Tundra Golf

Yes we get summer.

2007-12-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

I am often asked if the snow ever melts in Iqaluit. Yes! We get summer just like the rest of the northern hemiphere. The days are long. It never really gets dark out in June and July. 20 hours of daylight and 4 hours of twilight. The temperatures can reach to over 20 degrees Celcius but an average summer day is 12C or around 55F. Above you can see a popular camp site along a tidal beach. The tides can be up to 12 meters. The beach sits at the end of a small inlet that fills and empties with the tides.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

Everyone comfy?

2007-01-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Everyone is comfortable in the igloo as we wait for the new year to begin.

Mmmmmm char steaks

2007-01-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Pan fried arctic char steaks on a pot belly stove. The wood in the fire had to be imported as we are far above the treeline.
The char is from local waters and are plentiful. They are delicious too. Char are much like salmon but tastier in my opinion.

2006-12-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

Time to put out my Christmas Stockings.
Each one can hold 30 lbs. of candy with room to spare.

2006-12-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

It's a wolf. Honest. Can you find him in the picture below?
I had a hard time finding this wolf in a set of 8 pics. I knew he was in there.

2006-12-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a photograph of Sylvia Grinnell river on Baffin Island near Iqaluit. I had taken a panoramic series of pictures in an effort to make one large mosaic picture. After taking the pictures, I noticed an arctic wolf wandering over the frozen river. I downloaded the shots and looked through them to see if I captured a big bad wolf. Indeed I had! It is in the picture above. Honest. I scoured every pixel to find him but he is in there. The enlarged picture is below. It will give you a hint.
TIme to get a better camera. The resolution here is a result of a 2 megapixal camera. 10 megapixals would have been so much better. There isn't much daylight at 11:00 AM on Baffin Island. The windchill at the time of this shot was minus 41C. That would be minus 41.8F for non metric thinkers.

Kimmirut

2006-12-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

2006-11-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

Niaqunnguusiariaq Road.

Say that ten times fast.

2006-11-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

This pic is very poor. First of all it is cold outside. Secondly, I should have taken the picture well before 2 PM as the sun was setting and it was not very good lighting for such a shot.
The name of this road has caused many tourists to tie thier tongues in knots. The locals do not even use the street names but rather locate things by a unique house number. Get in a cab and say "Take me to 3238" or "Take me to 164B". No street just a number.

2006-11-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

You just have to love the street names in Iqaluit. I got this pic off of a blog. I could just go down the street and photograph it myself, I suppose. I have to say that the reason I am posting this pic is because there is another blogger in Iqaluit. I don't know who this blogger is but here is a note to said blogger. Ha! I post the pics around here buddy boy! Yep...stole this right off of your site! It is the only pic that you have on your cover page. I even made it better with my software. Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I bet that I could get lots of pics posted with our crazy street signages. In fact, I think that I will go out right now and take some pics. I'm going to post them today!

arctic bloggers

2006-11-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

I ran into a blog that I could really relate to. The post is called "The Plane" and you can view it at http://www.nunablog.ca.
I had to leave a comment on the post. I have been to Igloolik many times. The plane trip to Igloolik from Hall beach is only about a 30 minute flight. Landing is always subject to weather in these far flung northern communities. Here is the comment that I had left on the site. It awaits moderation from the owner of the blog but you can read it here first!

The plane? I was on it. We went from Hall Beach to Igloolik but on the way there it got foggy. So we turned back to go to Hall Beach. The pilot announced 15 minutes later that the fog had lifted in Igloolik. We turned back to Igloolik. When we got there, it was foggy. We circled for 11/2 hr. The pilot decided to head back to Hall Beach again. When we got there, it was foggy. We were then told the wind picked up in Igloolik clearing the fog. We turned around and headed for Igloolik.When we got there, it was too windy to land and the snow was blowing.We headed back to Hall Beach. I don’t know what happened after that as I decided to take a nap. I finally was awakened and found myself somewhere in Nunavut. It was Igloolik. Two inuksuit at the front door told me so.

I encourage you to read "The Plane" at http://www.nunablog.ca
Has the plane come in yet?
I'm going to the airport. See ya.

2006-11-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

This is a very old snow knife. It is made of whale bone. It was used to carve blocks of snow for the building of an igloo. It is on display in the dining room of the South Camp Inn in Resolute Bay. I had spent several days in Resolute last week. The dark season has set in. The people will not see the sun again until mid February. There were many polar bears just outside of Resolute. The bears were feasting on a whale carcass that lay on the beach. The ice still hasn't formed yet. It is late again this year. The bears tend to hang around the beach waiting for the ice. If they cannot get to the seals at the floe edge then it is feared that they may start to wander into town. Climate change is having a profound effect upon the polar bears.

2006-11-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things you might see if you were driving around Iqaluit. Not much snow for this time of year. The temperatures are +10 degrees C warmer than usual as well. Home sweet home through the windshield.

2006-11-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

some sites along the way....

2006-11-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

drivin' drivin' drivin'

2006-11-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

drivin' around the arctic.

2006-11-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Polaroid of a Polar Bear.

Testing, testing one two three...

2006-11-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

This is the first pic ever taken with my new digital camera. It is an inexpensive camera with a whopping 2.0 megapixals! That's right! Count them! 2,000,000 pixels. Okay, so maybe 2 megapixals is not up to par with the state of the art equipment, but for $100 or so, it's not bad. I wanted something usable and readily disposable. I have not had much luck with digital camera equipment. Most pieces of high tech end up broken one way or another. The extreme cold is a factor. Digital camera's do not perform well in minus 40 celcius temperatures.
Anyway, here's Patches, the cat. She is a Calico kitty cat born and raised on Baffin Island in Nunavut. Say hello Patch...

High Arctic Travelling

2006-11-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

Once again I find myself travelling to the high arctic. I will be going to Resolute Bay and to Grise Fiord. Grise Fiord is Canada's most northerly community. There are picturesque mountains as well as barren rocky tundra that combine to make panoramic view of beauty and contrasts. I must be wary as this time of year is likely to bring me into contact with polar bears. Polar bears will walk right into town in Resolute Bay. I have seen them fight over a seal carcass on the streets. Look for new pictures to be posted after November 14. Of course if there are any blizzards then I may be returning a bit late. I can't wait to try out my new digital camera!
See you all then!

Summer's almost over.

2006-09-10T18:28:00.001-07:00

I have been busy all summer. There hasn't been much time to blog anything. This summer was full of family activities, BBQ's, campfires, fishing, berry picking and a few frosty beers. The fish didn't come until late July this year. The ice had all melted earlier this year and made fishing in July a bit safer and easier. I hooked a very large char late in July. We threw it on the BBQ soon after I had caught it. This fish fed 8 people and there was plenty left over. I do not know how much the char weighed in at but it was about 29 to 30 inches in length. I would say that all in all a total of 60 fish were caught in July. Most of the char was hung out to dry in the persistent arctic sun. This dried char is a favourite among the local crowd here.
In the first week of August, a deck was built in behind my inlaws house. The deck is about 150 square feet of unfinished 2 x 4 lumber. It juts out over the hillside above the shore of Frobisher Bay. The view is awsome. We hope to enjoy the deck for many years to come. I will get some pics posted as soon as I get a new camera.
The blueberries are ripe and the picking is still good. Baffin Island is covered in blueberries and black berries. The arctic varieties are smaller than the southern counterparts but just as tastey. Blue berry pancakes, blue berry muffins, blue berry pie and blue berry jam make August a special month.
People have been digging up buckets of clams during the lowest tides. Frobisher Bay has up to 12 meter tides. When the tides are in the range of 10 meters high and 1 meter low, this is the time to take a boat out to the clam beds. The arctic clams have to be caught one at a time. The people use garden tools to dig up the clams as they find them at the low tidal pools. The clams are tastey and plentiful. I don't mind them raw but prefer to make a clam chowder at home with them. The digging is hard and cold even in the mid summer. It is wise to take a warm parka with you when you go boating on Frobisher Bay.
Golfing on the tundra is still a favourite with the local men. The "course" was always busy this year and still loads of fun to play. The Canadian Military have been here doing some war games and stuff. They also had a chance to take a shot at my tundra golf course. The verdict? They loved it. HooWa. No fairways, no out of bounds and no trees. I think that they all enoyed the golfing. I know that this year, I had played a few very good rounds. I think that we should build a new course though. It would be nice to have a change in scenery while playing. It'll have to wait though. The snow is on it's way. It is getting dark and cold. Another arctic winter. I wonder what it will bring me this time around?

Summer's almost over.

2006-09-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

2006-05-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Spring in Iqaluit. The snow is slowly dissapearing. The sea ice is changing colour from bright white to various shades of blue. The sun rises and rounds the sky for a 20 hour day. The winter darkness has left us for the season. God bless my little home in the middle of nowhere.

2006-04-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

One dead polar bear. It is unfortunate that these mighty animals cross paths with humans. This is the usual result. This bear attacked unsuspecting campers near Kimmirut on Baffin Island. Some of the campers had been brutally injured by the bear before it was shot. I warn you that the following photographs are quite graphic. You may not want to see these images.

2006-04-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

Aside from suffering a scalping by a swift polar bear slap, this poor man also had been clawed and mauled by the angry bear.

2006-04-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

Every camper's nightmare. A hungry polar bear attacks the sleeping campers. The bear tore through the tent without warning.

2006-03-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

This is The Ungava Crater as seen from a high altitude aerial photograph. I didn't realize how large this crater actually is. Whenever I have had the rare opportunity to view this meteor crater, it was usually from 21,000 to 30,000 feet and many kilometers distant. It was hard to estimate the actual size of the crater from my viewpoint. I was amazed to find it's dimensions to be 3.44 Km in diameter and 445 meters in depth.

Ungava Crater

2006-03-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

The Ungava Crater is an impact crater located in northern Quebec near Ungava Bay. The meteor crater is 3.44 Km in diameter and over 400 meters deep. I have seen it from the air several times now but have never been close to it on the ground. It would be a great place to explore in the short summer. The water in the crater bowl is a deep blue colour. This photograph shows the crater in it's usual arctic deep freeze state. The Ungava Crater is also known as the Chubb Crater or The Northern Quebec Crater.

2006-03-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Come on in! The water is fine! Seals will keep several holes like this open in the sea ice. The seals need to come up for air from 4 to 10 times an hour. Sometimes they will use the holes to look around to see what is on the ice above them. Polar bears may hunt for seals by waiting near the breathing hole. Inuit hunters can stand motionless over a seal's breathing hole for hours in hope of harpooning the animal. Seals are an important food source for inuit across the arctic.

2006-03-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

Cliffs rise 1000ft straight up out of the ocean. These red cliffs are near Arctic Bay on the northern shores of Baffin Island.

2006-03-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting building. It is located in Iglulik. The building was originally a research facility. It was built in the 1960's during an era when prefabricated fibreglass panels were the wave of the future. The building is now being renovated and will be used as an arctic wildlife research facility. Spiral staircases bring you up to a central common area and the various labs radiate from the building's centre.

2006-03-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

Starting off my morning in Hall Beach. These are the conditions just before we got the plane on it's way to Iglulik. The sun hasn't been seen for a long time. The sun looks like an atomic blast (In a way it is). Blowing and drifting snow was just the beginning of a massive blizzard covering much of Nunavut. We were to stay an extra day in Iglulik then on to Arctic Bay where we were once again weathered in.

2006-03-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

This is Hall Beach Nunavut. That's it that's all. Hall Beach is in the middle of polar bear country and is often visited by the bears. The community is small but surprisingly busy. The community suffered damge from very high tides. The sea ice kept piling up on the shore one day. It crushed many boats and threatened homes on the shoreline. One of the local people told me that they believe that there was a tsunami. She pointed out onto the sea ice and said that sea quakes occur there sometimes. I know that the tides were unusually high then as the moon was on it's closes approach to earth at the time. This caused very high tides around the world.

2006-03-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

One of the thousands of unnamed peaks that we flew over during our run about the Baffin Island region. This shot was taken at 21000 ft. from within our chartered single engine Pilatus.

2006-03-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

This Clyde River. They have been having a few blizzards. Every home has a snowbank trailing from the leaward side. The winds were over 100K/hr for several days. Where is my snowshovel? Where is my car??

2006-03-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

We left the plane in Nanisivik overnight. It's a good thing that it wasn't buired in the snow!

2006-03-04T13:52:00.000-08:00

An Arctic Bay sunrise as viewed from the hotel.

Red sky in the morning. The weather in the high arctic was unusually warm. Arctic Bay was quite warm at +2C. This time of year one would expect daily high temperatures to be -30C.

2006-03-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

Somebody get some snow removal equipment so we can get our snow removal equipment.

Tundra Golfing spreads across Nunavut.

2006-01-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

::: Nunavut: Canada's Arctic :::
OK so it is January. Now is the time to get ready for the up and coming tundra golf season. New clubs. New balls. I think that golfing is spreading across Nunavut. I like to feel that I have had something to do with the increasing popularity of Tundra Golf!
Here is a webpage with yet more Tundra Golfers.

Happy New Year

2006-01-02T15:28:00.001-08:00

The new year is here. How did we celebrate the new year? We had a bonfire. Sure it was minus 30C outside but we have a little cast iron pot belly stove complete with chimney, sitting outside on the tundra. We built a wall of snow bricks cutting them out of a drift with a saw. The blocks would squeek and squeal just as though they were made of styrofoam. The wall, when finished, stood five feet high and twenty feet long. It curved around the pot bellied stove in a semi-circle. The wall protected us from the wind while reflecting the fire's warmth back at us. There were twelve of us, feeding the fire, feeding ourselves, telling stories and playing backgammon. The fire raged and the hot toddies abounded. After several hours of fire, backgammon and hot toddies, we prepared for the strike of midnight. We looked out onto Frobisher Bay to see snowmobiles stretching in a line over two miles long. They were heading out onto the sea ice for the midnight ringing in of the new year. The snowmobilers formed a huge circle several miles out on the ice. There had to have been hundreds of them. I poured another rum toddy and watched the spectacle. At the stroke of midnight, we started to fire flares. Red flares, green flares and bright blue flares. Some of them would whistle while others would light the beach up as if it were daytime. We could hear people shouting and sounds of air horns, sirens and other loud noises. The new year is here! Happy New Year!
The snowmobiles rode around in a huge circle for several minutes. We could see others with fireworks and flares out on the ice. We watched as the machines broke the circle and started to head back into town. The two mile long line of headlights formed from shore to sea ice. The stars in the sky were bright and numerous. The northern lights seemed to dance in green, red and blue to welcome the new year. My toddy was not very hot anymore. I made sure that the next one would have more rum in it to avoid having my drink freeze in the -30C air. I cuddled up near the fire for a few more hours. A few more games of backgammon. Many more hot toddies. I looked at the wall of ice that we had made. The women had decorated it with ice candles of various colours. It really looked great! We were all tired and a bit drunk when we decided to let the fire burn out and call it a night. It was a very good New Year's Eve indeed.

2005-12-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

Ice fog during the short daylight hours. The fog developed after the open water came into contact with the minus 35 degree air. The sunsets shortly after 1PM this time of year. The sun barely makes an appearance.

Iqaluit Webcam View.

2005-11-22T17:24:00.000-08:00

A view from the CBC building in Iqaluit. The image is updated occasionally. This is not the best of views so I am working on it.
We would all like to get a view of Frobisher Bay instead of CBC's back yard. Perhaps the good people of The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation would be so kind as to host my webcam. The view is much nicer. Don't be surprised if you see a sign posted in front of the CBC web cam that reads "Kunnik was here".

Clicking on this link will open a new window.
Iqaluit Webcam

Cari-Boo!

2005-11-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

The tundra is treeless. Because it is treeless, animals on the tundra behave somewhat differently than animals in forested areas. This fact may have made a big difference in the life of one tundra roaming caribou.
A young inuit man was walking along the outskirts of town of the northern Baffin community of Pond Inlet. The weather was harsh. The wind blown snow made it hard to see even a few feet at times. The young man walked doggedly through the blizzard holding his parka hood down to block the wind. His progress was slow but measurable. Along the side of the dirt road are poles that were imported to the high arctic. These poles are made of the tall pines that grow in forests far to the south. They stand along the road every 50 meters or so. Wires are strung along the top of the poles, some connecting to a street light here and there. On the other side of the road was a vast seemingly unending expanse of ice and mountain. The dirt road was the boundary between the wild and the humanly inhabited. The poles defined the difference well, they were on the civilized side of the border. Brought to their final plot by people from some forest somewhere. Trees standing in a treeless land.
The young man continued his difficult walk, looking downward away from the blowing snow. He then saw in front of him a utility pole. He knew how much further he would have to walk now. After adjusting his hood to make the opening for his face a bit smaller, he aimed himself for the next pole down the road. He could not see it. It is dark in the winter all day and the blowing snow is blinding. The wind and snow made it hard work to walk. The hard work helped to ward off the minus forty degree cold. He started off with an idea of how long it would take to get there. A minute or less. As he walked, he noticed a dark figure. "The pole" he thought. He walked up then raised his hand up to touch the pole. He felt, only for an instant, a coarse fur coat. Immediatly he looked up to come eye to eye with a caribou. A very wide eyed, nostrils flared, snorting, rearing up on his hind hooves caribou. For a few femtoseconds, the two stared face to face in the surrounding snowy haze, both sporting the most surprised look that nature can make on a face. The caribou, being from the wrong side of the road, had probably never seen a human being before. The caribou, being from the wild treeless arctic, had never seen a tree before. The animal having been startled would therefore behave in a manner conducive to scared ungulate of the treeless land and bolt full speed, head and antlers down, in the opposite direction of the young man. The man saw the caribou rear up and turn but could only hear the animal's retreat. The caribou disappeared so suddenly in the blizzard that he could only hear the hooved pace and not see the animal. The sound of the running caribou ended with a sudden loud thump. The young man reluctanly continued his walk very cautiously. After a short walk he came upon the dark figure of the caribou laying on the ground. There was a bit of blood on it's nose. The young man almost didn't notice the utility pole that the caribou had run into. "He must've cracked his skull" thought the young man. He decided to go home to tell someone about what had happened. He wondered if anyone would believe how the caribou died. Before going back on his way, he was tempted to take one more close look at the animal. Only a few steps away but still very hard to see with the blowing snow. The young man was looking down but didn't see what he had expected to see. He saw hooves. The caribou was standing up. He looked up and again, for a few femtoseconds, the two stared face to face in the surrounding snowy haze, both sporting the most surprised look on a face that nature can make. The young man couldn't see the caribou but could hear the galloping and the loud thump that once again ceased the sound of pounding hooves.

2005-11-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

Good job men!

2005-11-06T17:07:00.000-08:00

Life's a ditch and then you dig one.

Blizzard

2005-10-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

The first winter storm warning was issued today. It looks like Hallowe'en may be a walk through heavy snow and blinding winds. It is not unknown to postpone Hallowe'en in arctic communities. We have had many trick or treaters in the month of November. It is hard to deny the children when they so look forward to bags of goodies and costumes. An arctic blizzard is not something that one should send one's children out into to get candy kisses.
Usually this time of year there is lots of ice and snow. The kids dress warmly and make thier rounds. The local by-law officers and the local fire department are out on the streets with spot lights. They are there to assure the saftey of our kids.
I will have to listen to the local CBC broadcast on the radio to see if Hallowe'en is postponed. If the storm is expected to last for several days then a party at the Parish Hall will most likely be organised. The local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion will probably have something for the kids at the Cadet Hall. We always ensure that the children enjoy the trick or treat tradition, even if it is a bit tardy. Living in the extreme climate of the far north requires a few modifications of southern traditions. Hallowe'en is not always on October 31 in Nunavut.

2005-10-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

Low Tide.

2005-10-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

High tide and low tide. The tides in Frobisher Bay can be as high as 12 meters. Notice the little boat in the middle of the frame. My friends Ed and Leah had to walk out to the boat during low tide in order to stock up for a trip. They are seen leaving at high tide.

2005-10-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is what you see when you exit the airport in Iglulik. This inuksuk in Iglulik is always ready to greet people as they arrive.

Welcome to Grise Fiord, Nunavut!

2005-10-25T03:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! The logo on this website says Grise Fiord N.W.T.
Grise Fiord is in Nunavut not the N.W.T. Somebody should update this thing.
Anyway, someone asked me where Grise Fiord was so I am posting a link to the site. There you go.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO GRISE FIORD

2005-10-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Summer time near Pond Inlet.

2005-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Arctic Char: I caught this one in my back yard. Served eight with left overs.

2005-10-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

A staggering variety of wild flowers blanket the tundra in the short summer.

2005-10-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

These arctic shrubs tend to grow around loose rocks. The branches extend like fingers around the rock seemingly holding it to the ground.

Arctic Earwig.

2005-10-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

We found an earwig.
Well that may not be so extraordinary to most but it is too me. This mean little insect was running happily atop a layer of arctic snow. The temperature outside was +1C. It displayed aggression and has a set of pinchers that it uses like a scorpion would use it's stinger. This little thing can really gives you the creeps!
I tried to look it up to see what species it was. I was amazed at the fact that there are so many species of earwig. Many looking harmless while some were little attack tanks. A chill ran down my spine as I learned that some could fly. I don't want to have to cope with flying little nightmares.
I had not found any examples in text, or cybertext, that would tell me the name of this creature. I tried to be more specific like searching for "arctic earwigs" in the search engines. No results.
This must be a new species. Possibly and plausibly. We wil never know. I had read that earwigs are considered pests so I killed it.

online telepathy experiment

2005-09-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

online telepathy experiment
This is a bit stupid but it works a good 70% of the time. Give it a try.

Duct Tape on the Web - DuctTapeGuys.com

2005-09-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

OK. Duct tape is usefull. We all have a duct tape repair job in the closet. I suggest looking at the Duct tape guys world tour slide show on the Duct Tape Guys' refrigerator. Some awsome uses of duct tape to behold.

Duct Tape Guys

2005-09-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

These guys take me to work . I am glad they know what they are doing!

2005-09-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

It's only a rock but I think it rocks!

2005-09-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is another bear that greets people as they enter Nuiyak School in Sanikiluaq. The bear stands 9 feet tall. It is a humbling experience just standing beside it.

2005-09-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the bear is stuffed. I don't think that I would want to venture this close to the world's biggest land carnivour. This bear sits in the Nuiyak School in Sanikiluaq. Sanikiluaq is on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay.

Jigsaw Zone: Jigsaw Puzzle Gallery

2005-08-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is a great place to go when you are stuck in a small house during a raging arctic blizzard. All kinds of jigsaw puzzles to keep you entertained. Some of the pictures used for the puzzles are quite stunning.
I recommend this site for everyone of any age.

JIGSAW PUZZLES

Late Summer Golfing

2005-08-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

The days of endless sun are over. Tundra golfing is getting harder to do every day now. After a long day at work, I try to get out on the course but I have to cook for the kids and get my daily chores done first. This leaves little time to golf. We still go out for a nine hole round but it is not unusual to have to get some light on the greens near the end of the game. Usually I will pull up the van and put the high beams on. It helps. It is not unusual for someone to hit a drive and wait to see if we can hear where it lands. Really.
THe ground is getting harder as the nights get cooler. Today's high of +8C and clear skies may have been the last warm day of the year.
The tundra golfers will continue to play even when the temperature dips below freezing. Even when there is an inch of snow on the ground. Even when herds of caribou overtake the course. There is a limit though. The days will not offer any sunlight after 5pm shortly.
The weekends will be colder and colder. The snow will build up in September. It will become impossible to play. Then I will have to put away my clubs and get back to work for the winter. A very long and very cold and very dark winter. A very golfless winter.
I guess that I will have to spend time snowmobiling and ice fishing.
I will have to look forward to the ice golf season in the spring.
Perhaps I could fly south and play a few rounds. It would not be the same unless I land in the rough every drive.
Hey! What am I talking about? There is still lots of time to get many games in. I will get pictures and post them. I will share this insanity with the world. Why not? I am so privledged to live in a place where one can do what ever one wants. The land is wide open and the air is clean. No overpopulated urban centers. No green fees.
No Green Fees.
Cool.

A day in Pangnirtung

2005-08-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

I had to go to Pangnirtung today. My job requires me to travel to remote parts of Nunavut on occasion. Today it was a trip to the gateway to the arctic circle. Pangnirtung has wonderful scenery and excellent fishing. I had to make sure that I brought my camera so that I could let the world see a glimpse of Nunavut.

Pangnirtung Fjord

2005-08-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Playground

2005-08-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

mountains and fjord

2005-08-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

A view of a few of many many
Baffin Island Mountains

Mountains and sea is all you can see.

2005-08-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Flying into Pangnirtung.

A little city in a vast expanse.

2005-08-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

Pangnirtung viewed from take off.

global warming

2005-08-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

It would seem that over the last 20 years that the arctic climate is indeed changing. The trend seems to be warmer summers, higher humidity and less intense cold in the winter. 20 years of warming has caused all the glaciers to receed. When flying over the mountainous regions of Baffin Island's east coast, one can see the dramatic glacial meltdown. All glaciers have moved back up into the higher altitudes where the summer heat remains below freezing.

Insects that have never been seen on Baffin Island are now becoming commonplace. Many believe that the insect's range has increased due to the warming trend. I on the other hand attribute the increase of non-native insects to an increase in the number of cargo ships comming to the territory. Every crate dropped onto the beach has insects inside from far away places. I had opened a crate and found several paper wasps. The wasps quickly dispursed out into the tundra. Now what is a paper wasp going to do 500 miles north of the tree line? Paper wasps need trees to make the paper that they build thier nests out of. Those insects are in for a surprise I thought. I was in for more of a surprise when 2 years later, I had found a wasp nest. A paper wasp nest. How did this small collony survive the brutal arctic winter? How did these insects build a paper nest in a treeless wasteland? I found the answer by looking around. The treeless tundra is not actually treeless. Several species of "tree" grow on the barrens. These trees grow slowly and creep along the ground growing upwards no higher than a few inches. Many "trees" grow such that they engulf rocks. They look as though they are grasping the rock like a wooden hand with twig fingers hanging onto a stone. These little dwarf trees take decades to grow but are easily unnoticed as thier size is never quite like thier southern cousins. It is the little trees that had provided the raw materials for the hardy wasps to build thier nest. I had observed a lone wasp chewing a trail along a twig of a rock grasping tree. I do not think that these insects will persist. I think that I had found a lone example of ferral wasps. The location was protected from the harsh wind and was somewhat artificially heated being near a building exhaust air duct.

Global warming has only been studied for a short time. We really do not know with any great accuracy, the natural fluctuations in average temperature of this planet Earth. We have not been around long enough to gather the data over the eons. The effects of "greenhouse gases" cannot be ignored but perhaps we overestimate the effect. This summer has been the coolest summer in decades here in this part of Nunavut. The hottest day this year so far has been a high of 18C. Last year we had several days of 25C to 28C highs. A sweltering temperature for people who spend most of thier year in freezing temperatures. Global warming is not as evident in the arctic this year. Maybe we are on the road back to cooler temperatures. Maybe a warming trend happens every thousand years or so. Maybe we are actually on the road to a new ice age. Ice age?
Well, I already live in an ice age. Sort of. With paper wasps.

2005-07-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Pond Inlet pretty in the spring. Many polar bears can be found in this part of the world. They spend much of thier time hunting for seals on the sea ice.

2005-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

The mountains are over 30 miles away but look so much closer. Many tourist make the mistake of trying to walk across the ice to get to the island. They soon find that it is much further than they had thought.

2005-07-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sandy beach at the top of the world. Some of the "mountains" in the background are actually iceburgs. Here we see the sun setting. THe sun will not return in it's full glory for 6 months. The following weeks will become darker and darker untill 24 hours of darkness in December signify the official start of winter.

2005-07-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

This pack ice will be left high and dry as the tide recedes. The ice on the left is about 15 ft. high. It is not wise to walk too close to the ice because when it is melting, the center of gravity changes. This can cause the ice to collapse or roll over.

2005-07-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

This is my son James fishing just as the high tide rolls in. Even in mid July, there is ice on the shore. The tide reached a height of 10.3 meters that day. Tides in Frobisher Bay can be as high as 12 meters. The water will recede a mile away at low tide a mere 6 hours after this picture was taken.

2005-07-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

For all those who are sweltering in the hot southern sun, I thought that looking at this picture would help to cool you off. This picture was taken in May of this year. Mush! ( No one really says "mush" )

The Sting

2005-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have received many pieces of Email pertaining to bumble bees. Does the bee sting or not? A comment left on the site by Bill has indicated that bumble bees indeed sting and are capable of stinging multiple times. Most bees have a barbed stinger which imbeds into the victim which the bee is unable to extract. The bee will tear itself apart leaving the stinger and a pulsing venom sac behind. The bee perishes all for the good of protecting the colony. BIll has indicated to me that a true bumble bee has a smooth stinger and does not die after stinging.
So I have done some research. I was surprised to find that Bill is correct if we are talking about the female bumble bee. Here is a bit of information from an entomological web site dealing with bumble bee identification.

IDENTIFICATION

Bumble bees are large robust insects with black and yellow coloration. The bumble bee has a black or yellow hairy abdomen, which is a character that can be used to differentiate it from a carpenter bee, which has a black, shiny, hairless abdomen. The foraging bumble bee has a large pollen basket on each hind leg that is often loaded with pollen. The bumble bee queens are typically twice a large as workers or males. A female bumble bee has a pointed abdomen with a stinger. Males do not have a stinger and the tip of the abdomen is rounded.

So, Bill is correct (females) and so am I (males).
The foraging bees are female. They sting. I shall have to follow suit from now on and toss my golf clubs into the air running madly in circles screaming "Bee! Bee!" like the rest of the brave men of the arctic.

2005-06-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

A big piece of ice floats past a few Pond Inlet homes.

2005-06-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Wet sandy carpets make up the 4th hole played in this games known as Al's Hole.

Bee

2005-06-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Baffin Island has bees. The bee may not be a true bee but everyone here calls them bees. Most refer to them as bumble bees. I believe that a true bumble bee is not capable of stinging. The Baffin Island bee is said to sting although I have never seen anyone get stung. The bee is a large insect bee-ing about 3/4" long. It has a spikey look to it as the yellow and black hairs jut outward from it's abdomen. On occasion I will spot a bee that doesn't belong here. It would be an insect that was brought here on a ship or aircraft as a stow away. I had seen a paper wasp in Pond Inlet. Pond Inlet is far above the arctic circle and far above the treeline. I do not think that these insects will survive after being unwitingly brought to the arctic. Those insects need forested areas and warmer temperatures. The arctic bumble bee is right at home on the tundra.
I was curious to know what has been learned about the local bumble bees and was astonished to find many interesting facts. First of all, there are five species described for arctic bumble bees. They all fall into the subspecies of "alpinobombus". Bombus is such a suitable name for a bumble bee, somehow. Bombus polaris is probably what the little creatures that can be found here are called. There is also species of bombus hyperboreus, bombus balteatus and bombus neoboreus buzzing around. There certainly is lots of bombus among us.
I am pleased with my new found knowledge. As I walk about our home made Tundra golf course, I shall surely take note of whether 'tis a bombus polaris or a bomus hyperborialis buzzing 'bout. I will assert that the bee doesn't have a stinger and cannot harm a human as is true with bumble bees of the south. I know that the people here, that run away in fear, screaming "Bee! Bee!", will not believe me. There are many falsehoods attached to the bee. Honestly, I will never understand how some of the Inuit men I know, run frantically away from the little arctic bumble bee. These men, most who would brave an arctic blizzard to hunt down big game with nothing more than a spear, fear these insects. Why? The bee seems to be an arctic boogieman. Tales of eggs being laid in your ears or of larvae growning under your skin and other such heebiegeebie stories that make you go ewww. I only see a bee collecting pollen. An arctic bee.

2005-06-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

Tundra Golfers of July 2004.
Notice the "green" in the background. The putting surface is completely surrounded by sand and gravel. These conditions have not stopped these men from breaking 80 in an 18 hole round. When it comes to Tundra Golf, these guys are pretty good.

mosquito

2005-06-21T03:13:00.001-07:00

The longest day of the year. Yes, today is the longest day of the year. Each day shall be several minutes shorter from this point onward. It will not be noticable untill late July when it once again will start to become dark at night. Right now, we get about 22 hours of day light interrupted only by twilight. The midnight sun allows for me to play golf at any hour of the day or night. I anticipate the July 1st "Canada Day" holiday. We always have a tournament along with a picnic. I shall bring the tent down to the Sylvia Grinnel River along with plenty of food and fishing gear. The day will be full of fishing, eating and of course, golfing.
Along with the midnight sun, the summer brings on the hordes of arctic mosquitos. Skeeters, little vampires or call them what you will, will descend down upon us by the billions. I saw a mosquito this morning. It is +3C and the biting bugs are starting to come out.
Baffin Island has large mosquitos and each little critter has a fur coat. You can buy a souvenier mosquito "pelt" mounted on a tongue depressor at the local gift shop. Some T-shirts claim that the mosquito is our national bird. There is also a tiny leg trap sold as a mosquito trap. Catch a bug without ruining the pelt.
These biting bugs will be with us for most of the summer. In July, they can be a plague. I have seen dogs completely covered in mosquitos. The bugs will swarm around the animals' nostills and make it difficult to breathe. I have seen groups of caribou running about trying to rid themselves of the torment of the bug. Many caribou will look for persistant patches of snow that they can stand on. Less mosquitos above the cooler snow patch. Even polar bears can be pestered by these little creatures. The bears will just jump into the freezing waters of Frobisher Bay in order to rid themselves of the bugs. As much as we all hate the mosquito, they are an important part of the arctic food chain. Fish will be jumping out of the water to eat them. Birds will feast upon the little vampires. Spiders will take thier fair share. For us humans, we will just have to tolerate them.
I think I have an itch.....
Where is that after bite lotion?

Map of Nunavut,

2005-06-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO WARP TO NUNAVUT

Igloolik Golfer

2005-06-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Igloolik. It was a balmy 2 degrees Celsius and very sunny when I had first arrived in Igloolik. There are still many patches of ice and snow strewn across the tundra. The sea ice looked beautiful from the air as I approached the landing strip. The ice displays a myriad of colours and hues of blue and turquoise. The colours change as the sun moves around in the sky. The sun moves around in the sky, without setting, at this time of year. Igloolik lies well above the arctic circle. (See the map at:
http://www.hallbeach.com/map-of-nunavut-map.htm)
The land is very flat in Igloolik. You can look in all directions across vast expanses. Landmarks are few and distant. The local people are very friendly. Many of the local Inuit were out camping or waiting for the goose egg harvest. There were many hunters on the sea ice working on providing thier families with fresh seal or arctic char. It is a peaceful place in the late spring.
I was walking around the streets of Igloolik when I spotted a young Inuit boy walking in an open area with a 3-wood thrown over his shoulder. He was looking for a golf ball. I just had to smile and think that maybe this young boy shall find a piece of rocky, gravely tundra and build a golf course on it. Igloolik is very rocky but there are patches of moss and soil here and there.

After I had finished my business in Igloolik, I had to return home to Iqaluit. When I got home, I had to build this electronic thingamagink for this sparky to install in Igloolik. I had to ship it to him right away. I put a dozen golf balls in the package. Hey, Igloolik is a small town and I know that those golf balls will get into the right hands.

49...

2005-06-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I shot 49 strokes in a nine hole round. I must explain that I had lost 3 balls in the muskeg. They shall be found in some future civilization, as fossilized impressions. Upon thier discovery in the distant future, further excavation in search of artifacts shall be inspired. They shall find many hundreds of globular dimpled mineralized impressions. I know because I have lost over 500 golf balls in the muskeg at the tundra course. Many other tundra golfers have lost as many. So three extra strokes were due to the lost ball in the arctic spring golf ball eating swamp.
Net, 46 strokes.
I must also explain that hitting a ball off of wet moss is akin to hitting a ball off of a half frozen wet sponge. Many good lies were actually the worst lie you could end up with. A normal golf swing would require the golfer to hit down on the ball. Hitting the ball with a slight downward trajectory is what actually gets the ball in the air. That is if you are hitting a golf ball off a fairway on a carefully designed and properly landscaped stretch of land specifically made for the game of golf. I have no such luxury. The tundra course predates any other golf course by several million years. This predates landscaping, botanical agriculture, engineering and Burmuda Grass Greens. The result is that in some cases, hitting down on the ball just drills it into what looked like dry grass but was actually moss with the consistancy of green mud. The ball simply gets driven underground never to be seen again. We allow moving the ball to a spot where the ball is at least playable. I could have exercised that option on two occasions. I was lying on the dreaded green mud moss but figured that I could just pick the ball off of the moss. The ball drove into the ground and had to be retrieved. I of course, moved off of the golf ball eating moss on my next attempt at approaching the hole. Experience should have told me that I could not hit that shot. I threw away two strokes there, net 44.
The "green" on every hole is made of different pieces of carpet. Some of the carpets are shag. Some are indoor outdoor types. All of them are soaking wet and splayed with sand and gravel. We allow a quick sweep to remove pebbles and sand from the carpet. We even allow time out when a squeegee is needed to rid the area surrounding the hole of water. I was putting on a wet shag carpet with many pebbles and simply didn't clean away the debris. I was impatient. The putt was only 10 feet or so but I really had to strike it hard. A tall rooster tail of water sprayed up from behind my ball. I saw that it was going too slow to reach the hole. Then it hit the pebble and just stopped. A foot from the hole. The hole was rapidly filling up with melt water. There is still plenty of large snow drifts melting. All of the snow is gone except for the reminants of great snowdrifts that formed during the winter, from September to May. I missed six strokes because of melt water and pebbles. Net 38.
38. That is more like it.
I am happy with 38. Not an exceptional score but a rather good one.

Pre-season practice.

2005-06-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Today is a sunny day with light winds. An expected high of 8 degrees Celcius is in the forcast. I hear that there are three holes open at the Tundra Golf course. The rest remain buried in several feet of ice and snow. It is time to get out the golf clubs and dust them off.
I intend to play a nine hole round today. We shall play the three open holes thrice. The dress code of the day will include rubber boots, a good sweater, a cap and dark sunglasses. I will have to include a broom in my golf bag as the "greens" will undoubtedly be covered in sand and gravel. There will be lots of casual water and mud to deal with. I also must use fluorescent coloured golf balls in case I slice one into the snow.
The warm air may be uncomfortable at times as I am still climatized for the arctic winter. It has been a long and cold winter. There were days when the windchill was recorded at -76 degrees Celcius (That's -104.8F for you southern folk). Darn cold to be sure. So it is not a wonder that when I step out into the sun at +8C, I feel as though I am in the tropics.
This game we are going to play today is only a pre-season warm up. Snow and mud shall make some shots interesting. The constant sunlight may allow a midnight round as well. That depends on how many Rum and Coke I swill at the local Royal Canadian Legion tonight.
Now, where did I put that snow wedge?

2005-06-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Summer in the arctic. Frobisher Bay at low tide.

More arctic ice golfing in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

2005-05-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Click here to warp to Cambridge Bay Nunavut.

"FORE"

Golfing on the sea ice in Cambridge Bay. The Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament.

Here are a few pictures of the sea ice golfers. This year there were no polar bears to contend with.

There are many links to some of Nunavut's websites offering information and entertainment with an arctic perspective of life.

Stranded on an ice pan

2005-05-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

One of Iqaluit's hunters was stranded on an ice pan today. Mr. Chris Gerioux was stranded on the sea ice when a section of the ice floe broke off from the ice pack and drifted out to sea. Mr. Gerioux was stranded along with his snow mobile for over 13 hours.
The ice pan was roughly 100 ft. by 50 ft. in size but began to break up as the water became rough. The ice pan broke in half and threatened to disintegrate leaving Mr. Gerioux to drown in the freezing waters of Frobisher Bay. Chris was eventually spotted by a passing hunter. He was rescued and his snowmobile was salvaged. Chris is very fortunate to be alive. The tidal currents would have surely floated him out into high seas where he would have met an icy fate.

One Survives. Official Report.

2005-05-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

Nunatsiaq News

Facts VS the Grapevine.

Here is the official local news report on the tragic loss of one of our own. Previous information was retrieved from the grapevine. It sure is strange how many different versions of the story came out.

Walking home drunk in Germany.

2005-05-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Die Wagenschenke - Das Partyzelt am Albanifest in Winterthur.

"How dry I am"

(HIC)

Here is a funny little game that I found on the web.
As addictive as the German Beer
this guy is swilling.

Frozen birdies but no polar bears allowed as ice golf takes off : Weird News

2005-05-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

Arctic extreme golfing in Greenland. Looks playable to me. The caddie carries a rifle to ward off polar bears.

Frozen birdies but no polar bears allowed as ice golf takes off : Weird News

The Ordeal is Over

2005-05-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

Ed Norman returns home safely. His friend and companion, Tod, did not survive. The rescue team found him outside the snow shelter with his gloves off. He may have been overcome with fear, hunger and cold.
We all extend our deepest sorrow to Tod's family. I shall let the Nunatsiaq news report fill in the details. Thank you readers for your prayers and support. The Nunatsiaq News is a weekly edition and this story may not make it into this weeks printing. Mr. Ed Norman is to be commended for his brave trek across the tundra. He walked across the barrens for over 27 hours to try and get help for his stranded companion.

FOUND ALIVE AND WELL.

2005-05-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Here is what I know so far. None of this is official but Ed Norman has been found alive. He is hungry and tired but no worse for wear and tear. Ed had walked for 27 hours from the area where they were stranded, leaving Tod behind. The two men had run out of gas on the way back from thier Sunday outing. Deep snow caused them to use more gas than anticipated. The weather deteriorated after they were stranded. The two men built a snow house and decided to stay where they are. After 2 nights, Ed felt that one should attempt to go get help. Tod was exhausted and Ed felt like he could do it. Ed left Tod in the snow house and started walking. He was spotted by a Hercules aircraft. Ed had witnessed the plane flying in a search patern and waved frantically. The crew didn't see him at first.
Ed was rescued by snowmobile. I heard that he had gone back to the snow house to save Tod. Tod is still in peril but the team should be there in a few more hours. I hope that Tod stays in the shelter and doesn't wander as many people do when lost. He has been waiting for 30 hours or so and may be hypothermic or disoriented. The always present danger of a passing polar bear is still a concern.
More details and/or corrections as I get them.

Hope Fades as Time Goes by.

2005-05-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

30 snowmobiles, 2 airplanes and 1 helicopter searched a wide expanse over Frobisher Bay and the surrounding tundra. There has been no sighting of the 2 missing men or thier snowmobiles. Not a trace of evidence has been seen. They have had to spend 4 nights out on the arctic wilderness without shelter or any type of survival gear. For 3 of those nights, wind, snow and whiteout conditions prevailed. The search has already resumed. I heard aircraft and helicopters at 4AM. The sun offers light in those early hours this time of year. The search will continue untill 10PM tonight. After 10PM, the sun has set and arctic twilight doesn't offer enough light for a visual contact from the air. Some of the ground crew involved in the search may continue to search after 10PM, but they themselves can be at risk of being lost. Only the most experienced hunters will continue the search during the twilight hours.
I have learned over the years that one should never give up hope for the safe return of a person lost on the land. I also know that as every day goes by, the chances of a safe return dwindle dramatically. A person can survive for 7 days on the tundra without food, shelter or water. That is if the individual has the land skills required to know how to survive. Any longer than 1 week is usually a hopeless endevour. These men, one a friend of mine, if found, will be in bad shape without a doubt. I will still pray for thier safe return, but as time goes by thier chances of returning to us fades.

Missing.

2005-05-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today is a sunny Wednesday morning with little wind. It has been a mix of snow, blowing snow and temperatures dipping down to -10C since Sunday afternoon. Typical May weather. The sunshine today is especially welcome as many people have been trying to be involved in a search effort for 2 missing men. One of them is my friend. His name is Ed Norman. He and his room mate, whom I only know as Tod, had decided to go for a snowmobile outting Sunday morning. The weather looked nice. The snow, inviting. The trip was only to be a few hours of joy riding. Ed never came back Sunday afternoon. The weather changed to reduced visibilities in blowing snow.
Ed and Tod are still out there somewhere on the sea ice or on the tundra. No one knows as they did not have a planned route nor did they tell anyone of their intended destination. They did not bring any survival gear, food, water, flares, radio or G.P.S. Ed knows that there are survival shacks on the land and he also knows the southern Baffin area around Iqaluit quite well. The ice conditions can be dangerous in some areas this time of year. There is so much snow this spring too. Snow can cover open water or cap the top of a deep hole. There is also possible avalanche hazzards near some of the steeper slopes. Nunavut is a very dangerous place.
I can only hope and pray that Ed and Tod are found alive. As each day passes, this becomes more and more unlikely. Today is a sunny day. Good day to resume a search for a friend.
It is always this way. In the spring, the weather may be inviting for hiking or snowmobiling. It is important to let people know where you intend to go. It is important to bring survival gear. It is important to aquire some traditional Inuit knowledge. It is important to understand that the landscape changes with the wind and the sunlight. It is very easy to get lost on the tundra.
All of these facts are well known to Ed. I guess that he didn't want to spend the morning packing gear when he only intended to go out for a short tour. A few hours at best.
I am praying for you Ed. I hope you come home today. You can bring Tod with you. We can sit down with a hot cup of coffee and you can tell me all about your adventure. I am looking forward to your arrival.

The Big Melt

2005-05-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

The snow is melting. Slowly but surely. So are the roads. When you live in a place that has snow 9 or 10 months of the year, you tend to overlook the amount of snow that has accumulated. Most of the roads are not paved. The paved roads lack sidewalks and curbs. There are no drainage catch basins or street sewers. No traffic lights. No parking meters. A black layer of asphalt strewn thinnly atop a bare stretch of hardened dirt road at a cost of 1,000,000.00 (CN) per Kilometer. The unpaved roads gather a thick layer of a plastic-like ice, sand and gravel concreation that can be graded and plowed. In essence, the roads are "paved" 9 months of the year. Now, the everpresent sun is melting the snow. It is still -5 degrees Celcius and yet the snow melts.
Potholes are given thier name due to thier pot like shape. Potholes are shaping my life. There are so many potholes on some of the roads that top speeds of the local taxi cabs, who are notoriously speedy drivers, reach up to 3 or perhaps 4K/hr. I have to leave early to get to work. The driving makes my back ache so I take long hot baths. I drive a different route to the store to avoid potholes.
Potholes have an impact on my life as well as my back. Potholes change all the rules.
In Canada, we drive on the right side of the road. The exception would be in May when everyone drives 3K/hr, zigzagging along all the while trying to avoid potholes. On a typical day, you may observe four vehicles travelling south and three travelling north on a pothole infested stretch of road. The lead vehical on the southern bound lane is driving where the sidewalk should be. The next one is driving with two wheels upon where a curb would be if there were curbs. The other two vehicals are snowmobiles. The northbound lane is simillar in appearance with respect to the vehicals positions. As the traffic proceeds, the vehicals try to ride thier wheels around the potholes. The vehicals may crawl around, crossing into the other lane here and there avoiding potholes. After a few seconds, all the northbound vehicals are in the southbound lane and all the south in the north. No collisions occur. It is very easy to avoid a collision when you are travelling at 3 K/hr. Moments later they weave themselves back into thier respective lanes.
The drivers, when observed from the pedestrian's point of view, sway to and fro and bounce up and down. The front left wheel finds a deep pothole and the car jars suddenly. Everyone in the car leans into the direction of the pothole. The front wheel climbs out as the rear wheel finds another pothole. Everyone swings quickly to the right then the left. Then they bounce up then down hard. The next bump causes the two front passengers to bump thier heads on the top of the car. I find that a procession of vehicals driving at 3 k/hr, veering in and out of oncomming traffic that may be veering in and out of oncomming traffic, full of people bouncing around inside the cab like so much popcorn, somewhat amusing.

The T.G.A.

2005-05-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have included a link the the T.G.A. See LINKS~~~>>
I never thought that other people would ever be doing pretty much the same thing as we do here in Nunavut.
The snow and ice golf is fun to be sure but I hope to blog the summer golf games on the tundra.
The tundra golf is much more competitive and the lack of snow makes the game a bit more like the more familliar version.
This spring has brought much snow. The tempuratures are still close to freezing. We may not have a course to play on until the last week of June. Perhaps early July.
The crooked hole awaits.

Snow drifts and duffers

2005-04-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

The annual golfing event is over. This year, the course was not plowed on the sea ice as the Municipality had problems obtaining the proper insurance for the event. At least, that is what has been relayed to me. So what does the city do? They plow a golf course atop a frozen lake instead. Somehow, I fail to understand the logic behind this but I do not understand local politics anyway. You cannot get insurance to cover a public event atop the sea ice but it is OK to hold the event atop a frozen lake.
The wind was wild blowing a steady 50K and gusting to 70k. The deep cap of snow covering the tundra was a flowing white sea.The drifting and blowing snow made the game difficult but not impossible. My foursome had all played off the tee to a "green" a mere 60 yards away. All of us landed within putting distance. The only problem was that the snow drifting so quickly, had completly filled the first hole. In fact, half of the "green" was covered in a rapidly advancing snowdrift. We decided that stricking the pin with the ball would count as the ball being holed. The pins were all made of rough cut knotty pine 2X2 lumber, each with it's own particular set of twists and warps. The top portion of each pin was tagged with a red flag. Hitting the pin looked easy but we found that it was harder than we had thought. The first hole was tough. I looked up to the second hole but was unable to locate it. The snow was blowing very hard creating white outs. A short walk reveled that the pin was only a mere 40 yards away. I had only brought a pitching wedge and a putter. The putter turned out to be useless. The pitching wedge should have been left at home and the lob wedge should have been the club of choice. So I pitch the ball up in the air where it promptly dissapears and goes to God knows where. I never found that ball. The ball was a bright fluorescent greenish yellowish colour. I still could not find it in the white sea. So I drop a ball, hit it to the green a foot from the hole. I was pleased. I walked up to the green and waited for the other players to approach. I watched my ball quickly get gobbled up in the drifting snow. I was quite amazed to watch the ball disapear before my very eyes. So i now reasoned that the ball will get buried before you can walk up to it in the blinding wind. I got 4 strokes having to take a one stroke penalty for losing a ball. The third hole held some promise. The wind suddenly decided to let up for a time. This made it much easier to play the remaining holes. I finished the nine hole couse with a nasty 39 strokes. My brother in-law had finished with 24 strokes. He made 4 of 9 holes with 2 strokes. How he did this while fighting snow,wind and wearing a large down parka complete with windpants,dark goggles, hat, scarf and gloves is beyond me.
So ends the spring time golf extraviganza. Now if only the snow would melt before the end of June, then I can play on dry land like I am supposed to do. Can't wait for the Tundra Golf Tourney on July 1, Canada Day!

Toonik Tyme ice golf

2005-04-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

April in Nunavut means Toonik Tyme spring festival. Inuit games, competitions and other activities will abound throughout the second week of April. My favourite of course is the sea ice golfing. The course is plowed on the ice a week before the event. The course is nine holes, all of which can be played with a nine iron. The "cup" is a full 6 inches in diameter as that is the size of the smallest ice auger bit in town. If the weather co-operates, the ice conditions will play well. A hard ice foundation with a 1/2" coating of hardend sea ice slush allows for the golfer to hit the ball with the same feel as if hitting off of grass. The sun must be shining and the temperatures must be around -5C. More than likely, the temperatures will be closer to -20C. Several years ago, the weather was wicked indeed. High winds and extreme wind chills made it difficult to make a short putt. This is not your regular round of golf here, it is more of a spring party for us arctic people.
Some of the other events will include snow mobile drag racing, uphill racing competitions, traditional games like the one foot high kick as well as inuktitut dancing and music. Many of the community elders participate in cooking bannock and making tea. Some of the women will compete in the skinning of seals or the cooking of caribou stew. Many artists will come to Iqaluit to sell carvings or to sing a few songs for us. The children always have events going on through the week. Many of the events are arranged by the schools so that the kids can enjoy toonik tyme during the class hours. The winter has been long, cold and dark. It is great once again to see the sun rise in the sky and stick around for longer than a couple of hours. Soon, the days will bring 22 hours of sunshine every day. I will be on the tundra course playing golf. I can start a game at 8PM and play until midnight. It never gets dark in June and July. First, I must get some practice on the sea ice. There are too many good golfers here for me to get lazy. Practice makes perfect.