4th day of Expedition "Walker Bay"

28 August

Hello Travelers,

My forth day of expedition in Walker Bay it is located on the west coast of Victoria Island in Canada’s Northwest Territories. In the late 1920s the Hudson’s Bay Company established a trading post called Fort Brabant on the north shore of Walker Bay to encourage local Inuinnait to trap Arctic fox, which at the time were a were a luxury fur. In 1932 the trading post relocated to present-day Ulukhaktok. This was home to the Copper Inuit Trading post at Walker Bay, circa 1930  (Library and Archives Canada).

See you there...

Rinell :-)

3rd day of Expedition "Ulukhaktok Canada"

26 August

Dear Travelers,

Your host Rinell traveling in the Northwest Passage for an Expedition. Driving a zodiac exploring Ulukhaktok formerly called Holman it was recently recognized as the official name of this community located on the western side of Victoria Island. In the local Inuinnait dialect Ulukhaktok means "place where one finds material to make ulus", knives with curved blades that were traditionally made with stone or copper.

Although Inuinnait have occupied the region for hundreds of years, the present-day community began when a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post and Roman Catholic mission were built there in 1932. Since that time it has grown into a permanent community with a population of approximately 450 people. Uluhaktok is home to the Uluhaktok Eskimo Cooperative and Craft Shop, which sells locally produced arts and crafts.

See you there...

Rinell :-)


P.S.

Pictures and video will follow after my full completion of my expedition.. Thank you. :-)

2nd day of Expedition "Cape Parry"

25 Aug

Hello Travelers,

I will be driving a zodiac and cruise Cape Parry it is located at the northern end of the Parry Peninsula, Northwest Territories, which extends into Amundsen Gulf. The closest community is Paulatuk, approximately 100 kilometres to the south. The cape has several limestone outcrops that form coastal cliffs rising 20 meters above sea level. A rich marine environment is created by upwelling currents around the cape. Offshore, a polynya produces open water in the ice near the cape and islands. It is this combination of safe nesting habitat on the cliffs with a nearby reliable area of open water that allows for a small seabird colony to exist here.

This site is home to the only thick-billed murre (aka Brunnich's guillemot) colonies in the western Canadian Arctic. The main colony is quite small by murre standards, with around 1,000 birds. Although not numerically significant, these colonies are noteworthy since the nearest colonies are at least 1,300 kilometres away to the west in Alaska or to the east on Prince Leopold Island.

Elsewhere on the cape, beaches of sand and gravel form the coastline and many bays and small inlets exist. The peninsula is dotted with ponds and small lakes with sparse tundra vegetation in between.

There is a DEW line site on the peninsula, and we likely will see the buildings and attendant antennae and radar domes.  Distant Early Warning system was an array of missile detecting facilities strung across Alaska and the Canadian Arctic during the height of the Cold War.  Many of these stations, including this one, are now automated and operating with vastly different technology than existed in the 1950’s. 

See you there..

Rinell :-)

First day of Expedition Herschel Island Canada

23 Aug

Dear Travelers,

     My first day of expedition here in Herschel Island. It is a small island off the north coast of Yukon Territory. It is known as "Qikiqtaruk", which means "island", in Inuvialuktun. Archaeological sites show that ancestors of the Inuvialuit of the western Canadian Arctic lived on Herschel Island at least as early as 700 years ago. Starting in 1890 commercial whalers operating out of San Francisco and Seattle extended their voyages to the Beaufort Sea, often overwintering at Pauline Cove on Herschel Island. The commercial whaling era was short-lived, but at its peak in the mid-1890s more than fifteen ships and over one thousand whalers spent the winter on Herschel Island. Following the decline of the whaling era Herschel Island became a centre for the fur trade in the western Canadian Arctic. Herschel Island is now a Territorial Park administered by the Government of Yukon. Several historical buildings are preserved in the park.

See you there...

Rinell :-)

Artic Explorers

Dear Travelers,

After the failed Franklin expedition of 1845 it would take more than a half century to pass before an innovative explorer finally conquered the Northwest Passage.

On 16 June 1903, a 29-year-old Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, set out with improbably slim resources: six men and a tiny shallow vessel, the Gjoa, which he presumed could slip through channels that endangered larger ships. Caught by the winter ice, Amundsen did what the earlier Franklin crew had been unable or unwilling to do. He turned to the native Inuit to learn their ancient skills of Arctic survival. What they taught him not only ensured the success of his voyage but were crucial training for his conquest of the Sout Pole in 1912. During this time, they also mapped the frozen, island-studded area of the north.

Your travel host,

Rinell :-)

Top of the World

Dear Travelers,

My exploration of Alaska continues to tiny Icy Strait Point and Anchorage, the state's largest municipality. Turning westward, I will follow a course from Kodiak Island along the Aleutian chain before bearing north to the Siberian outpost of Provideniya and onward to Nome. Entering the Arctic Circle, we begin a passage to the Atlantic, a journey attempted by intrepid explorers for some four hundred years before success was finally attained by Roald Amundsen in 1905. Blocked by ice much of the year the Northwest Passage remains impractical as a trade route but certainly provides ample adventure and breathtaking beauty along the way.

Rinell :-)

Nome Alaska

17-18 August 2012

Dear Travelers,

I would like to feature Nome, unlike many Alaskan towns, Nome did not exist as a native settlement prior to the discovery of gold in nearby Anvil Creek in 1898. The resultant stampede of eager dreamers created a tent city that stretched for 30 mi/48 km and housed an estimated 20,000 miners at its peak. Over half the population is of native descent while several small authentic native villages lie outside town. Nome is also famous as the finishing line for the annual Idutarid Trail Sled Dog Race.

See you there...

Rinell :-)

St. Paul Alaska

14 August 2012

Dear Travelers,

We will explore one of the four Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea while only 500 miles from Siberia, St. Paul is home to the largest Aleut population in the world. Descendants of an ancient native population on the mainland, the Aleuts of St. Paul remain skilled fishermen, hunters and artisans. Today, St. Paul is known for its excellent bird-watching (248 species have been sighted) and wildlife, particularly its Northern Fur Seal rookery and endemic the Blue Fox. Two U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew stationed here during crab season have been featured on the Discorvery Channel's Deadliest Catch series.

See you there...

Rinell :-)

Dutch Harbor Alaska

12-13 August 2012

Dear Travelers,

I present you the port of Dutch Harbor, located on Amknak Island in the Aleutian chain, consistently ranks as the largest fishery by volume in the U.S. Each year, the large fleet brings in tons of halibut, salmon and king crab-fans of the Discovery Channel may be familiar with the area, highlighted on the popular series "Deadliest Catch." Naturally, sport fishing opportunities are plentiful.

Dutch Harbor is also known for being the only place on American soil other than Pearl Harbor to be bombed by the Japanese. In June of 1942, two days of air attacks killed 43 American servicemen but did very little long-term damage to the base. Visit the informative Aleutian World War II National Historic Site for the whole stay.

See you there...

Rinell :-)

Kodiak Alaska

9-10 August 2012

Dear Travelers,

Your host Rinell traveling here in Alaska's "Emerald Isle" Kodiak! This is the second-largest island in the U.S., after Hawaii. The island and its eponymous largest town boast an interesting history. Native Aluttiq people settled here in semi-subterranean homes called barabaras thousands of years before Europeans arrived on the scene. Check out their rich cultural heritage at the Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository. Russian influence is highlighted at the Baranov Museum, housed in the oldest extant building in Alaska, which is also the oldest Russian builidng in North America. In 1964, the Good Friday earthquake and its resulting tsunami came within inches of destroying it.

A walk along the waterfront reveals the Fisherman's Memorial dedicated to the numerous residents who have lost their lives pursuing one of the most dangerous occupations anywhere. Nearby is the last Liberty Ship built during WWII, the Kodiak Star, which lies surrounded by concrete, and serves as a fish processing facility. It was brought here shortly after the big quake.

See you there...

Rinell :-)

Anchorage Alaska

6-8 August 2012

Dear Travelers,

Anchorage is the gateway to the entire state. With a skyline not unlike that of any similarly sized city in the Lower 48, Anchorage at first glance may not even seem to be in Alaska. But lift your gaze a bit further and you will find no less than six mountain ranges in view, even the majestic Mt. McKinley Denali makes an appearance on clear days.

the nation's third-largest state park, Chugach, lies largely within the city boundaries-a true wilderness less than half an hour from the city's center. Among the 52 species of mammals found here are black and brown bears, moose and Dahl sheep. And you don't have to go far for salmon fishing-it is great right under a freeway overpass alongside Ship Creek, in the heart of downtown.

See you there...

Rinell :-)