Midnight Sun, Polar Nights - Inuvik, NWT, Canada: 1

1 - The journey to Inuvik, with pictures

Below is a record of my expenses, to give people who plan on moving to Inuvik and idea of the cost (and for my benefit as my employer is reimbursing a certain amount for relocation costs). A plane ride from Northern Ontario to Inuvik would have cost around $2,000 for 1 adult, one way and taken about 24 hours. I decided to drive, as I could then take my dog with me, and lots more stuff (books, clothes, snow shoes, specialty dog food, natural personal/beauty products etc.). For the record, I was driving a 2015 Toyota Rav 4 All Wheel Drive (10.5 L per 100 km city, 8.2 L per 100 km highway and a 60 litre fuel tank), with the cargo area full to the cargo cover but not to the roof, 40% of the back seat folded down full of dog food (8 x 30lbs bags), overnight bag and laptop bag on front seat, and a 70lb dog in the back seat. (I'm not telling you my weight, but I'm average!)

GAS

Location	Litres	Dollars	Dollar/Litre
Sault Ste Marie MI	39.36	29	0.73
Wawa ON	31.48	36.17	1.19.9
Thunder Bay ON	41.218	45.38	1.09.9
Dryden	24.862	25.00	1.03.9
Winnipeg (Elie) MB	40.43	35.95	0.88.9
Elkhorn MB	14.249	13.95	0.97.9
Indian Head SK	38.717	34.81	0.89.9
Saskatoon SK	36.7	33.00	0.86.9
Edmonton AB	58.29 (inc jerry can)	45.70	0.78.4
Fox Creek AB	27.131	26.29	0.96.9
Fort St John BC	35.207	40.45	1.14.9
Fort Nelson BC	36.508	46.46	1.22.9
Toad River BC	19.05	33.92	1.78
Watson Lake BC	31.26	38.43	1.22.9
Whitehorse YT	46.779	53.75	1.14.9
Stuart YT	36.032	47.75	1.33
Dawson YT	21.55	26.70	1.23.9
Eagle Plains YT	39.39	68.15	1.73
Eagle Plains YT	21.76	37.64	1.73
Total Left with just under 1/2 tank. Arrived with just under 1/2 tank	639.973	718.5

HOTEL (could perhaps do it cheaper if not travelling with pets, I went with the cheapest pet friendly hotel/motel I could find)

Location	Name	Price ($)	Notes
Thunder Bay ON	Old Country Motel	65	Out dated but clean and comfortable. Kitchenette.
Winnipeg MB	Motel One	81.59	Microwave in lobby
Saskatoon SK	NorthGate	130	Outdated but clean. Only had smoking left but wasnt too bad. Lots of litter outside. No coffee pot or kettle, fridge etc
Edmonton AB	Travelodge	114.06	Breakfast, fridge
Fort St John BC	Econolodge	149.42	Breakfast, fridge
Toad River BC	Toad River Lodge	115.26	No coffeepot/kettle did have fridge
Whitehorse YT	Yukon Inn	149.71	Microwave and fridge
Dawson YT	Bonanza Gold	123.95	Microwave, fridge and toaster oven
Eagle Plains	Eagle Plains Lodge	144.65	No coffee pot/kettle, fridge
Eagle Plains	Eagle Plains Lodge	144.65	No coffee pot/kettle, fridge
Total		1218.29

ODOMETER

Start Location	Start Odometer (kms)	Distance (kms)	Time to Dest (hours)
Sault Ste Marie ON	908	692	9
Thunder Bay ON	1600	717	9
Winnipeg MB	2317	835	9.25
Saskatoon SK	3152	536	6
Edmonton AB	3688	702	8
Fort St John BC	4390	567	7
Toad River BC	4957	787	8.75
Whitehorse YT	5744	528	6.25
Dawson YT	6272	394	6
Eagle Plains YT	6766	184	3.5
Eagle Plains YT*	6850	373	5.25
Inuvik NT	7223
Total		6315	78

* I traveled up the Dempster Highway from Eagle Plains only to be turned around by the snow plow - the visibility was so bad even the driver couldn't see the road to plow it

THINGS TO BUY

Snow boots, snow coat/parka, snow pants, thermals, gloves, hat, neck gaiter - These can all be bought at sporting goods stores such as Atmosphere (SportsCheck)

Camera - I have Canon PowerShot, mainly because this is the type of camera I had before, it was fantastic, took great pictures, was easy to use (pre-set modes and auto) and lasted me 8 years. Newer models of course have more pixels, and a larger zoom. I particularly liked some features my old camera had that many of the newer ones don't have, such as the flip/tilt screen, and view finder, but I did find one with it. This camera is a SX60 HS, has 26.1 megapixels, 65x optical zoom, it can connect directly to the computer via WiFi to upload photos, and has a hot shoe. It includes many pre-set modes, but also allows manual, and had macro feature too. It particularly is supposed to be good in low light level (perfect for winter). It retails at $645 plus tax at Future Shop,

Jerry can for extra fuel - Remember not to fill the can totally to allow for expansion due to temperature change. I put the can in a black garbage bag, and had it at the back of the hatch. The first day I kept the rear window cracked open a little as I was concerned about fumes, but I didnt have any issues. Thankfully I didn't need to use it, despite travelling over Christmas and many gas stations being closed.

Food - A cheap way of travelling is to buy food at a grocery store to take with you and not eat out at restaurants. Most hotels have fridges, some have microwaves. One I stayed at even had a stove-top! And snacks along the way are a must - who wants to stop and wait for food, keep trucking on!!!

Drinks - fruit juice, pop, water, energy drinks, tea bags/coffee. Include a to-go mug so your not constantly creating garbage with paper cups, and a really good one (double walled stainless steel) will keep your hot drinks hot for hours (or cold drinks cold if travelling in summer).

An emergency kit - At Canadian Tire you can buy a great little emergency kit - it includes jumper cables, a tow rope, a flashlight (no batteries), and emergency triangle, a blanket (I also took a silver emergency blanket - have 1 per person), an SOS sign, all for about $40. It also gives basic roadside assistance, but if you need towing you may want to look into something with more distance coverage. I also put in tea lights and matches (for light and warmth if you break down). You also want a shovel if travelling in winter. An extra bottle of windshield washer fluid is handy, although you can buy that at most gas stations. If you have an older vehicle, you may want to take some oil and coolant too. You may want to take some clear tape and a resin fixer kit for windshield cracks and chips (I had a rock hit my windshield in BC and it cracked all the way across over a few days). I have been told its almost impossible to get up the Dempster Highway without getting a cracked windshield, particularly in summer.

Music - You won't find radio channels along much of the way, so get an MP3 player or load music onto a USB memory stick for hours of entertainment!!!

A GPS - Once you get into BC, Yukon and Northwest Territories, you will find many areas do not have cell signal (and some areas you can only get BELL service), so a GPS is great for navigation, looking for hotels and gas stations, and for exact location if you break down and have to call for help.

Sattelite communication device - there is no cell service or 911 on the Dempster Highway - a device such as Delorme InReach is invaluable - not only for tracking your journey so people can see where you are, but it also gives weather updates, can send and receive text messages, and has an emergency button that connects you to 24/7 assistance/rescue

The drive is stunning, here are some photos I took, mostly through the window, and all on auto (and often a quick snap while driving without really looking so excuse the blurriness of some of them). Look out for wildlife - I saw moose, elk, caribou, deer, lynx, fox, hare, stoat or weasel, and bison.

Day 1 - Ontario