Tuk and Back Again*
I cannot claim we were as intrepid as Bilbo Baggins in his quest with the dwarves. We did not encounter evil monsters or warrior beings with edged weapons. We encountered only mud, dust, long bumpy roads, and eventually, a peaceful-looking ocean beach! Though it was the Arctic Ocean … From tiny Fort McPherson, we drove to Inuvik, pop. roughly 3,000. This is a center for local First Nations culture. One of the most famous landmarks in Inuvik is the igloo church. It is a Catholic church with the full name Notre Dame des Victoires – yep, same as the cathedral in Paris. It was built in 1950 entirely with volunteer labor and local materials, costing about $70,000, which even at that time was amazing. I understand part of the cupola is made of repurposed hockey sticks, but the tours of the church are only scheduled once per day, and not when we were there so I did not see the inside. Duh, it did not occur to me to check the ...
