reached Hay River at 11.30 and the scene there too looked grim. And with great difficulty we got a suite in a hotel. This suited us well as it had 2 rooms with 3 king sized beds. We had the food that we had carried from Edmonton and slept off like a log.

Day 3 - Dec 26, 2010

Hay River - Enterprise - Fort Providence - Yellowknife

This was the day, we were only 501 KM from Yellowknife. If you look at the map, you shall discover that Hay River is south of the Great Slave Lake and Yellowknife is north of it. One can imagine the expanse of the lake by the fact that the road has to wind around the side of the lake to reach the destination.

Hay River To Yellowknife

Everyone though tired of the tough travel for previous two days, was enthusiastic and the zeal to conquer Yellowknife was evident from the wide gleam emanating from everyone's eyes. Waking up activity had started at 7 AM and everybody was ready by 9. The weather was absolutely a killer. Just as we stepped out of the room we were met by a chilly wind which was so cold that it felt like 10,000 needles aimed at the face from a shotgun. Nevertheless, the boys went out baring the extreme cold to take some 'cool' snaps.

Our SUV Parked Right In Front Of Our Suite. It was still dark at 9 AM

Breakfast was complementary. It was a small family run hotel unlike many of the hotel chains here in North America and service was provided by the family instead of paid staff. Breakfast was served in the dining room which was behind the main lobby. The main lobby itself was at the very front of the hotel. The two ladies were very hospitable. We chatted with them over breakfast and they provided us good info on out travel further North.

The Little Christmas Tree In The Hotel Lobby

Breakfast was heavy, intended to last for hours as there would be less, rather no probability of finding food further ahead. We bid the ladies good bye and started for the village of Enterprise. On the way witnessed all the beauty that nature had worn, the beauty that had been hiding behind the dark shrouds of night when we had driven down the previous day. The road is a thin winding one that later takes a gradient before entering Enterprise. It is quite fascinating to see how white nature can get. We covered the distance to Enterprise in about an hour. We then continued on the Mackenzie highway, which is wider than the Hay River Highway.

 

Snap Taken After Crossing Enterprise - 11 AM, Dec 26

Some Snow Acrobatics

Extreme Driving Conditions - Northwest Territories, Canada

About 40 KM South Of Fort Providence

Mile Sign

A short while after Enterprise we stopped to get down because we could no longer hold back our desperation to go and play in the snow. Driving was becoming extremely difficult as there were continuous snow flurries, that limited visibility to a few meters. Fort Providence is 142 KM Northeast of Enterprise and takes about 2 and half hours. The final leg of this journey has to be completed by driving about 1.5 kilometers on the ice road across the frozen Mackenzie River.

There are actually two pathways across the Mackenzie river -

a. Ferry - This is operational in summers for all sized vehicles but in winters it carries only heavy trucks.

b. Ice Road - This road is made on the frozen river in December as the upper layer of the river freezes. There are special procedures to make and maintain an ice road. One would find the below article from wikipedia interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road

Maximum Weight Permitted On The Ice Road

This Is An Ice Road And There Is A River Underneath

Maintenance Equipment - Snow Needs To Be Cleared So That The Ice Below Does Not Melt

We actually crossed the ice road once and then came back thinking the other end would be closed. We went about 11 KM down the river to the Ferry, thinking that might be our way across, but then we came to know that the Ferry is operational only for trucks in winter. So we retreated all the way back and crossed the ice road again.

My Pal Anand - In Front Of The Winter Time Ferry

Near The Ferry Crossing

Fort Providence Finally

The Old Church - Fort Providence

Fueling Up In Fort Providence

We reached Fort Providence exactly at noon and took the vehicle inside the town to maneuver around the little alleys and appreciated the snow caked houses and roads. At one corner we were greeted by a very kind Indian (North American First Nation and not the Asian Indian) man. We came out and stopped by the frozen Mackenzie river and then went into the local store cum gas station for fueling. We left the town by 2.30 PM to embark on the final leg of our journey to Yellowknife.

This journey is 319 KM and takes 5 and half hours in normal summer conditions. There is nothing in between these two places, nothing but open snow. The winds were getting increasingly colder and driving was painstakingly slower through the snow laden narrow roads as we headed Northwards. 

And then at one point we were elated to see the signboards indicating the closeness of Yellowknife and finally got into town by 7.30 PM. The next job was to hunt for a good hotel. We had been warned beforehand about some of the hotels in Yellowknife, in that the crowd there was too rough. We were specifically warned about the Northern Lights hotel. After making negotiations and trying out many hotels we finally found our Abode in the Capital Suites.

The Drawing Room In Our Suite In Capital Suites

We checked into our suite at 8:00 PM. It was a huge suite and had two full sized rooms. After taking a shower we left to hunt for food. We found a Boston Pizza nearby and rammed into it. It was a relaxing day (rather night) for all of us as we had finally reached our destination.

L-R Ram, Anand And Ganesh

Dinner over, the boys got back home and slept in peace.

Day 4 - Dec 27, 2010

Aurora Village

Activities - Snow Skidooing, Snow Tubing and Aurora Watching From Teepee

Average Temperature: -44 °C

The fourth day of the trip was full of activities. Early in the morning we saw Monojit on the phone making deals on some winter activity packages in Yellowknife. After some negotiations he finally zeroed in on the Aurora Village facility. This place is known as one of the best places in the world to watch the Aurora. The Aurora Village is run by a group of Japanese people. The main office is in Downtown Yellowknife and the actual watching facility is by the Aurora Lake, on Ingram Trail (HWY-4) and is about 20 KM from Yellowknife.

Way To Aurora Village Facility To Watch Northern Lights On The NT HWY-4

Morning 11.30 AM when we got into our SUV, we were met with a ghastly scene - the cola cans and water bottles that had been left back inadvertently in the vehicle had all frozen overnight and had burst causing spillage reaching the remotest corners inside the vehicle. And it was so cold that standing out even for a second was an overkill on our bodies. With great difficulty we managed to clean up the vehicle.

We had booked our package to begin at 2 PM on the 27th. We had been asked to be at the Explorer Hotel at 1 PM. Since we had our own car we were exempted from the fees for the tour bus and were supposed to follow the bus for 20 KM on Ingram Trail (NT HWY-4) to Aurora Village. Before setting out for our activities we had a quick brunch at Tim Hortons and thus reached Explorer in time. While we stood waiting for the bus to come, we ventured out of our vehicle in the 40 below weather to have fun capturing images.

At The Explorer Hotel - 12:25 PM

The bus arrived at its scheduled time and the driver asked us to follow him. We obliged and followed the bus in our SUV. The speed limit soon changed from 50 to 60 and finally to 70 as we quickly hopped out of the small town. Even the bus was traveling at a speed lesser than the posted limit due to narrowness of the road and the presence of thick layers of ice.

The Ride To Aurora Village - NT HWY 4

Complete Ice, A Truck Carrying Snow Mobiles Ahead Of Us

The Reception At The Aurora Village Facility

Our Yukon Parked At The Parking Facility In Aurora Village

It took us about 35 minutes to the Aurora Village facility. Our program as per the booking was to go for snow-skidooing (riding a snow mobile) at 2 PM; ride for an hour and then go for snow tubing for some more time. However when we reached the facility, we discovered to our utter dismay, that there were no more snow suits and snow gear - boots, gloves and helmets at the facility. There had been a mis-communication between us and the booking agent. Generally suits need extra payment and are picked up at the Yellowknife office. We then had to travel all the way back into town to pick up the suits. The Japanese owner was very hospitable and due to the trouble we had faced, he offered the suits to us for free, with the condition that we would have to drop them at the facility the next morning  by 10. After slithering into the suits we headed back West on HWY4.

Snow Covered Trails At Aurora Village - 3 PM

At 3 PM we reached the facility yet again. The sky had begun to grow dark. We were all excited and scurried towards the reception to get ourselves our snow skidoos. While on the way I shot a snap with the Teepee in the background. A Teepee is a large conical tent used by the Eskimos in the earlier days with heating facility inside to protect from the cold. 

Teepees In The Backdrop

We then took instructions from the reception to our snow tubing and skidooing adventures. We headed out first to the snow tubing facility which is just towards the right side of the reception. There is a huge incline to reach the off-boarding platform.

Pulling The Tube Up The Incline

The Descent Down

About To Go Down The Incline

It was 30 below and with the windchill the temperature was hovering near -40 degrees C. In such conditions it does not take seconds for your mind to tell you - 'Get Back Home', and doing these sports was braving it out. The suits were helping us, but no matter with what you cover them; your hands and feet eventually start getting frost-bitten. Not to mention the open areas of the face which get whipped - its just a matter of a few seconds. Despite the odds we seemed to be enjoying the sports alike. At first it felt too scary to go down the slide. The feeling you get when you are pushed down is like you have been tossed out into the atmosphere from an airplane and then you suddenly hit the incline and go down zigzagging at high velocity until your tube finally comes to a halt.

Snow Skidoo On The Frozen Aurora Lake

It Is 4 PM And Its Already Dark

We did two rounds of the tube and then headed out to skidoo on the Aurora Lake which was completely frozen. Each one of us got about 40 minutes on the skidoo. It becomes very difficult to drive the equipment with glasses on, as they fog up in seconds in the bitter cold. We tried lots of different maneuvers and believe me it was a thrilling experience. At one spot I was too far away from the rest of the group and had to remove my helmet to clear off the mist on my spectacles. And when I did that I also removed my gloves and I was so frozen within seconds that it took me couple of different moves and 10 harrowing minutes just to wear my helmet and gloves again.    

Wooden Interiors Of The Reception Building

One More Snap In The Wooden Reception Cabin

I finished up a bit early and handed over my skidoo to Anand. There were only 4 skidoos and 6 of us. I chatted with the instructor incharge (who was from Edmonton) for a while and then left for the reception to soak up some heat inside the premises. Rest of the group followed and we regrouped at 4:45 PM inside the premises. It had been awfully cold and we had spent about one hour and 45 minutes outside. I could not move my fingers or my toes, neither was I able to talk as my lips and the muscles on the cheeks struggled to budge. When I tried to use hot water, I could not even feel the sense of it flowing against my hands. And when the other guys joined me, I could see the change in their skin color.

Our evening stint at the Aurora Village was over. We had to return at 9 PM again for what would be an eventful evening. We left off at 5:30 to go back to town. And when we got back, we stopped our car at the edge of town in order to decide which place to eat. Not finding any Indian restaurants we finally settled in for a Vietnamese one (or was it Thai). Then we drove back to Aurora Village. We reached there probably at 8:30 PM, well ahead of the scheduled time and went past the parking lot into the main premises in the SUV itself. One reason for doing this was because it was pitch dark and we could not see our way to the premises on the icy trails and the second reason was we wanted to get hold of a guide or get ourselves noticed.

Inside The Teepee - The Fireplace

Ganesh, Monojit And Ram

Taking The Warmth Of The Fireplace In The Teepee

Finally we were located by our tour guide. She was a Japanese lady and escorted us to our Teepee, before making us park the vehicle in the parking lot. We must have been lucky as we were granted a private teepee. When the outside temperature was freezing at 40 degrees below zero, the Teepee boasted of a comfortable 20 degrees. Arrangements were elaborate inside - one sofa, 4 chairs, a peg table, a centre table and one fire place. Also hot water in a kettle and arrangement to make coffee added to the tempo of the evening. We were occasionally going out to check if the Aurora was visible.

Aurora Borealis - 1:19 AM (Captured With My DSC H7)

Northern Lights - 1:29 AM (Captured With My DSC H7)

There were faint sightings of the Northern lights at about 11.30 PM and by 12 it had become a spectacle. This was my second time (well actually the third time) but for the rest it was the first time and was unbelievable.We were getting back into the tent occasionally as it was too cold outside. There were quite a few Japanese tourists who had come all the way from Japan just to watch the Aurora. Well actually as far as my memory goes each one of the tourists there was a Japanese. It is considered auspicious for a newly wed couple to see the Aurora in Japanese culture. There was a professional photographer who was taking photos of people with the Aurora. He must have done quite some research as the average exposure time for a camera to be able to capture the Northern Lights is about 20 seconds. This is too huge an interval to blur images completely.

Taken By The Professional Photographer

The Teepees were pit in the ground adjoining the lake. In summers the lake is shining at night and in winters it is frozen and the complete spectacle was watched from over a frozen lake. The premises is well laid out with restrooms in the vicinity. There is another small facility where you can contact the photographer and also purchase videos of the Aurora. We went out twice to the photographer to have our group snap taken with the Aurora in the sky. This was a tough accomplishment as there were hoards waiting in the line to get their snap taken. I do not remember the cost incurred for the tickets to Aurora Village but it was on the higher side. Nevertheless it was an experience worth it. We had been told that we would have to let the guide know if we needed to extend our stay beyond 12:30 AM. This had to be done before 11.30 PM. And as we had decided not to extend we had to leave the facility by 1.30 AM.

Snow Boots Worn By Our Group

Snow Gear

We walked down to where our car was parked and watched the Aurora till 2:00 AM from there. We rode back home, chatted a bit and went to sleep at quarter to three in the morning.

Day 5 - Dec 28, 2010

Yellowknife - High Level

Average Temperature: -30 °C

We checked out of the hotel at 11:15 AM, 15 minutes past the allowed time. While we waited at the reception Monojit and Ganesh drove to the Aurora Village office in downtown to drop off the snow gear we had borrowed the previous day. We had lunch at the local MacDonald's and it was about 1:30 PM when we left Yellowknife. The plan was to drive as South as possible that day - probably till High Level or better still Peace River. At many spots South of Yellowknife, we saw herds of The Bison.

A Herd Of Bison

Somewhere On The Mackenzie Highway Before Fort Providence

We stopped in between for snaps of the snow and of nature. Driving further South, we reached Fort Providence at 4:30 PM, where we broke for coffee and fuel.

Coffee At Fort Providence - 4:54 PM

And then it was a long drive to High Level. We had to cross the ice road on the Mackenzie River after Fort Providence again and we were in High Level at 9:44 PM. Most of us wanted to halt there itself, not wanting to go any further. Finally when the decision was made, we stopped by to have dinner and it was a lovely place to be in.

The Restaurant We Stopped At For Dinner  - High Level, Alberta

Inside The Restaurant

Best Western Hotel - High Level

Taken In Our Suite

We had a wonderful dinner and then went hunting for a hotel to stay. We chose the Best Western. The rates were a bit high but the facility was beautiful. The rooms were massive and the bathrooms alike. I took a snap inside the room which I have posted above and I like it. In the suite, most of the folks seemed to be glued to their phones, now that everyone had an IPhone 4. Others who were not, found another glue to  make them  stick  to the TV. We slept at 3 AM.

Day 6 - Dec 29, 2010

High Level - Calgary

This was the last day of the trip. Though it was late to bed the night before, it was early to rise. By 9 AM everyone was on the ground floor in the dining area of the hotel. Yes, breakfast was complimentary and it was much detailed - Continental Style.

Elaborate Layout For Breakfast

Post breakfast we came up into our room and I honoured my bathing schedule, which I had sacrificed for the common good earlier. Thereafter I went to the backside of the hotel in the ice cold weather to enjoy the lovely sight that was waiting for me. It was one of those perfect mornings that one can think of.

Behind Our Suite

A Rickety Jeep - Probably A Wrangler

And then it was time to bid adieu to the village of High Level. While the folks readied the luggage to be put on the trolley, I strolled out to turn on the engines of the SUV and to heat up the inside. It is extremely important to do so as the steering wheel can become so cold that you cannot touch it.

Snap Taken While I went To Heat Up The Car - 10:53 AM

In The Lobby, Before We Left

Our Vehicle In The Hotel Porch

While the car heated up we sat in the lobby and chatted. After some time I went out and brought the vehicle back and parked it in the porch. We left for Calgary and it was a long drive home. The operation was finally complete - Yellowknife had been conquered. Yet another feather in our cap.