Please forgive the poor quality of the accompanying picture. The Nikon Coolpix 4600 takes fine outdoor photos when there is lots of natural light but it has a really tough time with low light conditions. Sadly, this is also the last photo that will be taken with the old Nikon. I don't know if it was the cold or age but whenever I try and turn the camera on I get a message that says "system error 1 0." Let's all take a moment and remember the little camera that only worked well in bright outdoor light.
This past Friday I had the opportunity (thanks to a kind and considerate supervisor) to travel to the nearby town of Aklavik. A coworker had been there for a week and her husband was driving to pick her up. I was told to bring extra food, clothes, and water in case the car broke down and we ended up stranded on the ice road (I brought none of those things). I think 'ice road' is an apt description but 'river' would be better still. The entire distance between the two towns is travelled (during the winter) by driving Southwest on the McKenzie river and then making a turn onto the Peel river. It's kind of like canoeing - only in a car. Riverbanks bookend the road and the waves have frozen into fun little bumps. Fun, of course, is a relative term - I feel fairly certain that Capital M would have been car sick. To my surprise there were even road signs (like the signpost picture) but no speed limits.
Though the weather was fine I could definitely foresee some issues with driving on a river. Surprisingly the snow on the ice is plowed, and in some parts the ice is even groomed, but if there was a strong wind it would turn the road invisible with blowing snow. For the most part this would be fine but we passed several tributaries that could easily be mistaken for part of the designated ice road if an unwary driver were caught in a storm.
I'll stop for now and write about Aklavik, the town with no ketchup, later.
4 comments:
That sounds like a really neat opportunity!! So, are there speed limits on the ice road??
what was the book you recommended I read if I go to the dominican republic?
Hey Sara,
Thanks for writing in. In answer to your questions:
1) There were no posted limits on the road though the sharp bends in the river were fairly prohibitive to speeds greater than 80-90kms/hr. As well, I heard that someone was fined heavily for speeding so I guess the police do monitor the ice roads (thought maybe the speeder could make a defense due to the absence of signs)
2) The book about the DR was 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.' I enjoyed the book but I should warn you that there are a lot of Spanish phrases that are not translated and many references to pop culture phenomena that are a little before our time. However, the background information of the DR is really interesting.
All the best
awesome-thanks-i've put in my request at lakeshore!
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