Today was a rather overcast day but the rain held off and there was warmth.
Today we would go to the Canadian Legion for lunch (one of the best lunches in town and the crowds show that). While there I would locate and sign the log and drop on many TB’s in the cache Showing Support.
Show Support cache
From here we went and dropped Bev off at home and Chris was headed to work. Chris launches weather balloons and since I also hold a Commercial Pilots Licence it would be great to see the inner workings and how they do it. I have seen them launched before but nothing like this.
On the way out we stop and do The End of the Road Virtual
End of the Road
Who says you can’t use a dog team in the summer to cache?
On our way back
From here we headed to Upper Air where they launch weather balloons twice a day at 2315 Zulu and 1115Z or in Inuvik time at 0415 and 1615 each day. The only thing that would stop it would be a blizzard. It takes about 5 hours from start to finish. There is the filling of the balloon with hydrogen (rocket fuel) and then putting the weather son on it and then launching it at the correct time.
The weather balloon is laid out
The balloon awaits the right time for it to be launched now. Notice the weather sonde ( instruments for recording temperature etc.) attached on the table
Why should he have all the fun? I get to launch the balloon.
There it goes. They get to the size of a 2 story house as they go up to 90,000 feet before they burst and fall back to earth.
The flowers here are amazing when in bloom
Wild Flowers
These signs are near a cache called Decisions, are rightly so as you can see.
You better have enough gas to get to Eagle Plains
How do you say that first place. I am told by Chris it is Arctic Red River is how you say it. 😉
Our Lady of Victory Church – or as the locals call it Igloo Church
One of our stops after work was a cache called GSI Mariner. Things didn’t go well to start with. The location is a old coast guard ship that is on blocks, it has seen better days. Getting there is via the road to the ice road on the river to Tuktoyaktuk. First off the road was muddy and second stepping out we suddenly became dinner to thousands and I do mean thousands of mosquitoes. Chris was having dinner before as we walked down the road. I was dogging them as they swarmed me. It didn’t take much convincing for either of us to leave this one behind.
Entrance to the Ice Road
The following photo was taken at midnight and as you can tell you can cache till you have every last one of them in the summer.
Midnight on the deck
This has been my first day here and I have enjoyed it very much. Chris and Bev have been great. I did manage about 6 caches today.