It’s a funny thing waking up from a deep sleep where the sun hardly sets, I woke up at 5 am and it was so bright out I thought I’d slept until noon, it certainly plays tricks on your mind that’s for sure. I was glad I drove to High Level to camp the night before, I was able to get more done in camp such as giving Winnie’s bed a proper clean in a washing machine, along with having access to wifi again so I could upload my blog.
I got back on the road around 11:30 am heading towards the Northwest Territories, the road was a long stretch with occasional patches of charred timber scattered amongst tall and vibrant birch trees. As I drove further north the amount of insects increased exponentially, there were times I thought it might be raining due to so many hitting my windshield at once. While I may have been annoyed at the bugs, for other creatures it was the buffet of a lifetime, I watched as groups of birds darted back and fourth gorging themselves on the endless supply.
I saw it at last, the sign I’d been waiting for, I had arrived at the Northwest Territories.
I continued heading north on the MacKenzie Highway, with so much rain and the slew of mostly tiny little flies I limited how often I stopped. There was one place I was going to brave though no matter the conditions, Alexandra Falls. When I arrived there I took my time viewing the cascading falls from varying vantage points, a light misty vapor rose high into the air as the water thundered over the cliff and plunged into the valley below. Satisfied I ventured back to my vehicle and continued north.
I was starting to worry about my gas, as you go further into the north things like gas stations become increasingly rare and further apart, often hundreds of kilometers from one another. I arrived in a tiny little place called Enterprise planning to fill my tank before a small little gift shop named Winnie’s caught my eye, who would have thought my dog would have a side hustle all the way up north?! Sneaky woodle. I walked in and the owner, a kind lady, welcomed me. We talked for a bit then she instructed me to grab some chalk and write on her building like so many before me had done, well I took her up on it and left my mark on that tiny place in the world.
It was now time to get some gas at last as I was running very low. I pulled up to the gas station and oh no, it couldn’t be, it was closed down! The closest gas station I was able to drive to before my tank ran dry was 30 minutes north in a town called Hay River, while I hadn’t planned on going there I now had no choice and immediately set off in that direction.
I arrived in Hay River just in time and filled my thirsty tank to the brim, I figured since I was there I mine as well stay the night and enjoy my evening exploring the town. I found a great campsite right beside Great Slave Lake and set up my tent, since it was still fairly early I figured I’d take Winnie for a trip to the beach, to say she loved it would be a vast understatement. She started going wild playing about in the sand as I looked out across the water. Shortly after arriving, two women walked up with their dogs, we said our hellos and chatted about as the dogs chased one another back and fourth. This was a big step for Winnie, she has been scared of water for a while now but as the other dogs ran into the water she would barrel in right behind them, starting shallow and slowly going further and further in, I couldn’t help but smile as I was watching my dog get over her fear of water. The three of us walked up and down the beach sharing stories before saying our goodbyes.
I was feeling pretty hungry when I got Winnie back in the car and decided to check out a local restaurant, I ended up going with a place called Boardroom. I sat down and a server named Thomas greeted me, now I have had great servers in the past but Thomas was exceptional, one the friendliest people I have ever met, he shook my hand and encouraged me on my future travels. I ended up eating so much I found myself wishing they had a wheelbarrow service to take me to my car, I would have payed well.
With the soothing sound of the lake in the distance, a belly full of food and Winnie snoozing at my feet it’s time to call it a day, it’s been a pretty good one.
It appeared to be one of your best adventures yet 🙂