Naughty Dogs

Yesterday afternoon we put the dogs outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air while we got on with our chores. Just before 5pm I went out to do the weekly hot tub maintenance and called the dogs to come home. After a minute or so I heard the distant sound of Johnny barking. Movement on the opposite, northern, shore of the lake caught my eye so I grabbed the binoculars and quickly confirmed that Johnny and Sage were on one of the docks over at the cabins. Presumably the afternoon sunshine had melted the ice against the north shore, stranding them on the far side.

Our house is about 2/3 of the way along the lake on the south side. The east end of the lake is a privately owned ranch. Blaine went into rescue mode and set off in the the side by side back out the road to the 11 km marker, then onto the trails through the forest to get around the west end of the lake and then along behind the north side. The trails are just ATV/snowmobile trails, unmaintained, narrow, winding etc. Blaine struggled through deep snow and fallen trees along the little used trail. After an hour he reached the dogs who were beside themselves with happiness at being rescued.

One of the trail sections was particularly bad with lots of snow and trees down across the path. Blaine was able to make it through as he was travelling downhill, but he knew he wouldn't be able to make it back up that way. There is a road into the cabins that connects to the Beaver Valley Road which connects McLease Lake to Big Lake, Blaine took that road east with the intention of cutting down past Jackson's Hole. Unfortunately the Jackson's Hole road was impassible so he was forced to go all the way to Big Lake and back along the trail by Marguerite Lake. He got home at 7:30pm freezing cold but with two very happy, hungry puppies.

Today I locked them on the deck. When we came home from work they were waiting at the top of the road. We put them back on the deck and put their food on the driveway to force them to reveal the secret of the escape. Johnny did a series of wiggles to get his head, shoulders, then hips through the gap between the railings. Sage eventually and reluctantly jumped over the fence. Blaine spent the evening barricading the areas that Johnny got through, as for Sage we assume/hope that she will stay put so long as Johnny is contained.

Fingers crossed it works for tomorrow!

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more skidoo adventures

I used the "Map My Run" app on my iPhone to track our last two skidoo adventures. Naturally both involved a run over to the gas station at Big Lake, and a trip up Indian Hill to enjoy the view. 

37 miles on January 20th

On January 26 we explored mostly to the South, where I got my sled stuck on a hill in the woods. 

 

54 miles on January 26th

The following Saturday we went North and I got stuck in the powder on the shoulder of Beaver Lake road, and then tipped over completely less than a mile from home. Blaine looks forward to my incidents and thoroughly enjoys getting me and my machine out of our predicaments :-)

some of the dreary views I have to endure ;-)

Sundowners on Indian Hill

OK Tire

When I first moved here I went to OK Tire to get the wheels balanced on the Suzuki. The owner, Chuck, is so unbelievably kind and helpful. He said that I could come to him for local advice as well as car related issues, and true to his word he has always welcomed me and cheerfully provided help. One morning he switched over the tow hitch for me, he connected us with the lawyer who handled our house purchase. This week I noticed one of the tires on the Tahoe was a little low, I drove into three gas stations but the air was off in each one... So I headed down to impose upon Chuck's generosity. True to form he cheerfully came out and filled the faulty tire, then checked all the others. Not only is he a lovely man, but he has skied the wall at Kirkwood so he is proper hardcore too. Thank you Chuck!

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Tyee Lake to Big Lake

As promised, on Sunday morning we set out again and after several attempts we found our way... the straight line depicted is not an accurate portrayal of the route, rather I gave up trying to figure it out on Google maps. Thanks to the logging industry there are hundreds of trails all over the place. I have promised to clearly document the route before my parents arrive next summer so that they can safely head over to the pub on our side by side.

Fun at the lake

We woke up this morning to a fresh 4-inch dusting of powder. After a raclette breakfast Blaine and I went out to plough the drive, well he ploughed I just rode along. Justin got packed up and headed off, we had an awesome visit with him and the time just flew by. It was a lovely mild day so we went out front on the lake and did a little ice fishing. Blaine set up patio chairs and I made us Sailor Jerry hot chocloate so although we didn't get a bite it was lots of fun.

To maximize the enjoyment of our environment we hitched the qamutiq up to Blaine's sled and he towed me and the puppies over to Indian Hill. Alas with all the powder and extra weight we couldn't get all the way up the hill so had to walk the last little way but the view always makes it worthwhile. Me and the puppies got covered in snow but I couldn't get a picture as my iPhone was in my inside pocket.

For dinner we had Mexican, heating our tortillas on the raclette. I have a chest cough so am resting up in bed with lots of Kleenex and cough meds. Blaine and the dogs are keeping me company watching Sons of Anarchy.

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Toy Boy?

I always go to the same gas station in Williams Lake, the Super Save near the casino. The staff are super friendly and the prices are always the cheapest. Oh yeah, and they pump the gas for you and will even clean the windows. I usually clean my own windows (because my vehicles are so dirty!) while Rena pumps the diesel or petrol and we chat about stuff. Yesterday I was in town with Justin as his pickup was the perfect vehicle to take Blaine's skidoo to hospital. We pulled up to the pump and got out, then Rena said "hey so this must be your husband". Evidently Blaine and I have not been to fill up together. It was pretty funny.

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Bluebird sled afternoon

Justin, Sage, Johnny and I took my sled to Prairie Chicken Hill this afternoon. It was so very beautiful. We saw a moose cow and took turns driving. Justin is a much more confident driver than me. Hopefully the RMK 600 will be ready in a couple of days and we can take both machines. It was an awesome day :-)

Happy Birthday Sage

Today is Sage's birthday. She is five years old. To celebrate her birthday and the lovely blanket of fresh snow we got all dressed up for a skidoo ride. That is to say Johnny and I got dressed up, Sage stayed naked because she has waterproof fur and long legs so doesn't need booties and a jacket at -8. Naked Johnny accumulates so much snow that he can't walk. I am not a dog so I wear clothes.

Anyhow my skidoo wouldn't start so instead we ploughed the driveway which was less exciting all round. This evening I mentioned to Blaine that my skidoo battery was dead, to which he responded, "I know but the pull start works". Huh. We will try again tomorrow then.

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Sledding

Today I rode my skidoo for the first time this winter. It was fun. Blaine was getting the Rhino side by side ready for our family trip to Indian Hill (aka Prairie Chicken Hill), his skidoo is broken so we figured we might as well take the Rhino. While he was removing the snow plow I went for a spin up the drive, then I kept going over the cattle guard and all the way to the 90degree corner, then back again. Johnny rode in front of me, Sage ran alongside - and ahead. Maybe tomorrow I will go out for a skidoo ride with the puppies while Blaine is at work.

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24 hours in Prince George

This morning I enjoyed the luxury of laziness. Blaine needed a ride back from Prince George so I went up last night and we spent the night. He had to go to the office at 8am but I didn't have to check out until 11. The dogs were with Judith at Wildwood Pet Resort. I did a short yoga routine then watched the Food Network while lying in the middle of the king sized bed.

After an hour of Jamie Oliver cooking Christmas related stuff I slowly got ready then drove into town to find some stuff to photograph. The absence of photographs in this post can be taken as evidence that I found nothing worth stopping the truck for. In Prince George's defence it was an unseasonably mild day so the city was awash with dirty slushy snow which is a hard look for anyone to pull off.

We ate sushi for lunch then attended a work awards ceremony. I got my Starbucks fix (venti, non-fat, half-sweet, 200 degree, creme brûlée latte) then we hit the road home. Judith had fed the dogs but sure enough as soon as we got them home they put on their "feed me I'm starving" act. Blaine played along but fed them only 2 pieces of kibble each. They were not impressed.

 

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Clearing the Driveway

This morning it snowed a few inches.

Our driveway is pretty long and kinda steep, then there is another stretch of shared road that is not maintained.

In total we probably have about 450 metres / 1,400 feet from our door to the catleguard. This is the view from the top of our drive down towards the house.

Before he went away last week Blaine hooked up the plow on the Rhino and gave me a quick plowing lesson.

It can be a bit tricky getting the angle of the plow right, especially since the road surface is uneven, but it really is quite fun. Certainly a lot easier that doing it the hard way with a shovel!

Proper Winter Storage of a Class A Motorcoach

It snowed on Saturday October 20 and the weather has been cold and sometimes snowing since. Fortunately we had already moved the coach over to our house the week before and had drained the water system and filled it with RV plumbing antifreeze. However, there is more to winterizing your coach than just the plumbing. As with all things, the Internet offers varied and often conflicting advice so I telephoned Matt at Chemo RV.

Slides should be retracted. (first clear off the snow on the awnings)

Tires vs Jacks You have 3 options. If parking on the tires, put wood under them rather than parking right on the dirt. Or Jack it up to take pressure off the tires. The best option is to jack it up, put it on blocks and then retract the jacks thus alleviating the pressure on the hydraulic jacks and the tires.

Batteries should be removed and stored inside (somewhere heated) and put on trickle charge periodically.

Propane should be turned off.

Cover the coach only if you have a proper RV cover. A tarp will trap moisture and damage the coach. If you do not cover the coach, be sure to remove snow accumulation from the roof.

Starting the engine will only cause it harm. Avoid starting the coach until you plan to use it.

Crock of Ages of Shite

I am writing this somewhere over Manitoba I suppose, half way on a flight from Vancouver to Montreal. For my first on board movie I watched J Edgar, an informative, moving and eye opening movie directed by the awesome Clint Eastwood. Blaine watched Rock of Ages and was giggling away throughout, my sister in law is even more obsessed with RoA as she was with Twilight. So I figured I would give it a go. Guys, you are both wrong. Less than 15 minutes in and I was compelled to pull out my iPad to write a blog post about how dreadful it is. Maybe it will get better soon... maybe if I have a Johnny Walker Black Label it will help?

Let me share my opinion on "dining" aboard Air F You. Domestic beer (aka piss) is $6.50, Heineken is $7, wine is $6.50, sparkling wine $7, spirits $6.50. It's a no brainer, give me the scotch.

The best snacks are the cheese and crackers $4, and the carrots, celery and ranch dip for $5.

For $9 you can get a drink and snack combo.

For $13 you can get a meal, snack and drink. If they have pizza do the meal deal. The other food isn't worth wasting the calories on.

Generally you are best advised to buy your "meal" at the airport before your flight. Advice in the regard requires a whole other blog post depending on which airport and which terminal.

30 minutes - I have my scotch. It isn't better yet. Blaine says it is because I am too young.

51 minutes - I am wondering if my brother's next inking will be Stacee Jaxx pistols.

1hr 3 minutes- grateful that the plane will land before the film finishes.

1hr 25minutes - seriously?

I didn't finish watching. The meagre offering of witty one liners was not enough to make up for the dross.

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Home

After leaving Iqaluit on July 7 we spent 83 days living in friends' places, hotels, vacation rentals, a tent and our coach. On Friday September 28 we took possession of our forever home on beautiful Tyee Lake in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. A huge massive thank you to everyone who helped us move out, move in and gave us food, shelter, emotional support and counseling on this journey.

The first thing out of the sea can was the box of cleaning supplies that Linda had left me when she and Craig left town in May. It cleaned their apartment and both our houses in Iqaluit, then travelled across the continent to clean yet another home! Friday afternoon I cleaned while the Internet and TV guys did their thing. Our neighbour Dale cut down a tree so that our Internet dish could see it's satellite clearly but Bell TV couldn't get a thing. I guess one out of two isn't bad but we sure wish we had known that we would be buying in a Bell free zone before we left Iqaluit, could have sold our receivers there easier than here. Blaine arrived home from work in the evening and hitched the small trailer to the Rhino side by side then we proceeded to unload the sea can until it was pitch dark and we were fit to drop. We dined on frozen pizza and slept on our mattress on the floor.

Saturday morning we were running loads before the coffee had brewed and by mid day we were unpacking things and arranging furniture. Downsizing before we left Iqaluit was necessary ( the sea can was stuffed full) but now that we have a 2,000 sq ft home it looks kinda bare! The downstairs walk out basement is mostly unfinished so we are pretty much just living upstairs now but even that looks sparse. With my kitchen mostly organized I made us roast chicken for supper which we ate at the kitchen breakfast bar since the dining table was not yet built.

Sunday was much of the same, unpacking boxes, finding places to out things and starting to unpack the coach. In the afternoon Val and Dale came over to visit and brought their friends Sharon and Ray to meet us. They came bearing housewarming gifts of wine and sunflowers and we visited a while but I must confess that Blaine and I were still shell shocked at actually having made it that we were poor hosts. 

On Monday Blaine had to leave for work and wouldn't be back for a few days so Johnny, Sage and I continued with the unpacking and making home. We also made time to explore our new neighbourhood and followed a quad trail from near the top of our drive that makes a 3/4 mile loop through the woods - ideal for a short walk. The week was also spent preparing for our first house guests, the Guertins were arriving on the weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. My main focus in this regard was preparing the hot tub. I had no idea how complicated hot tub ownership is, thankfully the very sweet patient girl at New Waves hot tub store walked me through everything, gave me detailed (written thank goodness) instructions and sold me all the chemicals I needed to brew up our people soup. A different TV guy came out and hooked us up with Shaw Direct, we need to fall a couple more trees to get HD but at least Blaine can watch NASCAR and I have the Food Network.

Thanksgiving weekend was awesome and our house certainly now feels like a home. Shalla and I totally rocked the kitchen with little e as our assistant and we ate like kings for three days straight. The boys went out exploring the trails, clearing paths with the chainsaw and bringing back rocks to build a fire pit on the lawn. Sage and Johnny showed Oscar and Trixie around the area, Trixie is more of an inside girl but Oscar loved the forest... even after he fell/jumped out of the back of the Rhino at 40kph!

Everyone has gone again so the dogs and I are snuggled up in front of the fire in the living room with a bottle of wine. I have to keep pinching myself to check if this is really real.

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Navigating the icebergs

These photos were taken at around 11pm on July 6, 2012. The small boat carefully navigated its way out through the ice using oars to push away from the hazards. Although it doesn't look like much there is a lot of ice under the surface and each time there was an impact it yielded an impressive thud.

Riding the Hog

For the past two weeks the weather has been beautiful (with the exception of snow on Tuesday) so I have been making the most of the bug-free sunshine and riding to work on my quad. My colleague Jen has dubbed my 350cc Yamaha Big Bear "the Hog". On Saturday, inspired by the Sons of Anarchy image that this evoked, I dressed Johnny Cash up in his Orange County Choppers biker jacket and we cruised around the city. In the evenings I have been taking Johnny and Sage (Johnny stands on the gas tank, Sage sits on the passenger seat) to the Road to Nowhere for a run. Sage runs the whole length (2.5km each way) of the unpaved road, which goes to the gravel pit, while Johnny runs a bout half the way out and rides the rest with me. Blaine takes them to the beach in the same fashion. I don't like going there at the moment because of all the melt water and gaps in the ice.

Arctic Mosquitoes

My mind keeps wandering to the important questions when will the mosquitoes come and how long will they last.

But how do we even have mosquitoes here when it is below freezing for most of the year? The answer is adaptation. This week I learned that insects up here have anti-freeze for blood and sort of hibernate/freeze over winter. Once out and about they can handle the low temperatures because they are dark and hairy, which helps a cold-blooded insect gain and retain heat.

Unlike southern mosquitoes who enjoy the luxury of a long season, our critters have a whole lot of living to accomplish in a short time. Assisted by almost 24-hour sunlight and the pressures of time, Iqaluit's mosquitoes operate 24hours a day.

I have mixed feelings about this early spring. I am sad that my skidooing season is over so soon, but I am happy to be out on the quad. I like not having to wear layers upon layers and huge clompy boots, but I hate mosquitoes. Presumably an early spring means a longer bug season... Well I am going to  find out whether I want to or not!

This evening after wings I took the dogs on the quad to investigate Road to Nowhere and I was very surprised to find the whole length of the road completely clear of snow. It was a little chilly so I didn't send her in, but I did note that there is a big swimming pond where the Apex river is backed up by the bridge so I will take Sage up there for a swim one sunny day soon.

References:

http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/backissues/coldhardiness.pdf

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674look_out_nunavuts_home_to_bugs_galore/

Iqaluit is melting

Last night our friend Norman Qavvik from Kugaaruk taught us a new word: "snowmo".

Boy am I glad that we got lots of snowmo-ing in during then last weekend of April because spring came upon us in a flash and the snow is receding daily. Fueled by the awesomeness of the trip described in my last post, John led another boys only trip on Saturday. Matt took my skidoo and I took the dogs skiing. The boys were out from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm! Blaine struggled to stay awake through Linda and Craig's Wii party, no reflection on the quality of the party nor the company, he was just bagged. We were all jealous of his goggle tan.


On Sunday we took the dogs and a picnic up to the cabin for a few hours. Sections of the river were pretty slushy. I loathe riding throu slush so asked Blaine to ride my sled over while I walked the dogs around, except I didn't walk far enough around and Blaine had to come dig my foot out of the slush. After dozing in the sunshine we headed home, sticking to the high ground this time!

All week it was around -2 to 0 so the melt started early and shows no sign of abaiting. Last week I wore my headphones at work to drown out the torrential rain like sound of the snow meltin off my office roof. At the beginning of the week I climed four steps to the front door, now I climb the full six and the parking lot is sand not snow.

We are moving house at the end of June. The rapid retreat of the snow prompted us to move our snowmos and qamutiq over to our new house while we still could. I declined Blaine's invitation to join him on the relocation ride, preferring my happy memory of skidooing to be my last of the season. Instead I drove the truck to shuttle him back and forth. This decision proved wise as Blaine said the trail was either slush, pavement, or gravel. Our sleds are now safely locked up by our new house and I have my quad ready to roll when the mood takes me.

The forecast is for continuing warm (+2) weather so we expect the snow around town to be gone in a couple of weeks. I suspect that the sea ice won't last much into June this year.

Skidoo therapy with Dr. Kavanaugh

After work last Friday Blaine and I joined our friend John on a skidoo ride. With John revelling in the role of tour guide we travelled North past the end of the Road to Nowhere and then onwards to the spectacular Johnson's Canyon. We then backtracked a ways to to trail to Pangnirtung which we followed for a few miles before heading home. Sunset was well after 8pm and with little wind and mild temperatures (maybe -10c) it was a perfect evening. Of course I didn't take my camera.

After almost three days of non-stop snow the tundra was covered with a soft, thick blanket of snow. My skidooing experience thus far has been limited to travelling on ice and barely covered rocks. This new surface took some getting used to as my machine seemed to float at times, and get bogged down at others. I was happy enough pottering along feeling out my confidence on the flats and closely sticking to John's trail on the hills (the boys kindly placed me in the middle of our convoy to keep me safe).

My favourite part of the evening was watching John and Blaine having so much fun riding through deep snow, and up and down steep hills. John's sheer joy was particularly infectious and I found my confidence growing as the boys frolicked on their machines. The journey from our house to Dead Dog Lake was extremely stressful for me as we had to cross several roads and the trails were sometimes steep and narrow. I can't say that I enjoyed retracing the same route on our homeward journey, but I didn't have a meltdown.

Conclusion: Happiness is good for you

First Air introduces new baggage rules



Sounds like they are getting stricter... I will have to measure the Action Packers when I get home tonight. This is timely information as I have begun compling the shopping list for my next trip out.

Follow this link to read the baggage rules on their website