Fresh Meat

Today, I had a few things to get done, so I took my first trip to Inuvik along the Dempster Highway.  Wikipedia states that the distance from Fort McPherson to Inuvik is 122Kms.  Well, that must be by air, because the road signs and my odometer told me that it was more like 185Kms.  And, it's not like you're going 100Km/hr and you're there in less than two hours.  While some sections are OK, there is lots of washboard, traffic, and SO MUCH DUST!.  Oh... and did I forget to mention the ferry?

The sides of the road are littered with these purple flowers.  I'm not sure what they are, but they have a fairly strong scent, and grow everywhere.
The ferry can take as little as 10 minutes (if your timing is perfect), but if you got there just as the ferry is leaving, it will be at least 20 minutes.  Guess what happened when I got there?  Yes, the ferry was just pulling out.  There's nothing you can do about it, since there really is no schedule.  There is a small town a few hundred yards up the river that has no access to the highway, so the ferry goes from the highway to the town, over to the other side of the river, and then back.  So, the ferry just keeps making it's three cornered stops all day long, and leaves as soon as it's loaded.
Inuvik was way bigger than I expected, and had a main street that was lined with stores.  The Northmart was huge, and was very much like a Wallmart.  Best of all... FRESH MEAT!  I'm definitely going to be making some regular stops there, if for no other reason than to keep the freezer full of stuff that's actually edible.  As if I wasn't having enough trouble keeping my weight down up here as it is, so now if I actually start enjoying my food, I could be in for a battle.

Stay tuned.