Holiday in Yellowknife

When searching for a long weekend holiday trip this August the wifey (Chrissy) and I considered quite a few options but they all seemed either too expensive, too far away, or something that we had done before. We wanted something different, something unique. After a considerable amount of scanning the internet it hit me like a bolt of lightning - Yellowknife! I had gone there solo a couple of years back and Chrissy was jealous at the time. A quick glance on the Canadian North (best airline ever!) website showed a very reasonable price for tickets so I booked it.

Note: There was an abundance of forest fires in the area so everything was quite smoky and probably why we got such a good deal on flights. We chose to recognize the fires as positive as the city smelled nicely like a campfire.

Highlights of the trip below:

Old Town and Ramble & Ride Festival

Old Town was our launching pad every morning from our Bed and Breakfast and we spent the majority of our time exploring this area. 

Our first exposure was through a general meandering walk including its farthest point to its highest and then most famous road.

The farthest NE point of Yellowknife

Pilots Monument

Entering Ragged Ass Road

It just happened that while we were visiting the City the annual Ramble and Ride Festival (essentially a street fair within Old Town) was going on. As part of the festival we joined an Architectural Tour of the area hosted by Guy Architects. A key part of the tour was the dichotomy of the housing options that existed in the area historically and today.

I have to admit that while I found some homes to be unattractive but I did appreciate the differences that existed as opposed to the identical houses you see in most communities.

Many artisans call the Old Town area home and operate businesses in the area. To commemorate this years Ramble and Ride they encouraged participants to contribute to a glass mosaic that would be displayed in the area. Eager to learn how to do glass cutting Chrissy and I rolled up our sleeves. 

 Christina's art piece is symbolic of the mountains in Alberta.

My own work is a recreation of a sunset along Greenwater Lake.

Make sure you look for our small contributions to the full mural if you ever find yourself in Old Town!

The biggest attractions in Old Town just might be its restaurants: The Wildcat Cafe and Bullocks Bistro.

On our first day we had lunch at the Wildcat Cafe. It is considered the oldest restaurant in Yellowknife with family style seating. The decor is 'old school' while the meals are more modern.

Later in the weekend we sat at the bar at Bullocks Bistro for what was once called "The Best Fish and Chips in Canada" by Readers Digest magazine. Aside from the great food Bullocks is also synonymous with what could best be called "Saucy Servers" that definitely are not shy and generally say exactly what they are thinking.

After an amazing supper (Chrissy had the Char and I had the Lake Trout) we were commenting on the servers peeling garlic at the end of the bar. Chrissy as a good Ukrainian/Polish girl offered to show them a better way to peel the garlic and they took her up on it. Well soon enough we had peeled a full sleeve of garlic and Chrissy's hand was starting to bruise from pounding the knife blade (her method for peeling). The women behind the bar kept us entertained the whole time and even came outside and took a picture for us as a thank you. They ain't so bad :)

It was probably the best fish we had ever eaten and a great experience to remember. We highly recommend it!

Yellowknife Golf Club

Chrissy is an avid golfer and I like to get out and do a few rounds every year so we jumped at the unique opportunity of playing golf so far up North.  However, to play in Yellowknife you need to know the rules and be prepared that this is not your average course.

Because of the Canadian Shield, grass does not grow like at other golf courses. Even if you had an abundance of topsoil you would have problems with irrigation and piping...So in essence there is no grass. Instead the tee off box and greens are carpeted areas and the fairways are sand where you hit your ball off a piece of turf that you carry with you.

After nine holes we were covered in dust and coughing from the smoke but still thankful that we had the chance to play. Maybe we will come back one year for the Midnight Classic played on the longest day of the year and the near 24 hour daylight.

Cameron Falls

With our holiday being a few days we had time for a small day trip into the area around Yellowknife as opposed to a great North West Territories adventure. From my only other trip to the area I was familiar with Cameron Falls and wanted to enjoy them again so we rented a car and headed out on the road. And what a road it was...just look at the size of the rock where they were expanding the width of the road. 

We arrived with most of our nerves in tact and started the walk along the scenic trails to the lower and upper Cameron Falls. Beautiful!

Other Highlights

Molson Dry at the Gold Range Hotel

 Steel drummers sculpture at Frame Lake

Flags of the NWT on the way to the Prince of Wales Museum

Northern Minotaur sculpture by Monique Robert 

Next post - Our awesome accommodations in Yellowknife co-owned by the artist of Northern Minotaur.

Golfing Legends in Warman

Words are not needed...drink in the athleticism.

Rec Hockey Tournament in Phoenix / Scottsdale

Each year my rec hockey team heads out to bring our middling hockey and advanced partying skills on the road. I don't always go every year, but when I can make it happen it's magical. In past posts I have documented Montreal, Chicago, and Las Vegas (no pictures!).

This year our extended group consisting of 2 teams and approximately 30 guys selected the Phoenix Cup in Scottsdale Arizona for this years tourney.  Below are some of the highlights. The lowlights will live in infamy through multiple re-telling in the dressing room.

Arizona Diamondbacks Game

My journey to Phoenix started with a 4am wakeup and over an hour long drive in the densest fog I have ever seen. Upon arriving at the airport I passed through all of the security checkpoints, which included a Grant Fuhr sighting, and arrived in the airport lounge for a much needed drink. Soon enough a couple of my teammates arrived and we settled in to wait out the fog and finally depart. 

After several aiport/airplane morning beers we arrived in Phoenix shortly before noon. With 5 guys and equipment traveling together we made the choice to load up a limo as opposed to multiple cabs. After an endless drive to the hotel and back downtown we arrived at the end of the 1st inning at Chase Field.

The Diamondback were starting the always entertaining Bronson Arroyo against SF Giants. I settled in with a beer and a dog to watch some ball.

As good as any game is I find it difficult to sit still for an extended amount of time. Eventually I wandered around to take in the sights including the pool in mid center field. 

Everywhere in the stadium I kept on running into other Canadians. With so many fellow countrymen in attendance it seemed almost fitting that Captain Canada himself, the mulleted wonder,  Ryan Smyth would make an appearance at the game.  After watching multiple groups of people approach him for a photo a couple of the guys made the ask for a picture and he generously acquiesced.

I snapped a picture and set up to take another one when another Oiler (Perron?) asked if I wanted to get in the picture. Without thinking and almost instantaneously I replied, "No thanks, I am a Redwings Fan". Smyth, gracious as always just looked at me like I was the world biggest asshole but he bit his tongue.

Final score of the ball game: 8-5 Giants.

Show and Shine

The people of Phoenix love their cars. With everything so spread out and with optimal driving conditions year round it is easy to see why. Apparently on the weekends there are multiple meet ups and show and shines of all the hot cars. While all were impressive I was truly stunned to see a Bugatti. But I guess if I had one I would show it off too.

Oilers Game

Included in our registration for the Phoenix Cup were tickets to a Coyotes game. As luck would have it for our Edmonton group, the Oilers were the nights opponent (explaining why Smyth was at the ball game). We upgraded our ticket from regular seats and packed our 30 guys into a concourse corporate box. The view of course was fantastic.

 Being a jerk who refuses to cheer for the Oilers I sported my 'original' Coyotes logo.

Final score of the hockey game: 3-2 Oilers in a Shootout

Old Town Scottsdale

A mere billion mile cab ride from our hotel was the premier tourist district of Scottsdale - The Old Town, a district of pretty fantastic restaurants and night clubs. Individually and collectively our team hit up the area on multiple nights where I enjoyed getting free Jagermeister poured down my gullet by living mannequins at Shotgun Betty's and some fine tex mex lounge food at Ricky's Taco's and Beer. But by far the most memorable place was Giligan's Bar which owns the term of best midget bar I have ever been to. My buddy Galen and I hit it up one night in between golf cart rides for some life size Connect 4, Jenga and the infamous Wheel of Booze. 

We spent $7 for 3 shooters and spun the wheel to see what we would drink.

I ended up with a shot that I didn't recognise and I waited patiently as the bartender headed to the kitchen to mix it. The bartender eventually came out with a thick orangish substance in the glass which I assumed was orange juice concentrate. He then poured some Jack Daniels into the glass and passed it on to me. Without thinking too much about it I picked it up and poured it down. Much to my surprise and disgust it turned out my drink was nothing but a raw egg mixed in with whiskey.

I held it down.

The Hockey Tourney

Both of our hockey teams fared pretty well in the tournament with both losing out in our respective championship games. Seems about right based on the nights before...

Hitting the Links

As any self respecting hockey team that loses out we took solace on the golf course. It seems weird that to escape the depressing and dusty landscape of early spring in Edmonton we ventured  to a lush desert setting. But, that is exactly what we did, and it was fantastic. Our foursome at the Ahwatukee Country Club decided to play scramble style and ended up doing pretty good with a score of around -9 over 18 holes. Pretty good for the first round of the year.

We even had a par 3 where we all hit the greens. I probably won't golf better all year.

Next Year?

While I enjoyed the trip down to Phoenix / Scottsdale I don't think I will vote to go back next year. I like hitting up a new city and prefer a more dense urban environment where I can explore on foot as opposed to multiple cab rides. But really, I'll go wherever as long it's with the same idiot hockey buddies.