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.
