Archive for Travel

There I was, decked out in my long johns…

March 22, 2013 Outdoors, Travel Comments Off

With a pint of Guinness sitting in front of me, I was surrounded by a bustling crowd of both locals and visitors — many of which had likely trudged across the ice earlier day to see the sights of the local festival. And as I looked around, the reality of where I was sank in and I grinned.

Yellowknife. I was in sitting in a bar in Yellowknife.

The history, the lifestyle, the architecture and the legends. The entirety of my situation after spending a year living North of 60 seemed to dawn on me. And even better, in just a few more months, I’ll get to play tour guide to this rough but beautiful Northern city.

What had brought me to the ‘knife? A local festival held on Yellowknife Bay called the Long John Jamboree. Shortly after I arrived in Fort Smith last year, I heard of the newly-established festival, and I even ended up writing a story about it while working at Northern Journal (login ID and password are both “srj”). This year was to be the second festival, with hopefully many more to come.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the inaugural Jamboree, but attending this year more than made up for the missed opportunity in 2012. Even better, I made the trek to Yellowknife in my new wheels with my two roommates — a long road trip for a weekend, but without a doubt plenty of fun.

The weekend was bitterly cold, with nighttime temperatures dropping to -35C (without wind chill) and the daytime temperatures not rising much about -25C. It might have kept some people away from the event, but based on the busy parking lot and the number of people watching the dog trick competition, the ice carvers, the Zumba performers (see pic below) and the Snow King Castle admirers, it was clear locals and visitors alike were willing to brave the temperatures for a little fun out on the ice.

My only complaint really has little to do with the Jamboree, but more to do with the fact I don’t know Yellowknife all that well. I missed the dogsled and skijoring races, as well as the Abominable Snow Race, simply because I had no idea where they were taking place. That’s my own fault, but a few signposts would help point us visitors to the ‘knife in the right direction when we’re clueless.

But kudos to the Long John Jamboree team for a great time. Temperature aside, it was a beautiful weekend with plenty of things to keep everyone busy and having fun.

And now, a quick photo of the Zumba team on the stage:

Goals for 2013

January 1, 2013 Beer In Canada, Business & Technology, Outdoors, Travel, Writing/Editing Comments Off

Every year, resolutions are made on January 1st, frequently to be broken by January 7th. Years ago, I resolved not to make resolutions. Instead, I make goals. This year, it has been difficult coming up with goals, as I’m in a very good place right now. I love where I live. I love what I’m doing. I love the people around me. I have a great network of friends and family, both locally and abroad. And I have a great career that seems to be building towards what I really want it to be.

Here are the few goals I’ve made for myself for 2013. I reserve the right to add more goals or fail at the existing ones as I see fit.

1. Expand into at least one new market or publication. I expanded into a couple of new markets this year (automotive and Northern business reporting through SSGM and Up Here Business, respectively). I may always specialize in IT writing, but I like to expand my horizons and learn new things. In 2013, my goal is to expand into an as-yet-unknown new market or publication.

2. Post regularly to Beer In Canada. In 2011, I made the goal of bringing the number of posts on BiC to 300. I failed … miserably, even. Today, two years later, there are 255 published blog posts (including videos) on BiC. My goal is to post twice daily on BiC and try to make it the website I really think it could be — a coast-to-coast-to-coast beer news, views and reviews site. Also, I seriously need to update the site’s design, which is something I vowed to do at least a year ago.

3. Explore more of the North. In 2012, I moved to the Northwest Territories — one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life (so far, anyway). I live in a small wilderness community called Fort Smith and have visited other NWT communities, including Hay River, Fort Providence (kind of) and Yellowknife. I want to see more of the communities and the outdoor beauty of the NWT. I want to drive across the new Deh Cho Bridge that crosses the Mackenzie River, spend more time in Yellowknife and, if things come together, visit at least one or two communities I have yet to see. Although it probably won’t happen until 2014, I really want to drive up to Inuvik along the Dempster Highway — a long trip from Fort Smith, but one I suspect will be worth it.

4. Practice blues harmonica. I bought a harmonica in 2011. I bought two more in 2012. I still can’t play them worth a damn. I wanted to learn because of people like Jerome Godboo and Adam Gussow, and I have slacked off too much. Gussow recommends no less than 30 minutes of practice time per day for those that want to learn to play. There’s my goal for 2013. I’d be happy to learn to play well enough to entertain around a campfire. I don’t want to be a professional musician.

5. And finally, don’t be a dick. Following Wheaton’s Law is difficult sometimes, but I think I did fairly well this year. I had my slips, but my goal is to do better in 2013. If you follow one rule in life, take a lesson from Wil Wheaton. Don’t be a dick. If everyone followed this rule, well … wouldn’t life be awesomesauce?

Road tripping for the retired

July 3, 2012 Outdoors, Travel, Writing/Editing Comments Off

Alan and Bev Brown are homeless, in a sense. They have no fixed address.

When they left England five years ago, all of their belongings were packed into four suitcases. They journey from one town to another, never sure how long they will stay in any given locale. Self-described as “incurable nomads,” the couple have shed the traditional trappings of everyday life and are living the retirement they dreamed of.

Driving the highways and byways of North America, the Browns are happy on their endless road trip and minimalist lifestyle. They don’t get sucked in by expensive tourist traps. They create economies based on ideas they never knew existed half a decade ago. From white collar entrepreneurship working with banks and other financial institutions to managing a week’s worth of clothes and living in the confines of a camper on a pickup truck, the Browns are two of the many interesting people that come through the Town of Fort Smith and venture into nearby Wood Buffalo National Park.

They are also the subject of one my favourite articles I wrote for Northern Journal. You can find the article here (username and password are both: srj).

 
Chris Talbot