Day 5 Yellow Knife to Sambaa Deh Falls

Sleeping in all night light, the sun does go down but not enough to make a star lite sky.  At Breakfast I was visited by a red fox with someone food in its mouth.  I’m off by 6:30am, sounds early but sun it up at 4:45, I head to the end hwy1 for Tibbit Lake, nothing there, Reid Lake Territorial Park, pay for days pass however nothing there.  Cameron River day use area has a very nice hike about 1.5km to a water fall somewhat challenging 2.5km hike, up and down a mountain twice one way to the falls and back.

all. Followed by Cameron River Falls Hiking trail;

Drive around the Back Bay, old part of town, where the houseboats should be, I did not find them, however nice area had a Province Town MA feel to it. Tightly packed houses many done to the 9’s and still other not so good.  All one way streets, that twists and turns such that you lose your sense of direction rather quickly.

Last two things to do one hour tour of Legislative Assembly, very good timing as it was 30 degree outside. Very interesting, they do not have political parties, 19 communities send one representative and of those they elect a PM who hand out duties to the 18, everyone discuses everyone business and they vote secretly to pass bills. They view the separation of Nunivak similar to 9 provinces of Canada to the super special Quebec, very funny.

Having everything suggested to do I left heading south to the 100 km of very bad road, with greater confidence knowing there are no Bison in that area, loose gravel is really not loose, most frost upheavals are not a problem for a Shine RSS suspension. 

Ice road truckers rescue in action, no camera crew around.  This delay take 30 minutes, I was the first car they stopped when closing the road.

Today very few animals to see, I did have a Bison on the road, in my lane waking directly towards me, I stopped, honked no reaction,  backed up, and decided to cross to the other side and drive pass it, that worked.  I failed to buy fuel at highway 1 Mackenzie Highway turnoff ($1.20) think I would top up at Fort Simpson.

Mackenzie Highway also called Top of the world Highway, 465km of gravel and dirt or so they say. It turns out first 40 km’s is paved, than the gravel starts but it’s better than the last 100km to Yellow Knife.  It is a road that you drive in the middle, when a truck come’s you slow and pull to the right, if it’s a big truck you need to stop and let the dust settle before moving on.  Other than that, the road was great.

I did see two black bears crossing the road within the first 1 hour of travel. Making it 3 bears for this trip, I am convinced that the only way to get a pic of a bear is with a dash cam.  Once off the road the really disappear, even when the brush is cleared another 40 feet on each side. They are just gone.

I made it to Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park, very few people here Jim the attendant very talkative informing me of 3 hikes they are really good to do tomorrow.  Site $23.65 + $10 firewood, drove 696km’s today.