Thursday March 23rd was the start of three nights of exploring for lights on our own. We set off with plenty of warm clothes, a flask of hot tea and the phone number of a towing company just in case we got stranded. We started with a drive on the local ice road to the small community of Dettah just 6.5 km on the frozen Great Slave lake or 23 km by road in the summer. We stopped several times on the side and John persuaded Sara to lie down in the middle of the road for a photo which turned out really great.
The next three nights followed a similar pattern. We bundled up in multiple layers and warm boots and drove out of town and up the Ingraham trail. The road is paved for about 65 km then becomes the world's longest ice road going 600 km north to three diamond mines. The ice road has to be constructed each year and is only open for 8-9 weeks. There is a lot of traffic on both roads, as the mines try to get all their fuel and supplies shipped while the road is available. We decided to stay within cell range given we were out until 3am and -20F temperatures and only drove 30 km north. There are many tankers and trucks on the narrow road and everyone is told to only stop at the official parking areas.
We checked out a number of the snow covered campgrounds and decided we liked Pontoon Lake the best. So for the next three nights we parked on the frozen lake and for 3+ hours were treated to amazing views of northern lights. They are different every time and never get boring! John had fun with all his cameras, and was able to also get a good time lapse video. (First video in the album) Sara enjoyed walking around on the frozen lake and staring up at the lights that were right over us. A few times we got really cold and sat in the car with the heater full blast to warm up. No warming huts for this part of the trip! Luckily we had no problems with the car starting and didn't need the towing service.
We spent a few hours each afternoon exploring the town of Yellowknife. John had hoped to photo some great grey owls, but after a drive on the only road going south we weren't able to spot any. We did find some very cute ptarmigan birds, little fluffy snow quail that were very entertaining.
One afternoon we visited the snow castle - an annual event with snow carvings from artists from around the world. It was a fun afternoon, and we got to meet the "snow king" the local man who has led the effort for over 25 years. It was a lovely sunny day and we were amused to hear the snow king shout at a local child "put your shoes on" since she was running around in just socks!
We were incredibly lucky to see stunning lights every night. There were a lot of solar flares the week we were in Yellowknife and it was certainly worth the effort to bundle up each night and venture out until the early morning hours. Hope you enjoy the photos!
