June 2011 – Page 2 – This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed

On Top Of The World

Post author:Concrete
Post published:June 16, 2011
Post category:Alaska Canada
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Day 11: Dawson, YT to Fairbanks, AK (623km/387mi, 8129km/5051mi total) In the mountains above Dawson, last winter's snow still hasn't melted, this despite being above tree line and in direct sunlight at least part of the day! It wasn't even cold here... maybe 60-65 degrees. Starting to sound like a broken record here but... I want to get outside and be a part of this! The border checkpoint was tiny, and consisted of this informational sign, a cabin, and a little shack no larger than a toll booth. Which is probably about what one would expect all the way up…

There are Strange Things Done in the Midnight Sun

Post author:Concrete
Post published:June 14, 2011
Post category:Canada
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Day 9: Fort Nelson, BC to Whitehorse, YT (951km, 6974km total) Finally, this was the North we were looking for! Back on the Alaska Highway, the scenery opened up into the far northern end of the Canadian Rockies, towering stone peaks I would have loved to climb if I ever had the chance again. We were isolated enough though that even car-window wildlife watching was possible. Mountain goats would wander straight into traffic, giving the perfect opportunity to see them up close and personal. One of the more notable roadside attractions on the way to Alaska is the Signpost Forest.…

The Place That Must Not Be Named

Post author:Concrete
Post published:June 12, 2011
Post category:Canada Uncategorized
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Day 8: Fort Simpson, *** to Fort Nelson, BC (496km, 6023km total) First off, can anyone guess what this is? If you guessed aerial view of a river delta, you're WRONG. If you guessed roots of a seaweed, you're also WRONG. This is the back window of our car, after being inundated with a day of mud in the northern land between the Yukon and Nunavut, which by mutual agreement is no longer mentioned, to avoid memories of this and what exists right after it. As far as positives, there were a few bison. Which was far from enough to…

North of Sixty

Post author:Concrete
Post published:June 11, 2011
Post category:Canada
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Second post in my Canada/Alaska series... for an explanation of how I got here, see below Day 6: Edmonton to High Level, Alberta (799km, 4683km total) This was the moment I was waiting for: turning due north, toward the Arctic and the midnight sun and where the polar bears roam. There would be some time to get there, but even in Edmonton the days were getting much longer, coming back from the bar at 11pm in time to see the setting sun. It wasn't exactly frozen tundra yet, but even just above Edmonton the landscape began to change, as the…

Mystery Beast, 400 metres!

Post author:Concrete
Post published:June 9, 2011
Post category:Canada
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Things will look a bit different around here for the next few weeks; I'm taking a break from the abandoned buildings to get up close and personal with Northern wildlife, or at least as much as is possible from the windows of my parents' car. Day 1: Rochester, NY to Sault ste. Marie, Ontario (649mi / 1055km) I didn't even take any pictures... all this looked just like places I've been. Day 2: Sault ste. Marie to Thunder Bay, Ontario (706km, 1761km total) Along Lake Superior, things started to get more interesting. While there was no question the substance of…