Journeys of the Heart

African wildlife

Part of our tour to Africa included spending time on a game preserve near Johannesburg called Pilansberg.  It was an amazing experience to be so close to these animals whose names I first heard when I was a child and mother read books with me at bedtime.  An incredible experience!

                           

The elephant came out of the brush towards our truck.  He was ready to find a mate and was not in the mood for a bunch of tourists gawking out of the open-air truck, flashing their cameras.  These elephants have never been hunted and are relatively safe if visitors follow a few simple rules . . . : no loud talking, no leaving one's seat, no breathing hard/loud, etc.  The rhino pictured is a black rhino.  Black rhinos are aggressive and don't play well with others.  This rhino had lost an ear in an apparent altercation.

                         

This monkey was watching us during one of our rest stops.  He was intent on collecting any tidbits of food that might be left after our snacks of jerky and soda.

The giraffes were marvellous . . . and just as I had always imagined.

It was autumn in April in that hemisphere.

This big boy came so close to our truck that I was able to get a picture of his eye.  He was so close, some of us could have reached out and touched him. . . . My heart was in my throat . . . But it was the experience of a lifetime!

   

Zambia & the Simonga village

Tonight is the evening of Super Tuesday in the U.S. and the polls just closed as I sit here and write.  My mind has wandered back to my trip to Africa in April of this year.  Along the tourist path, I visited a small village in Zambia called the Simonga Village and while American voters are casting their ballots this day, I wonder if their ballots will have any impact on that village.  Hillary Clinton was maligned for saying once that it "takes a village to raise a child" - and now when I hear that statement, I can't help but think of the Simonga village of Zambia.  It will take much, much more for the children of this village to even survive.

Zambia which is part of the old Rhodesia has a population of 10.2 million people who have an average life expectancy of 37 years.  Sixteen (16%) percent of their children die before the age of five (5).  Less than half have access to safe water.  (43 %)  In the Simonga village, there is no plumbing nor electricity.  The huts are thatched roofs, mud walls, and dirt floors.  Most of the people sleep on pallets on the dirt floors.  The people burn elephant dung and peppers in a circle around the village at night to keep the elephants out.

  The head lady of Simonga is "Inonge," a dark skinned woman whose face radiates wisdom and gentleness.  She smiles easily and makes all decision concerning the village.   Inonge had six children, all of whom have died.  She is raising her grandchildren.  Malaria and AIDS have decimated the population.                                                                           The governments of South Africa ignored the AIDS epidemic for years, alleging that AIDS was an invention of Afrikkaners to discourage sex and a ploy by pharmaceutical companies to use Africans as guinea pigs to test its drugs.  The result, according to the Dallas Morning News of 5/22/07 is that 30 million Africans have died of AIDS since 1982 leaving 12 million orphans.  There are no public assistance programs to care for these homeless children.  In Africa, it does take a village to raise a child. . . .

RED EARTH 2007

Red Earth is a celebration of Native American culture that is held in early June in Oklahoma City. The Grand Entry is a parade displaying the grandeur of native life manifested in the faces of age and youth, the energy and beauty of dance, and the rhythmic beat of drums.   

As I watched the Grand Entry this year, I was struck by the faces of native Americans that whirled and danced past my camera lens.  The face of the human being has always fascinated me because etched within its lines and hollows are written the lessons of the years.  Although each face tells the story of an individual, in some ineffable fashion, each face is also part of a greater story that has endured throughout centuries.  Science tells us that each one of us carry within us the genetic markers of our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents, our aunts and uncles, etc.  Though grandparents may have died years ago, the shadows of their faces are seen within our eyes, our speech, and perhaps, our glances.   During the Grand Entry of Red Earth, the faces of ancestors unseen were there in the faces of their heirs and issue.  A story of strength and courage, wisdom and compassion, endurance and tenderness continued to be told.

 

Red Earth is a festival of dance and joy.  It is a celebration.

 

It is a festival for  the young and for the old.

It is family.

Down the Cassiar to Stewart, BC

The Cassiar Highway (Hwy 37) lies appoximately 14 miles west of Watson Lake and extends south over 400 miles until it intersects the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16).  While the Alaskan Highway has been in wonderful condition for the last 3 summers that I've been there, the Cassiar is a bit rougher and long stretches of chug holes and rough riding are not uncommon. The never-ending problem is the fact that the pavement is repeatedly washed away by the winter snows and spring rains. The first summer we drove the Cassiar, we ran into a group of RV's that had just reached the end of their trip up the Cassiar, and the leader of the pack was not quiet with his determination that he would NEVER drive a house on wheels over the Cassiar again.  Yet, compared to the Dempster Highway, the Cassiar is a breeze, and each year, it improves. 

There are beautiful sights to see along the Cassiar.  But the most interesting are the bears that one can't miss along this highway.  We hadn't been driving for long this summer before we spotted a mother and her three cubs along the side of the road.  We stopped, and when she was assured that we would cause her no harm, she started across the highway - and as many mothers know when facing a crisis - there's always one who seems to take his own time, oblivious to his surroundings.                                    

Approximately 393 miles down the Cassiar Highway lies Stewart, British Columbia.  Stewart lies off the Cassiar highway approximately 42 miles through a narrow mountain pass.  Outside the small community is "Bear Glacier" which served as the background for the movie, INSOMNIA, starring Robin Williams and Al Pacino.  Both stars had yachts that anchored in the Stewart harbor after sailing up the Portland Canal, and Robin Williams entertained the townfolk in a bar with his comedy one evening.  Needless to say, the town are great fans of his.

A short drive from Stewart lies Hyder, Alaska, which is a virtual ghost town that lies on Fish Creek.  At the end of July, the salmon begin running up the Creek, and bears appear along its banks to fish.  Hyder has built a walkway over the Creek and tourists can walk up and down and wait for the bears to appear for meals.

The fish are plentiful and the bears seem to care less about the excited audience watching their every move.

During the 2005 summer, a mother bear and her cub came along the creek while I happened to be there.  The mother had no problems wading into the creek and catching 3 salmon.  Her young cub, on the other hand, resembled a bull in a china shop - racing up and down the creek with the salmon fleeing in front, beside, and behind him to safety.  In spite of the "oohs" and "aahs" from the audience - and the obvious home court advantage - the cub was left empty handed.

  His mother never shared her fish, and after 40 minutes or so of trying to catch a bit to eat, the cub ambled off with his mother into the bush.  One got the impression that the mother was a bit disgusted.

Other bears ambled along the creek.  One afternoon, an old grizzly came along, fished for a time, and then found a tree to rub his back on. 

After a good rub, he seemed ready for a nap and quietly disappeared into the bush.  Other bears soon took his place.
Bears love the berries on the bushes around the creek - especially the black bears.

Another wonderful part of the Stewart/Hyder area is the Salmon Glacier that lies past Fish Creek and up to the top of a mountain.  The first year we visited the area, I needed to put the car in 4 wheel drive to make it a bit easier to get up the winding, narrow road.  But in the last year or so, the town has put a lot of money into the improvements - and reportedly, the drive is better.  In 2005, the day was cloudy but the glacier was still magnificent.              

The Cassiar Highway is a great experience and one of the most exciting places to travel in the North.
                            

Haines, Alaska

On September 5, we traveled to Haines, Alaska, passing through Haines Junction and turning south on the Haines Highway which passes through the St. Elias mountain range, one of the most gorgeous roads of the north.   

Last summer, Kay and I drove through the valley accompanied by a rain shower.  The rainbows were ever present.

We also were lucky to run into a grizzly that was feasting on roots beside the highway.  Notice the large lump between his shoulders - That is the easy way to tell the difference between a black and brown (grizzly) bear.

The fall drive this summer through the St. Elias range was just as wonderful.

Haines is a MUST stop on a trip North.  It has resisted the temptation to allow the cruise ship companies to take over its harbor and transform this small community into just another tourist attraction.  As a result, very few cruise ships stop at its harbor and its economy struggles.  But the community is a genuine experience of Alaska and is beautiful!

Kay and I have been to Haines for three summers, and I doubt that we would go to Alaska without stopping there.  For two summers, we stayed at the Captain's Choice Motel where we could look out on the Lynn Canal and watch the fishing boats, ferries,and cruise ships pass by.  (The cruise ship companies have taken over Skagway and ships must pass by the Haines harbor to reach this small town which lies further up the Lynn Canal).  Haines has much to offer.  It's best known for its Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve which lies north of Haines and where over 3,000 bald eagles gather in mid-October to feed on the late salmon runs.  Although we've never been there in October, we've seen a lot of bald eagles each summer we've visited.  Haines also has a center for Alaska Indian artists where one can see totem poles being carved and view other works by native artisans.

  Haines has great places to eat.   The Chilkat bakery has a small restaurant which serves wonderful lunches.   A restaurant above the small boat harbor has wonderful fish and chips as well as buttermilk pie "to die for."

But by far, the most fun is a ride to the Chilkoot Lake which is approximately 10 miles outside Haines.

  One evening as Kay and I drove to the lake, we spotted a seal swimming along the inlet near the shoreline.  We stopped the car and began walking along the water's edge where it spotted us trying to spot him.  He swam closer to us and would occasionally break the surface of the placid water to inspect us further.  He provided us our own National Geographic show for about half an hour.

This lake lies on a stream where salmon run and fisherman of all types, including black bears, can be seen along its banks.  The bears begin showing up in July.  A fish barrier lies across the stream and an "official counter" works long hours, documenting the number of salmon who run. (If I die and come back to this life, I would like to be a government employee like this one - just sitting all day and evening - listening to my favorite radio station - and counting fish as they swim through an opening!  And to think it's a job with pay!)   This summer a mother bear stood on the bottom ledge of the barrier and swept up the salmon easily with one hand as they searched for a way around the barrier to go further up stream.  The official counter has a rifle that he occasionally grabs when the bears look interested in climbing on the top of the barrier where he is posted.

Haines and Skagway are the only two cities in Southeast Alaska which can be reached by land.  The remainder must be reached by air or ferry. 

Whitehorse

Whitehorse is the largest city in the Yukon with a population of over 22,000 people.  (Watson Lake with a population of less than 2,000 is the second largest community.  Actually, there are more moose in the Yukon than humans - a fact that is told jokingly by locals but is the truth!  Unfortunately, the closest we came to a moose this trip was in the entrance of our hotel.)     Whitehorse has nice hotels and the people are incredibly friendly (including the Royal Canadian Police, as Elizabeth can attest to).  A woman who has lived in the North for many years theorized that the friendliness of these northerners was due to the fact that they welcomed seeing new faces in the spring and summer after living through the long winters of isolation. 

Kay and I have stayed in Whitehorse for the last 3 summers.  It sits on the banks of the Yukon River, and last summer, we took a boat trip on it through MIles Canyon which lies south of the city.  One of the first things that is noticed about the Yukon is the swift currents that boats must manage - currents that must have been an incredible challenge for early gold rush explorers to the region.  In spite of its magnificence, the Yukon has not been utilized to draw tourists from the south - a situation that one local told us would probably be corrected if the "Americans were in charge" of its development.

In Canada, natives are referred to as "First Nation" peoples, and their influence, especially in the arts, is evident.  A large mural decorates the side of a large building in the center of town.  Unfortunately, many of these people also suffer from addiction, lack of education, and poverty which precludes them from self-sufficiency.  As we traveled through western Canada, we saw many families existing on government subsidies, especially in isolated areas such as Tuk and Telegraph Creek in British Columbia.

We stayed for a couple of days in Whitehorse to rest before starting south towards home.  On September 5, we left Whitehorse and drove to Haines, Alaska.

Down the Dempster Highway

We retraced our steps from Inuvik to Eagle Plains and stayed once more in the motel there.  While  in Fort Nelson on the way up the Alaskan Highway, we had run into a young couple with their baby who were also heading to Inuvik.  We had spent an evening visiting with them while they swam in

the indoor swimming pool.  We ran into them again at Eagle Plains and it was like seeing old friends.  Chris and Kim are both Royal Canadian Mounted Police and had been transferred to Inuvik where they planned to stay for 5 years.  At the end of this period, they
plan to move south in order for their baby, Spencer, to begin school.

We took pictures of them on the morning we said goodbye. . .

The ride down to Dawson was totally different than before.  Along parts of the Dempster, signs warn drivers not to stop for a mile or so because the road is used as a runway for airplanes.  We saw a plane that had landed on the muddy shale at one point.  This area of the world is so desolate that we often wondered  how people

handled medical emergencies or accidents where folks required immediate attention.  Doctors are missing this far North.  Tuk had an assisted living center for the "elderly" which was staffed by a couple of nurses.  A person is eligible for admittance to this facility when one turns 55 years of age.   "Elderly" certainly has different definitions in the North. 
                                                         

The tombstone valley is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.  To paraphrase what John Muir said of Alaska, if one cannot be happy surrounded by all that is here,

one cannot be happy anywhere on this earth.

Back Down the Dempster

We left Inuvik and started back down the Dempster Highway at the end of the first week of  September, 2006.  As we  drove away from Inuvik, we realized that fall is really brief in the North.  The fall colors were at their zenith and the mountains had more snow at their tops. 
There are two ferry rides along the Dempster Highway.  A short time out of Inuvik, a ferry crossing lies at the Makenzie River.  No formalities are used to board these ferries.  A sign at the top of a hill informs cars to stop and wait for the attendant of the ferry to wave one down to board.  It's mud road in the rain and a dirt road on other days that leads to the ferry.  Very informal and cost effective. When we got to the ferry, a young Inuit man waved us onto the boat and as we eased onto the ferry, nothing seemed amiss.

We had been underway for only a few minutes when a young man knocked on my window and informed me that my "Goodyear puncture resistant" tire was punctured and flat as the proverbial pancake!  I was not happy - especially since the tire was new and I had stopped to have it checked before I left OKC and once in Colorado because it was losing air on a daily basis.  But I was repeatedly assured that, "m'am, there's nothing wrong with that tire" each time I stopped to have it checked. In fact, I had begun thinking that I was the problem - and that the 5 pounds of missing air daily was merely a figment of my imagination. It was all in my head.  But here I was: 4800 miles away from OKC, miles north of the Arctic Circle with no service stations within two hundred miles of us.  And that tire was flat!  So much for Goodyear's puncture resistant tires!  (And I might add:  So much for the Goodyear warranty which wasn't honored either!) 

The ferry attendant was a kind young Inuit who was quick to realize that he was going to have a Yukon XL on his ferry for the rest of the day and night  (and perhaps, life)- or he was going to need to find some time to change a flat.  Plus, he had three women on his hands who obviously had no idea how to handle this situation.  As a result, we managed to get the tire changed as the ferry continued its route.  Thus we crossed the Makenzie River three or four times that morning with the attendant working on our flat between ferry landings.  But when we left, we were driving on all four tires and the nice young Inuit man was a bit richer from a well deserved tip.

Any frustration disappeared as we continued down the Dempster.

                                                

Tuktoyaktuk

Our first morning (September 1, 2006) in Inuvik was leisurely.  We took our time having coffee and watching CNN on satellite TV.  After our trip up the Dempster, we were tired and felt like we were a long way from home . . . CNN is not my favorite news channel - but it was good to see it that morning.  After a continental breakfast, we visited Inuvik's Interpretive Center and a young woman told us of the tour to Tuktoyaktuk, a native hamlet on the Arctic Ocean which was approximately 100 miles north.  We made our way over to the tour office and soon realized that the end of the tourist season was upon us and many of the normal activities for tourists were closed or closing.  Although a flight to Tuk had not been scheduled for the day, enough tourists showed up and by 1:00 p.m., Kay and I were on our way to the Inuvik airport where we boarded a one engine Cessna to fly to Tuk.  On board were a father and his son as well as a rotund man with gray hair from Austria whom we had met at the Arctic Circle on the way to Inuvik.  (We had asked him to take a picture of all three of us - and he agreed to take one but only one.  He refused to take any with my camera when I asked. C'est la vie!  He was a man who knew his limitations!)  As we were boarding, the young man remarked to the boyish looking pilot, "I heard you lost a plane a couple of weeks ago."  My heart skipped several hundred beats when the boy pilot in whose hands I had given my life replied, "Yeah, and we don't know what happened.  He was our best pilot!"

The Inuvik airport was not J.F.K.  It was not even Wiley Post in OKC.  But we eventually made it into the air and my trepidation eventually eased when my mind became focused on the tundra and lakes of the Mackenzie River Delta.   Near Tuk we saw "pingos" which are unique to this area of the world.  Pingos are volcanic looking hills created by lakes, ice, and the permafrost.   There is a large one close to Russia but except for that one, pingos are unique to the area surrounding Tuk.

Tuktoyaktuk is an Inuit hamlet on the coast of the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean.   There are around 600 people who live in this community which has no trees nor any other barriers between it and the open sea.   We landed on the gravel airport runway and coasted to its bright blue terminal building.

Tuk lies about 50 miles from the Arctic ice cap.                   

Ricky Mac, our Inuit guide, and his 10 year old son, Blaine, met us at the airport.  Life in this community is much like it has been for years and years.  An icehouse is shared by the community.  Inside a white wood-planked shed that appears to be another outhouse there is a ladder that leads 25 feet down into the permafrost.  At the foot of the ladder is a long hallway carved out of the ice has "rooms" jutting out.  Three families share a room and store their meat there for the year.  The rooms stay 3-4 degree (c) throughout the year.  Homes are built on piers as they are in Inuvik, and fishing and hunting are the community's main "industries" - and evidence of this is found throughout the hamlet.  Many of the buildings are decorated with the antlers of caribou, moose, etc.                                 

The Catholic and Episcopal churches also show the community's ties to hunting and fishing.  The altars of both churches were draped in seal skin. Antlers were used as candle holders on the Catholic altar.   Christmas lights and the head of a caribou with antlers decorate the steeple of the Catholic church.                                       

The Catholic church had a larger worship center and was in a newer building than its Anglican sister. The Anglican church is the oldest in Tuk, and its building needs a bit of T.L.C. The benches are made of wood and the building is heated by a wood stove which sits right in the middle of the aisle.  I imagine that the opening procession of priests, acolytes, etc is a bit different here than in a lot of other Episcopal churches around the world.  But in spite of its structural difficulties, there was an attractive simplicity here that was remarkable. 

  The Inuits hunt polar bear and will guide individuals on hunts for $20,000 per person.  Our guide emphasized that polar bears must be hunted with dogs to insure that the bears don't circle back and begin hunting the "hunters."  Sled dogs are fed two fish every other day and on hot days, they just get water. The community also uses smoke houses for their fish and it continues to hunt whales today with spears.  If guns are used to hunt the whales, Ricky explained that the whales will just sink when shot.

While in Tuk, Kay and I walked barefoot in the Arctic ocean - but we didn't walk far.  The rocks were so sharp - it was absolutely brutal! But what a dream come true!!!!

Inuvik

On August 31, 2006, we pulled into Inuvik around 4:30 p.m.  Inuvik is the furthest community in the North that is accessible by automobile in the summer.   It lies along the banks of the Mackenzie River Delta which makes any further driving north impossible.  But in the winter, it all changes because the River becomes a frozen highway to the Arctic Ocean. Locals plow a "road" across the ice and drive to Tuktoyaktuk, a native hamlet which lies about 100 miles north on the banks of the Arctic Ocean.  Locals continually told us that it is much easier to travel up here in the winter. . . not that I am considering going back in winter to see for myself! 

Those who are versed in geography know that Oklahoma City is north of Dallas, Texas.  The map above is one that shows the access to the North by air travel.  But it also gives one an idea of how far we drove on this jaunt across the North American Continent!  Every time I look at a map, I can hardly believe we actually took off and did it!  I wanted to find a road map from Oklahoma City to Inuvik - but couldn't find one on the Internet.  I guess there's not much demand for such! 

Inuvik has a population of over 3500 people.  We stayed at the Nova Inn which was the first motel we came to when we turned off the Dempster into Inuvik.  It was newly constructed and painted in bright colors of yellow and light green.  Each room has an air cooler, a fireplace with gas logs, and satellite TV.  (The Saturday after we arrived, we watched the University of Oklahoma play the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the first football game of the season.  I wondered how many other Sooners watched the game from within the Arctic Circle!)  Another large hotel is newly constructed and when asked the reason for the "boom" in hotel building, the locals said businessmen frequented Inuvik throughout the year.  There is hope that the oil companies will become interested in this part of the world and be lured here before the Alaska's oil reserves are opened for exploration. 

The buildings in Inuvik are built on piers due to the permafrost.  The community also utilizes above-ground conduits or huge pipes for its utilities since the permafrost prohibits the burying of sewer and water pipes.  These conduits are called "utilidors."   Trucks come by and deliver fresh water and to pick up sewage on a regular basis.  It is expensive to live in the North.  We met a young woman who worked as a bank teller during the day and a bartender at night and on weekends to make ends meet.  Her rent was $1750 a month for a one bedroom apartment.

The igloo church is a big attraction in Inuvik.  We missed the daily times when it is opened for tours.  And although the Inuvik golf course is advertised as having 3 holes built, we could only find a driving range which lies below the town dump.  We dropped by the dump on a couple of afternoons in the hopes of seeing bears that would occasion the site for a scavenger hunt.  But we had no luck seeing anything but a couple of bald eagles on top of garbage.  Regardless of my fascination with the north, there was nothing to distinguish the dump at Inuvik from the dumps in other cities!

Even though it was the first of September, the days were long with dusk coming after 10:00 p.m every night.  This sunset picture was taken out of our hotel window around 10:30 one night. 

On the final day of our stay in Inuvik, we visited the Interpretative Center that has a beautiful sculpture outside its entrance.

  I didn't get a picture of it that would do it justice.  While we were at the Center, a staff member asked if we would stay and meet the Deputy Mayor, Arlene Hansen.  We agreed and within a few minutes, an energetic woman with an easy smile and laugh burst into the Center with her small grandson Xavier.  She announced that we had been selected as the "Visitors of the Week" in Inuvik, and we posed for a picture with her, accepting gifts from merchants of the community.  The picture was published in the newspaper, The Inuvik Drum, and Mayor Hansen sent us copies.  The newspaper is not on-line - and alas, the 15 minutes of fame that Kay, Elizabeth and I finally achieved in our lives could not be witnessed worldwide.  Such is life.