August 26 2023
Saturday we are first up and have coffee and toast with Roger. We were in the van at 9:30 for the trip back to Inuvik.
But first a stop to dip toes in the Arctic Ocean.
No, I didn't bother!
4 hours later we are back in Inuvit and our rooms are ready at 1:30. It paid to throw a hissy fit the other day about the broken elevator, we got a room on the ground floor.
It would have made more sense to go straight to the airport from Tuk, rather than overnighting in Inuvik. There is NOTHING in Inuvik.
We spent the afternoon wandering around town.
Fun Facts About Inuvik
Inuvik was built in the 1950s to replace Aklavik, which kept flooding.
The name means “place of man” in Inuvialuktun.
The sun never sets in summer, and in winter, it does not rise. These extremes make for unforgettable travel experiences.
An inukshuk (or inuksuk, plural: inuksuit) is a stone landmark traditionally built by Inuit people in the Arctic regions of Canada. These structures, often resembling human figures, serve multiple purposes including navigation, marking hunting grounds, or conveying messages. Inuksuit are deeply significant in Inuit culture, representing guidance, safety, and the interconnectedness of people and the land. They are also widely recognized as symbols of Canadian identity and Indigenous heritage.
The word "inukshuk" means "in the likeness of a human" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit.
They are typically built from stones or boulders, carefully stacked without the use of mortar or glue.
Smudging is an Indigenous tradition which involves the burning of sweetgrass, sage, and/or cedar. Sage and cedar smudges produce a very strong and distinct aroma but the smoke associated with it is minimal and lasts a very short time. Sweetgrass has a very mild aroma and produces less smoke. A smudge is burned primarily for purification and to help to create a positive mind set.
Checking prices.
This bleach-white building, capped by a silvery dome meant to imitate the Inuvialuit snow-houses of old, dates back to Inuvik’s early days as a planned community.
Built in 1960 by a team of volunteers, Our Lady of Victory church was designed by Catholic missionary Maurice Larocque – an experienced carpenter who had no formal architectural training. Construction was actually completed without a building permit because the government officials in Ottawa couldn’t understand Larocque’s blueprints.
Nevertheless, Larocque knew a thing or two about building in the Arctic. The round shape of the structure mitigates the damage caused by frost heaving. The church is also the only major building in Inuvik that doesn’t rest on piling. Its foundation consists of a bowl-shaped concrete slab on top of a bed of gravel. The gravel acts as insulation, stopping the heat of the building above from melting the permafrost underneath.
Wood for the church was floated down the Mackenzie River from Fort Smith, nearly 2,000 kilometres away. Inside, old hockey sticks were repurposed to floor a walkway in the cupola and the interior walls feature paintings of the Station of the Cross by local Inuvialuit artist Mona Thrasher.
We had great plans and walked over to the only restaurant in town,
Alestine's, opens at 5. There was a table of 5 waiting in front of us and we were told it would be at least an hour's wait. Plan B - hustle to the liquor store and then get take-out in the hotel. The four of us dined in our room with wine!
Sunday was a total waste of a day. Leo met us at 11 for a sightseeing tour of Inuvik. But it is Sunday and mass was taking place at the church (we had been inside yesterday) but they managed a quick visit.
He took us to the MacKenzie river that becomes the ice road in winter.
The restaurant that we wanted to go to last night.
Then the Visitors Centre, oh, it is closed on weekends!
He then takes us to an artist's home where she sells her local products..
In Inuvik, the water, sewer, and heating pipes are housed in a distinctive above-ground structure called a utilidor due to the presence of permafrost. These utilidors are essentially insulated, box-like structures that keep the pipes elevated above the ground. This design prevents the pipes from freezing and thawing with the permafrost, which could damage them and disrupt the town's essential servic
Back at the local store.
We ended up killing time back in the hotel lobby, there are no coffee shops, bars, restaurants etc to spend time.
On the way to the airport we make a stop at the Inuvik sign.
We stop in Old Crow and Dawson City finally arriving in Whitehorse at 11 PM (we gained an hour).
And we got a decent snack!
Monday we pick up some souvenirs and have breakfast at Burnt Toast, where we recognize one of the servers as our server last Sunday night at G&P.
We have a late checkout at noon and then wait in the lobby for the shuttle at 1:30.
We fly Air Canada Business Class to Vancouver.
We spend a couple of hours in the Vancouver lounge.
Business class to Toronto overnight, we are delayed leaving but make up the time in transit, landing on Tuesday morning around 6:30.
Tuesday we get home and head to bed until around noon.
Final Thoughts?
I'm glad we did it. We loved Whitehorse. We loved seeing what we saw and glad we got to experience the Arctic. But I would warn anyone about the vast distances to get anywhere. We hated staying in someone's home. We hated the lack of modern conveniences, restaurants, bars, hotels.
Although the tour guide was nice, Leo didn't have the skills and organization to be a tour guide. There were wasted opportunities that could have provided a better experience.
The van was a rusty bucket that didn't help the tour. The shocks were gone, bucket seats uncomfortable.
Inuvik was a total waste of time, the town has nothing but poverty.
Going to the Arctic Ocean was a once in a lifetime experience as was 24 hours of daylight.
Going to Dawson City and panning for gold were worth it.
There were two older women on the tour with us. Anne was a lovely, intelligent, interesting 75 yo from Victoria. Sandra was a recent widow, her first trip on her own, kudos to her, however she was a little naive and thought everything was great. I wrote a scathing review to the company, unpublished, of course and this is her review, published.
And really? You want me to pay for the photos the guide took? In this day and age??
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