Photo of the day

As I drove from Vancouver to Halifax this past fall, I stopped a number of times along the way to take pictures. This was taken in Northern Ontario looking out onto Lake Superior.

A year to look back on

In the past year - I traveled just over 47,000 kilometres. To some, that may seem like a lot. To others, like the guy who made news in 2005 for logging enough flying time to receive one million frequent flyer points, it may seem like a drop in the bucket. Though I didn't spend 56 days out of 61 on an airplane, I did see quite a bit of Canada and a few foreign countries on top of that.
I started out 2005 living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. For those who don't know, that's one of three Canadian territories located in the far north of our country. The other two territories are Nunavut and, of course, the more well known of the three - Yukon.
I was working for a small radio station in the news department. My job was to gather as much local news as I could in order to fill newscasts at the top of each hour until 6 in the evening. That was a relatively tough task considering the population of Yellowknife is just under 20,000. Finding local news could, at times, be like finding a marble in the middle of Baffin Island.
In April, I decided to pack it in and move back to Vancouver from whence I came, thinking I'd have greater opportunities in my field. So, filling my car up with whatever would fit, I split. The trip took me over the ice road across the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence. In that region of the world, roads and bridges are somewhat scarce, so in the winter, inhabitants use the frozen lakes and rivers to get around. If you're travelling to Yellowknife, you have to take a ferry in the summer and drive the ice road in the winter. That should change in the next few years with the construction of an actual bridge across the Mackenzie.
In my case, I left the 'knife pretty late and crossed the ice bridge when it was in the final days of use. I have a car that rides relatively low to the ground, so it was pretty hairy driving across. It's about a kilometre across and you're restricted to driving only up to 45 kilometres an hour. Any faster and you could create waves under the ice surface, thus causing an effect you'd rather avoid.
As I drove my car out onto the ice, that feeling of "this might not be a good idea" entered my mind - especially considering the ice surface already had several inches of water covering it. It had been raining over the few days previous to my departure and things looked pretty grim.
As I got further along, the water got deeper and in some parts - particularly out in the middle, huge pools had formed. With my car jack-knifing from side to side, I figured once I hit the pools of water I was toast. They looked like large gaping holes in the ice and with no other vehicles in sight, I guessed on a couple occasions that this was it. And, of course, I couldn't roll down the window cause the water was flying up the sides of the car like you see in those flashy television ads where they try to show how some cars are less likely to hydroplane then others.
As I neared the other shore, I was filled with a sense of euphoria. Not so much because I had made, but because the car's engine didn't crap out on me in the middle and I could continue my trip. Only afterward did I reflect upon what an icy, bleak death that would have been had I been swallowed by one of those pools. Another motto of mine: "It didn't happen, get over it and move on."
Once on the highway again and on my way to Enterprise (the first community you come to in the N-W-T and the last you see when you leave), all I could do is just shake my head. I had made it. A few days later, vehicles were restricted once again. It took four to six weeks before the ferry started to make its runs. Had I waited an extra day or two, I'd be forced to wait out that month on the other side. I wanted to get to Vancouver cause there were jobs to be had. That was true, there were - but not the ones I wanted.
The saga of 2005 will continue. . .

Photo of the day

I took this just outside Kamloops, British Columbia, August 2005. As you can see, it was a beautiful day summer's day. It was also a long climb to those heights.

A few thoughts on the North

Having said that I lived in the Northwest Territories, I want to point out a few observations that I made which relate to the current federal election in Canada. First off, for those non-Canadians who are looking in, the North has been ignored for the most part since the idea of Canada filtered through somebody's head back in the 19th century.
It's huge tracks of sparsely populated land are now targeted by industries ranging from resource development to tourism. Of course, this land belongs to the Aboriginal peoples who are confined within Canada's current borders and - hopefully, with due diligence they'll finally gain control of their destinies and their traditional lands.
The three territories have been used and ignored at the will of those in the South. They've been subject to the rules made by politicians and business people who - for the most part have never been North of the 60th parallel.
Some of the worst things to happen, which are only now becoming widely understood, are the effects of climate change. I spoke to the present premier of the Northwest Territories in my capacity as a journalist in 2005, not long after the release of a study on climate change which clearly showed the impact of a warming Arctic.
The premier echoed a great deal of concern over climate change and the need for concrete action to be taken to at least arrest the changes if not turn things around. He told me of a report he had actually participated in while holding down another office within government that showed the affects of climate change on Arctic tundra years before. This report was passed on and essentially shelved.
It was from such conversations and further observation that it became clear that lip service has been and continues to be paid to the North. Whether it be political parties trying to sway voters in attempts to have candidates elected in the few seats that represent the north or big business taking advantage of the raw materials found in the region. Things seem to be done and said with the interests of others in mind rather than the actual Northerners.
You can imagine belonging to an Aboriginal group and wanting those in the South to listen to your problems and/or concerns. With the lack of interest shown for the three territories by those in power, you can see where my skepticism comes from when I hear more promises made by politicians.
One politician - Stephen Harper - has promised a greater role for the military in the North, as if that's the answer to everything. He said he'd built three huge ice breakers for the region. Yah sure. Does he realize what kind of an ice breaker is needed for up there and how much it would cost to build and maintain? If costs don't matter, then why not spend money on ensuring adequate housing and infrastructure needs are met?
Our sovereignty is in question, he says, and by increasing our forces in one of the largest and least hospitable areas in the world, we can somehow keep "foreigners" out of our backyard. I'd like to see Harper try to keep the world's nuclear submarines out of "our" territory when they're taking a short cut from one ocean to another.
Of course, the North - with its current international boundaries - do belong to Canada. There is no question from my perspective of that, but to make bold promises in the South and not follow through as has been traditional in Canada, is enough to make anyone question the sincerity of politicians.
Others politicos want to increase the region's prosperity by trying to entice business to move up there. As it stands, the north has made Canada the third largest producer of diamonds in the world. Right now, business is taking advantage of that, and unfortunately the bulk of the money is heading south with the actual diamonds. Tell me business wouldn't continue to take advantage of the North in the same way, whether it be diamonds, natural gas, oil or hydro power.
In the Northwest Territories, there is work being done to put the finishing touches on the pre-development stage of a natural gas pipeline that would run the length of the region. The gas would be piped down to Alberta where it would become part of the North American supply, or it might go toward helping to squeeze oil out of the oil sands projects (that's another story).
In addition, the N-W-T has a great deal of oil of its own at its disposal and potential for hydro electric production with all its rivers. And, as I said, there is the ability to attract tourists to the territory because, as the German Consul General for Vancouver told me, lots of people are into adventure tourism. Of course, the only problem, he added, the N-W-T doesn't have enough hotels with the proper facilities for people. I guess people aren't into adventure tourism as much as he thinks.
Having said all this, I want to reiterate my skepticism when I hear people say in Canada how great it is to have our North. Most people in this country have never been there. It's supposedly in the psyche of every Canadian, this idea of the true North, strong and free. Well, until people in this country actually decide to stop treating the North and its inhabitants like distant relatives that you might call once a year at Christmas time, this very important region will continue to go under appreciated.
I truly believe until the North has control over its own destiny, including resources, decision making and has an equal seat at the table in Ottawa, then this lip service will continue to be paid. And being taken advantage of will remain the norm. Too bad eh, until it happens, it's just one more region in this country that will continue to feel alienated.
More later. . .

Why Yellowknife?

The question was asked, why did I move up to Yellowknife. I had been living in Vancouver where, as many Canadians know, the weather is more appealing (except for the winter months when it rains a great deal) then in other parts of the country, and you can pretty well do whatever a person desires.
Whether you want to spend a great night out on the town, where you can see live theatre, movies, concerts or just go and get hammered at a local pub. Of course, you can jump in the car and head out of town to go camping, fishing or to just take a walk in the woods (or "the bush" as Canadians refer to it as). Not to mention - a short trip and you're in the mountains where you can snowboard or ski or just commune with nature.
And the summers are spectacular. I mean, the flowers start to come up in February, with the cherry trees beginning to bloom in April or earlier. The summer nights are brilliant, particularly when you sit on the beach at English Bay and watch the sun sets.
No doubt, Vancouver is a great part of Canada, but I had been there for seven years, working at various jobs, most notably for a casino operator. At about the six-year mark, I decided I needed a change and thinking about it, decided to go back into the media where I had started out a number of years ago.
Rather than actually going back into the print media (I had worked for a number of newspapers in Eastern Canada - including one in St. John's, Newfoundland for 3 years) where I had first cut my teeth, I thought I'd take a different approach, that being radio. With that idea in mind, I went to broadcast school in Vancouver for a year to learn the ins and outs of the trade. I knew I wanted to concentrate on journalism rather than being a jock and, as I already have a journalism diploma, figured I could start where I left off years earlier.
So, off I went. I was in school full time and working at the casino full time to pay for it all. After a year, I was on burn out mode, but was still able to complete everything. It was at the end when I started looking for work that I realized it's a tough business to break into. I guess I had figured that out early on, and knew I'd probably have to leave Vancouver to find work.
After sending out resumes and not getting any hits, I decided to start sending them farther afield, thinking if I'm going to do this, I might as well go all out. That's when I got a call from a station in Yellowknife asking if I was serious about going all the way up there. It's about 2,500 kilometres north of Vancouver. I thought about it and said "yah, what the hell." It sounded like a bit of an adventure - something I needed to help shake me out of the comfortable life I had been living.
I guess I realized I had become complacent in life, and had fallen into that trap of fear and consumption. I was afraid to loose my job cause then I wouldn't be able to afford to pay into my RSP, travel to places like Australia (January and February 2002) and, essentially, pay for the life I had become accustomed to. Speaking solely for myself, I think to appreciate life fully, one needs to shake things up and head in the opposite direction sometimes. Remind yourself, you're alive. Motto: "A change is as good as a rest."
With all that in mind, and looking forward to half the salary I had made in Vancouver, I set off for the 'knife in a car that I didn't think would make it past the other end of the city. A car - by the way, that didn't have a heater and to this day still doesn't. Imagine me driving around Yellowknife with no heater and the temperature being minus 40. That, my friends, was part of the adventure. More later. . .

Photo of the day

The Arctic Duchess. Photo taken January 2005 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

2005 started North of 60

The first part of my year started in the Northwest Territories. For those who wouldn't otherwise know, the N-W-T is in the Northern part of Canada. When you look at a world globe - look toward the Arctic. A huge part of the Territory is located above the Arctic Circle.
I was living in Yellowknife, about 500 kilometres south of the beginning of the Arctic Circle working for a local radio station. To say that it was cold up there is somewhat of an obvious statement. But, it was an exhilarating type of cold and not the damp kind that gets into your bones like in many southern areas of Canada.
It's a wonderful place that I highly recommend people journey too. I drove up in the late summer of 2004 from Vancouver. It's a great trip filled with a lot of beautiful country and meetings with interesting people.
As an example of just what you can expect there, the City of Yellowknife is situated in one of the best - if not best - places in the world to view the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. In fact, upwards of 10,000 Japanese tourists travel north to Yellowknife each year just to see them.
One of my greatest regrets is not being able to capture the Northern Lights on film while there. I guess that just means I'll have to return some day.
One photo I did take is of a harbour scene. Yellowknife is situated on the shores of Great Slave Lake. The Arctic Duchess was, as you can see, frozen in for the winter.

Photo of the day

This past summer I climbed to a point on Vancouver Island, Canada, known as Eagle Cliff. It was an incredible trip through a beautiful forest. As you can see, it was a place of great diversity, and where moss grew wherever it could find a footing. Highly recommended.

A year to remember

On this, the first day of 2006, I looked back on an incredible year. In just under three weeks, I will turn 40 years old. To me it's just a number, but I will concede, it is a relatively important number. Now, there's no excuse - I have to pick up after myself.
As funny as it sounds, I mean that. And not just in a way where I've got to keep my home or work station clean or oil stains off the driveway. I mean, it's time to ensure what I've left behind doesn't pollute, or intentionally kill or disrupt where I've been.
Of course, I've always had a sense of ownership, but I've decided there's no more room for coming up with excuses for inaction. And, this isn't a symptom of some New Year's resolution. I gave up on those when I decided I prefer indulging rather then withholding the things I enjoy in life.
So with that in mind, I've decided to share my experiences - many of which have been documented on film. And rather than start from the beginning, I'll cover the last year and throw a few stories from the past in just to really ensure that I've caught your attention (I like to think I have a sense of humour in believing that).
In addition to my babbling about a year well lived, I'll include unique observations and stories that make this world a very interesting place. As an example - I've placed a few stories below to start off with. In certain places, they're referred as fluff.
The photos you'll see on this blog have all been taken by me and will be used to illustrate some of my travels. I hope there's some meaning in this for you and if you're interested, get in touch. I'm always willing to respond.
Having said that, stay tuned for more. . .the stories are coming. . .