Things to know before you move to YK...

Now that I am an expert on Arctic living (Ok, not really!) here are some Southerners Tips for the fellow crazeeeyyyyy people who may feel that living north of 60 would be a "great" idea.

Isolation

You will drive for hours into the northern wilderness and only pass one small settlement by the name of Fort Providence on your way to Yellowknife. During this time, if you are not driving in the winter season, you will see numerous bison clumped along the highway. Sometimes they wander onto the actual highway. This is certainly very novel to the traditional Southerner, such as myself. However, when you are in the dark season, this is dangerous as bison are big, dark animals. The last statistic I read said that between the middle of October to middle of November, there were seven separate incidences of motorists striking bison on the highway. (Sigh, if only these animals had the classic Sherman lecture on the importance of wearing reflective tape while walking on dark, nighttime roads!)

After driving for hours into the tundra, you will stumble into mighty YK. You have now arrived to THE place. THE BIG CITY. With an approximate population of 18,500-20,000 peeps... there is nothing "Big" in relation to Yellowknife. However, in comparison to the other various settlements of the North, some boasting a small 100, 200 per capita population, Yellowknife is a large, sprawling metropolis.

The happy news is that Yellowkife is one of the few communities of the north that you can drive to and from for the majority of the year. Not ALL of the year though! During the end of December, early Jan... or something like that, the MacKenzie Ferry is no longer able to cross the River due to the Freeze Up. Since the River is in the process of freezing, it is not safe to drive on. (Yes, a la "Ice Road Truckers")

Flights to and from YK are expensive and my favourite airline, Westjet, does not service our community. Be prepared for some major airline sticker shock. I am sure the optimists are musing why wouldn't you just drive to Edmonton and fly from there? Please see the above paragraph... it just isn't always possible.

Culture Shock

While you will still be in the country of Canada, you may find yourself wondering (quite frequently actually) if you were secretly abducted by aliens and shot into the realms of outer space to live on a planet in a galaxy far, far away. The North is a land truly unique in various cultural and geographic aspects.

As I wouldn't want to spoil all the hidden gems of this land, I will summarize by saying that experiences as simple as going to the grocery store or Canadian Tire often times will result in baffling (sometimes hilarious, sometimes disturbing and sometimes downright heartwarming) occurrences unique to the North. I feel confident in saying that as I have travelled all over this beautiful world of ours and never witnessed something such as a ten person lineup at a Canadian Tire store, well any store for that matter, with no cashiers or workers in sight for at least five to ten minutes causing a disgruntled shopper to pick up the phone and page a staff member to come to the front cash. Hummmmm...

Winter

This was one of my greatest concerns when researching what living in the North would be like. I was so very concerned with winter wear, warm bedding, boots (for both us and the dogs :-D ) that I worried about little else. The good news is that literally EVERYTHING you need to survive a winter in the Great Canadian Arctic can be found within the confines of Yellowknife. Yes friends, even the elusive Muttluk can be purchased at various retailers around town. *Gasp!* There is actually a whole new world of winter wear waiting to be discovered in the North, one visit to Just Furs or Weaver and Devore will leave you quite well prepared to be toasty warm in the extreme cold of the North. (I shouldn't forget Marks either!)

There is a Kal Tire in town, among other tire retailers so shopping for winter tires is not a problem at all. Speaking of winter tires, spare no expense when purchasing these for your winter driving. The roads in and around Yellowknife are by all means, treacherous. They are coated in thick sheets of ice, snow, rocks, rutted with various dips an holes and ridiculously slippery. This was something I was not prepared for by any means.

Winter activities are varied in Yellowknife and include, skidooing (Known as "sledding" in the North, don't be alarmed when grown men start hooting about how excited they are to go sledding and shoot a caribou...) hunting, ice fishing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, broom ball, curling, hockey... I am sure there are more. If you are into these activities, you will be in seventh heaven. If you are not, well, it's time to break out of your confines and pick one that appeals to you!

Great Things You Didn't Know About YK!

Ok girls, breathe a sigh of relief, you can purchase high end cosmetics, such as Clinique and Estee Lauder at the Shoppers Drug Mart in the Knife. Shocking - I know. Whenever I open my medicine cabinet and see the unopened boxes of various products I can't help but roll my eyes, as all of this is readily available in YK (minus M.A.C. friends... that would have to be purchased online).

Yes you can purchase your favourite Okanagan wines here! Well... not "all" but they have a wonderful selection at the various liquor stores in town.

M&M Meat shop is in town! Who would have thought! Caution: do not overdo it as you will tire of this quite early. All major junk food restaurants are in town... McDonalds, A&W, Kentucky Fried Poulet... Then there is Subway, Quiznos... um... Pizza Hut, BP's... There is even a GREAT sushi restaurant, Sushi North that will satisfy your craving for a delish California roll. Two restaurants that are not to be missed are Le Frolic and Bullocks Bistro. If you are in the mood for a fancy Sunday Brunch, head over to the Explorer Hotel's Sunday Brunch! Go first to the crepe and waffle station... absolutely fabulous.

There is a plethora of unique to YK boutiques that are simply fab. My favourites so far are Langlois and Just Furs! And in two months I have not yet been to all of them.

There is even a movie theatre! And it is just great there, it has two small theatres and one largish one. The popcorn is great with a nice selection a popcorn seasonings. (After 2 years sans my dill pickle in BC... it is a relief)

So basically with a positive outlook, you too can survive the North! Be prepared to roll with basically everything as little to nothing will be as you expect it and you will be just fine. And as Elliott always says, "It could be worse dear". Words of wisdom to live by. (Tee hee!)