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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Fun in the Snow

This weekend we had planned to go ice fishing but opted out since the lake was barely visible through the falling snow, it didn't seem like it would be much fun. On Sunday afternoon it started to clear up a little so we grabbed the sleds and went out for a ride. I didn't turn on my GPS tracking app but I am sure you have a good idea by now of where we go.

We rode over to Indian Hill and then took the trail to the barns on the south of Marguerite Lake. However, we were unable to get through as the stream was decidedly liquid. Blaine turned off the trail to turn around but his sled sank in the thigh deep snow so we spent some time extracting it then retraced our route to join the main trail to the north of Marguerite.

Instead of going all the way around to the rest area we elected to take a short cut over the lake. Blaine went ahead first to find a liquid free route. I do not enjoy riding my sled on water. Johnny, Sage and I took a short walk on the lake while Blaine zipped over and back.

  

The dogs were a little confused as to why daddy had left us but they enjoyed playing in the snow.

 

We parked up on the point by the hunting cabin and enjoyed a beer (snugged in Jimmie Johnson stubby coolers) and a packet of crisps.

This is my view on the sled. Johnny stands on the gas tank, Sage sits behind me on the passenger seat.

On the way home Blaine and I rode around the trails near our house so that they were beautifully groomed for my dog walk on Monday.

Thank you Paul!

Today I awoke to another beautiful morning in the Cariboo and I knew I had to get out there and enjoy it. But how? Walking the dogs is lovely, however we are limited to being in the forest which takes away from our enjoyment of the sunshine (of course in the summer I will be craving that shade). The lake is a bit too scary for me to venture out on alone since my last walk took me past way too many open patches,  the only other option for open skies is Indian Hill. However, my skidoo is in the seacan which has snow piled up in front of it that would have to be dug out to get the doors open.

I posted my dilemma in my facebook status. Paul posted "dig out the machine". It took about 20 minutes to get the doors open as the snow was actually ice disguised as snow.

Snow-bound seacan before

and after

I went back inside and dressed Johnny in his jacket and boots, he doesn't wear them so much for the cold as to stop his legs from becoming snow/ice balls. I threw on my camo dungarees, CG jacket and hat, mittens and Sorels then went to start the sled. Fail. It wouldn't start. I fiddled around, tried the choke half and full on and wore myself out with the pull start. At this point I might have given up but Johnny and Sage were beside themselves with excitement, bounding around and running in circles. 

Using my awesome skills I set about checking stuff... Gas, yep; Oil, yep; What else...? spark plugs I guess. Thankfully a skidoo is a simple machine so I was able to identify the plugs, then I went and rummaged in the shop for new plugs and tools. There were several boxes of two types of plugs, one type had RMK written on it so it took the others. After some time I got the correct size wrench thingy and set about removing the old plugs and installing the new ones. I was really quite proud of myself, even more so when my sled started up!

 

The ride over was interesting as there has been a lot of traffic, followed by warm weather, then cold weather. This resulted in frozen ruts and bumps that made the 1800 road ride like a series of rollers in the terrain park. Sage did a great job of balancing on the back seat then hopped off to run once we arrived at the meadow. My machine seemed to struggle with the hill climb, could be my poor driving or maybe the belt needs replacing.

As always it was worth coming, the silence and the view combine to make this a very special place.

The frosty trees looked spectacular against the clear, deep blue sky.

Lots of snow

Today it snowed all day and is still snowing well into the evening. Sage has lots of fun in the deep fresh powder, Johnny watched from the car port. It took me almost 2 hours to plough the drive. 2 hours later and Blaine is out there going over it again. If this keeps up I may have to get out of bed and clear the drive for him to get to work in the morning. As soon as he comes back inside we are going to hot the hot tub, hard to beat soaking in a hot steamy tub watching the snow falling all around.

Northern Lights

Even though I now live in the south it is still possible to see the Northern Lights. Indeed there was a spectacular display on October 8th. I didn't see it but plenty of people told me all about it and posted photos during the following days.

Determined not to miss out again, I now follow the activity forecast for Edmonton, AB. Tyee Lake sits at 52.3 degrees, Edmonton at 53.5 so it is a reasonable guide.

My dream is to relax in the hot tub with my baby and a glass of champagne watching the aurora display. Our house faces North so it is entirely probable, just not tonight. The sky is clear and the Milky Way looked amazing when I went out to the car, but the geomagnetic activity is low.

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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.

Independence Day in Iqaluit

On July 4 I walked the dogs along the beach and marveled at the mini icebergs stranded by the tide.

Summer snow

June 8, 2012

The heatwave is over and we are back to snow! Funnily enough I just checked my photos and it snowed last year on June 8 too. That day I was at the Arctic College for Inuktitut lessons, this year on June 8 I was at the Arctic College to write an exam. Next year I promise not to go to Arctic College on June 8.

June 8, 2011

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.

Cultural activities this weekend

The forecast is for warm weather so I plan to get out as much as possible this weekend. There are a couple of neat things happening at the library / visitor centre too: Throat singing, drum dancing and igloo building. Hopefully all this will result in an intersting blog post on Sunday!

February already?

Yesterday lunchtime I took the dogs for a quick walk beside the breakwater. It had been very windy the night before which had blown most of the snow off the ice. I was OK because I walked on the skidoo tracks, taking advantage of the traction offered. The dogs couldn't figure this out so I was entertained by them slipping and sliding around. I quickly snapped this picture as the Canadian North flight came in but didn't look at it until just now. For the past few days I have been noticing a sort of halo around the sun and the moon and I am rather pleased with how well it shows up in this shot.

On another note, yesterday was Groundhog day. I didn't pay any attention as I am confident that we have another 5 months of winter to come.

Sunday Blizzard

 

Today there is a blizzard warning in effect. Looking out the kitchen window the sky doesn't look the least bit threatening but I am inclined to play safe believe environment Canada on these things. Last Sunday there was a blizzard warning and you could barely see 10 foot at times. Annoyingly, as with last weekend, the blizzard is set to clear overnight so it is unlikely that we will get a day off tomorrow.  The city closes during severe blizzards because it is just not safe to have everyone on the roads. Indeed if the Government of Nunavut declares a "blizzard day" your car insurance is invalid during that time so you can't go anywhere.

 

Yesterday we went out for an awesome skidoo ride to some friends' cabin up the river. It was much more tiring than I expected. It isn't safe to travel along the river, the ice isn't strong enough and there are lots of rocks, so we had to follow the path of the river along it's uneven rocky banks. My back, shoulders, arms and legs are all aching today. The ride to the cabin was tricky because there was this really flat light so you couldn't see the contours of the land very well. Literally on the doorstep of the cabin I flipped my skidoo because I hadn't been able to make out a snow drift.

Blaine and I had been invited to stay the night but we declined as we already had arranged to go out with a friend, the dogs couldn't come to the cabin, and we were both recovering from a cold so didn't want to make the others sick. As we were getting ready to leave around 2pm a group of rangers came by, they were heading to their camp down the river so we got an escort part way home. The light was totally different and the trail was easy to see, but I kept getting distracted by the beautiful setting sun. I thought about taking photos but was unwilling to get my hand cold so I have no image to share, but believe me it was wonderful.

Winter Solstice

On December 21, 2011 the sun rose over Iqaluit at 0922, it will set at 1342 this afternoon. This photo was taken at 12 noon. It had been snowing all morning and the clouds were just starting to clear enough to make out the sun. I am happy to note that the ice looks to be reaching further out to sea.

Getting ready for winter

Two weeks without an update, you could be forgiven for thinking we had lost our satellite again. The truth is I have been busy. Last weekend we were getting ready for winter which involved me standing in the sunshine drinking coffee (bundled in my Canada Goose jacket and wearing gloves) watching Blaine work:

He has converted the crate that our sealift came in into an insulated house for the puppies. Naturally they prefer to sit outside in the cold looking pathetic instead of enjoying the warmth of their palatial box.
We had lifted the back of my skidoo up to stop the track getting iced in, unfortunately we had not taken the same precautions with the skis. Many jugs of hot water and some effort later the sled was released from the ice and lengths of wood placed under the skis to prevent repetition.
Fred and Stephane arrived with Blaine's new sled so we reshuffled the toy parking. There is not enough snow to go out on the land yet and the sea is still liquid so the sleds are parked by the house with the quads in front.

Overnight on October 1 the snow fell heavily and covered Iqaluit with a white blanket which has remained. Since then we have had several cool days and more snow, warm days have only succeeded in melting the snow enough to turn the whole city into a skating rink. The forecast is for more snow this weekend and as I type the wind is blowing swirls of fresh snow into the porch where the dogs are barking and messing around instead of sheltering in their house. I am beginning to hear talk of the sea ice forming in November. We can't wait for it to be thick enough to get out on our sleds!

Go Canucks Go!

The Vancouver Canucks have made it to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in seventeen years. I am not very good at being Canadian as I keep falling asleep during the games. In my defense the last round of games against San Jose were all on the west coast so didn't start until bed time. What is the correct term for starting a hockey game? Kick Off? Nope. Tee Off? wrong again. Maybe it is Puck Off? Like I said I am not very Canadian in this regard and I hope there are no hockey trivia questions on the citizenship test. We have to wait one or two more games for either Boston or Tampa to make it through as our opponents.

The melt continues apace and our front yard now comprises of a mixture of ice, mud and dust. When we got home from the Legion tonight we were throwing the ball for Sage out front. She did a big jump to catch the ball and momentum took her into a backflip and she landed on her ass in a big puddle of mud. It was hilarious to watch and we admired her for keeping hold of the ball even as the wind was knocked out of her. Johnny's short legs, long hair and a penchant for digging are a recipe for disaster in the mud. Despite our best efforts to towel them off our house is getting a nice coating of doggy sand. I may relent and pay $20 for a $5 mop to clean the lino and laminate flooring in the hallway, maybe a large washing up bowl to act as a foot bath when they come in too.

Surreptitiously photographed by Polarman

Iqaluit has its own superhero. His name is Polarman. He wears a wresting mask. Today I was out on the quad with Sage to take my weekly photograph of the square. I took the photo and then spoke to Blaine briefly. When I turned around I saw Polarman across the street, he was taking a photo of me on his cell phone. I guess we do make an unusual sight.

When I downloaded my photos I noticed that Polarman is in the background of this picture of Blaine and Johnny.

You can learn more about Polarman here http://ronwassink.blogspot.com/2010/10/polarman-is-iqaluits-super-hero.html

It really isn't that cold

We arrived on a bright sunny Saturday and were surprised at how quickly we all adapted to the cold.

The dogs can now go outside for 3 minutes without booties, somehow their feet don’t bother them when they are wrestling, just when they are supposed to be going to the bathroom. Bizarrely Johnny prefers to wade into belly deep snowdrifts to pee.  Yesterday was only -14 so I went to the post office and liquor licensing without hat or gloves and with my jacket unzipped!

On Tuesday it snowed all day and I couldn’t make out where the sun was in the sky, everything was white and it was hard to see the ground properly, I couldn’t make out if it was flat or not because of the white out. Every other day has brought an abundance of beautiful, bright sunshine from 8am to 4:30pm. It is light from at least 5:30am (as I observed when I woke up this morning) and gets fully dark by 6pm.