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"You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
…
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home",

"Two of Us", Lennon–McCartney, 1969

Ron's Shadow on the Dempster Highway, NWT

There is nothing like getting home after a few months away. I sleep so deeply, so contently. I’m slowly going through the images. It will take a while. It never seems like I’m getting anything worthwhile during the trip. I’m always driven to find that illusive image, that trip defining moment that is a touchstone. As I pick the best images, my “keepers”, I’m finding a few surprises, images I didn’t think much of at the time. There will be a few photos that emerge as trip defining. I don’t think many will be more rewarding than the Aurora Borealis images from the Yukon

Northern Lights, Yukon

As hard as these trips are, traveling this way has been very productive. We keep trying to come up with a new way to do this. So far this is the best way for us. I’m not sure where our next trip will be. But I’m not in a hurry to be on a 3-month road trip again.

Old Church Saskatchewan

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, AB

Rainbow in Yukon

Train Tracks, Saskatchewan

Tangle Creek, Jasper, AB

Larson Homestead, Grasslands, SK

Stones

“I’ve got Stones in my Passway
And my road seems dark as night.”

Robert Johnson, 1937

Dust on the Dempster Highway

Every now and then, a stone will get caught between the metal plate and the break rotor of the van. It makes a noise of metal on metal. If you didn’t know what it was, it would cause you to worry when so far from home. It can be very loud! If you drive in reverse for a while, it will usually dislodge. This kind of noise can frighten off wildlife long before you get close enough for a photo. We are back on the Dempster Highway in the Yukon. The leaves and tundra are just starting to turn Fall colours. We will wait a few more days and hopefully see it close to its peak.

Young Silver Fox (Red Fox)

North Klondike River, YT

The Road

Dempster Highway, Yukon/NWT Border

I’m always a little nervous as I turn north on the Dempster Highway. This time was no exception. The road was rough. It was closed in several places just the day before. I worry about the van, the tires, and the gas. I mostly worry about the road. It can be a challenge when it is rough. We made our way to Tombstone Territorial Park.

Tombstone Territorial Park Sign, YT

We got a great campsite with a 360-degree view. I didn’t drive much after we got there. I wanted to save gas for the run to the Arctic Circle the next day.

The next day we woke up at 5am to frost on the dining tent. About 6am as we drove north past the Tombstone Viewpoint we caught the full moon setting - a good omen.

Full Moon, Tombstone Park, YT

The road was very rough in some areas but we made it fine. We camped at Rock River near the Yukon/NWT border. It is very beautiful. Lori and I looked for caribou but we must have been a bit early, as we didn’t see much of anything. Driving back to camp, we did spot a Grizzly at the side of the road. I did my best to get a shot but it never stopped. It just kept eating and walking. Still it was a thrill to see.

Grizzly Bear

The next day we decided to head south. It is so wet that we fear one more rainstorm will close the road again. We will resupply and head back up as far as Tombstone tomorrow.

Northwest Territories on the Dempster

12 Days

Fall comes early on the Dempster Highway.

Frosted Cloudberry Leaves - Click for larger

It would change every day. Lori and I enjoyed our time here. We spent 12 days up the Dempster Highway.

Blackstone Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

It's not always a forgiving highway. We did have a flat tire but it could not have come at a better time - no traffic and solid ground to jack up the van. The warning light came on and indicated the left rear tire was losing pressure. I stopped and grabbed the tire pressure gauge. But as soon as I was out of the van, I could hear the air leaking. A sharp shale rock had punctured it. This is a common problem here. It is also the reason we came prepared with 2 full spares.

Changing the Flat Tire up the Dempster Highway - Click for larger

Camping for all of the 12 days was tough. It is a dusty place when it's dry and muddy when wet. The road can wear you down.

Camping up the Dempster Highway - Click for larger

The road is wearing especially when you are working both early mornings and late nights. We would usually wake up at 5 am and check the sky. At 5:30 we would get up and drive/hike to our designated spot for the morning shoot. Sometimes the light would co-operate and sometimes not. After shooting the morning we would go back to camp to do backups and have a snooze. Later we would play cards, eat dinner and head back out to shoot landscapes and anything and everything that showed up. Generally we would get back after 10 pm and head to bed.

Male Spruce Grouse - Click for larger

Male Willow Ptarmigan - Click for larger

Arctic Ground Squirrel - Click for larger

Cloudy Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

Blackstone Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

We head to Alaska next. I really hope to see the Dempster again. It's easily the most spectacular place I have ever been.

Beaten by the Road

Ah, but not this time. We made it to the end of the Dempster Highway!

Igloo Church, Inuvik - Click for larger

Our last attempt at the Dempster Highway was in 2010. We almost made it to Eagle Plains but had to turn back because of bad weather. This time we faced a very different road. Dry, warm weather made for good but dusty driving. This has to be one of the most beautiful highways in the world!

Tombstone Territorial Park - Click for larger

Beaver - Click for larger

We drove all the way up to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. This is as far as the road goes in the summer. In the winter you can drive all the way up to Tuktoyaktuk on ice roads.

Crossing the Mackenzie River - Click for larger

On the way back south we decided to spend a few days at the Yukon/NWT border just inside the Arctic Circle. The Porcupine Caribou herd winters here and they are starting to move in. We spotted a small herd and waited by the side of the road. They walked quite close to us. I didn’t have much light but I did what I could. This was very exciting to see barren-land caribou!

Porcupine Caribou Herd - Click for larger

Porcupine Caribou Herd - Click for larger

Porcupine Caribou Herd - Click for larger

As we were shooting, hunters came by and started shooting, but in a very different way! I had the opportunity to help a local hunter gut and drag his kill off the tundra.

Native Hunter - Click for larger

Fred, a 70-year-old Gwich’in man was very worried about Grizzly Bears. Especially when Lori and I told him we had just seen 2 just south of where we were sitting. I now had blood all over me and I smelled like a caribou. He said he didn’t have a permit to shoot a bear. I said “But you would shoot one if it came at us?”
He smiled and said, “Yes, but we would need more firepower than this old gun” as he pointed to his old 303 British rifle.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I wondered.
He then said, “Every thing follows the caribou, men, wolves, ravens, bears and even photographers! Those bears can smell these guts for miles. Keep a close watch. Always stop what you are doing and have a good look around.”
Thankfully, we didn’t see any.
What a great experience this has been!

Where should we go?

Self-portrait at the 60th parallel - Click for larger

After a very long process, I have been granted a Professional Delevelopment Leave. This will free me from my regular teaching duties at Seneca College for the next academic year. I do have a large list of things I need to accomplish over this time but it will allow me to create my own schedule for the next little while.

Seneca@York - Click for larger

It is difficult to plan anything for a leave until you get confirmation. This was my 3rd year in a row to apply so I was not counting on it until I got it in writing. With that milestone behind us we can now make some plans.

Canoe on Georgian Bay - Click for larger

I’m still a bit overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Lori and I have spent the better part of the last 20 years concentrating on Canada. We could easily spend the next 20 years on the same subject and not even come close to covering it all. We will continue to explore and expand our knowledge of our great country but I’m wondering, where else should we go?

Lori at Alexandra Falls, NWT - Click for larger

So I’m asking you, where is your favourite place in the world? Why? What is the best time of year to visit? More to come...