Wednesday, June 28th, the guys drove farther than planned (again) and decided to go to Tsiigehtchick. Here’s a very large mountain in the morning, the ferry on their way to Tsiigehtchick, snow(!), and the official welcome sign to the Northwest Territories:

The Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate and is both boreal forest (taiga) and tundra, and its most northern regions form part of the Arctic Archipelago. The land area of the Northwest Territories is vast enough to be roughly equal to France, Portugal and Spain combined, although its overall area is even larger because of its huge lakes that freeze over in winter. A recent census showed a population of 41,790 about ½ living in the only city, Yellowknife, which is the territorial capital.

Thursday, June 29th, they set their sights on reaching Inuvik. And, since they are still driving on the Dempster Highway, here’s more evidence of the daily grading process:

I’ve been asking for a photo of their “bug suits” and this is what I received… I guess when the mosquitoes are that bad and you wear the netting non-stop outside, maybe you forget you’re wearing it? At least, Tim forgot for a moment:

You may have noticed the large stone guard on the front of Maxi. Looks like it’s doing a good job in the bug department also:

So, one of the first jobs in Inuvik, was a bath for Maxi. Jacob did a great job, as you can see from the before and after shots:

Do you think they can keep her this presentable for the All Canada parade on Saturday?

The guys found great food at Alestine’s Kitchen. I was curious, because they kept talking about “the bus”. Turns out that the kitchen is in an old school bus. Alestine McDonald and her husband moved to Inuvik with their family in 1955. They were one of the first families to inhabit Inuvik. People say she raised her children with the love of traditional food, and the “bus” (Alestine’s Kitchen) strives to serve fresh and local food that she would have been proud to serve.

I’m sure there will be more stories about Inuvik in the next post, and maybe some photos of the All Canada celebration.