Today was our first - and hard-earned - full day of rest. We stayed in a hotel for only the second time on our trip, and this one was pretty fancy. They didn't even seem to mind the massive cloud of filth we brought in with us. We had hot showers, a comfy bed, and Internet access! Talk about spoiled! We spent most of the day lounging and staying out of the rain, but we did manage to wander out and snap a few pictures for your enjoyment... |
Inuvik has a paved road - our first one in two days - but most of them are still dirt. The nearly 4,000 residents live in these raised row houses with above-ground sewage lines to prevent freezing in the winter. Yummy! (You can see the lines in the postcard above.) |
A little break in the rain convinced us to do a little exploring around town. This is the famous Inuvik Igloo Church. It was all hand-built without blueprints. We've seen pictures of the inside and it looks gorgeous, but it wasn't open to visitors when we stopped by. |
This is a common "trademark" statue of the native Inuits of the Mackenzie Delta. They were used to mark the coastline of the delta rivers and the Arctic Ocean. Travelers and fisherman used them as reference points and they navigated the surrounding waters. |
This is probably tied for our favorite picture from our trip. As you can imagine, Inuvik is a very small town. The main store in town in the NorthMart, which is kind of like a WalMart. Unlike WalMart, the NorthMart is counted on to carry absolutely everything and anything that the townsfolk may need, including off-road vehicles. We were surprised to walk in the door and see three quads - one with an outboard motor on it - but when was the last time you saw a Honda CRF50 on a men's underwear display? This has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime event. |