When I was deciding what school to attend for my Masters, I made a pro & con list for each school (yes, take a moment to marvel at my anality). On the pro list for UofA, was its relative proximity to the Territories. I had always wanted to see Canada’s north, and had never been in a position to do so while living in Ontario or Nova Scotia. So, when I moved here two years ago I was determined, at some point during my forced sentence in the province, to make it north. This past weekend I fulfilled that goal.
A shout out should be given to the incomparable Mika for taking the initiative and arranging a road trip for a group of us (the “core four”) to travel up to NWT. Everyone pitched in (except me, I really did nothing except forget the stuff I was supposed to bring), but Mika was at the center of it all. Thanks, Miks!
We began our adventure early Thursday afternoon. We picked up the rental car, loaded our crap, and took off west on the Yellowhead. We stopped for dinner in Peace River. I was driving then, and managed to go careening though a light-controlled intersection, having no idea that a) it was light controlled and b) it was a 5-way intersection. Luckily there were no cars around, and it’s even possible that the light was green anyway. We stayed that night in Manning, AB.
I have to say, I had this preconceived notion of Northern Alberta as being flat and barren, with stubby little trees and lots of cows. It completely defied my expectations, however. There were soft hills offering beautiful vistas and the Peace river valley was so lush and verdant. It was a complete shock – but it was beautiful.
Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures. The only pictures I have from Thursday are of Cricket and Oz trying to fix Cricket’s nose ring. (Enjoy them while you can I have a feeling she’s going to ask me to take them down when she sees them here).
A shout out should be given to the incomparable Mika for taking the initiative and arranging a road trip for a group of us (the “core four”) to travel up to NWT. Everyone pitched in (except me, I really did nothing except forget the stuff I was supposed to bring), but Mika was at the center of it all. Thanks, Miks!
We began our adventure early Thursday afternoon. We picked up the rental car, loaded our crap, and took off west on the Yellowhead. We stopped for dinner in Peace River. I was driving then, and managed to go careening though a light-controlled intersection, having no idea that a) it was light controlled and b) it was a 5-way intersection. Luckily there were no cars around, and it’s even possible that the light was green anyway. We stayed that night in Manning, AB.
I have to say, I had this preconceived notion of Northern Alberta as being flat and barren, with stubby little trees and lots of cows. It completely defied my expectations, however. There were soft hills offering beautiful vistas and the Peace river valley was so lush and verdant. It was a complete shock – but it was beautiful.
Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures. The only pictures I have from Thursday are of Cricket and Oz trying to fix Cricket’s nose ring. (Enjoy them while you can I have a feeling she’s going to ask me to take them down when she sees them here).
Stay tuned for more on the Road Trip.
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