Don Barrett (aka DBs travels)'s photos

Roberts Cottages, Oceanside beach and pier area.

Faro is the largest town on the Campbell highway, but it is actually much smaller than it looks. Because of a large fire, the town had been completely rebuilt in not long before my trip. Though it looks like a modern town in the adjacent pictures, it was almost completely empty when I was there. Due to severe environmental problems, the mine had been shut for a few years and only caretakers lived there. It was very eerie to drive around it, leaving one with feelings of driving around in a town where suddenly everyone had died. From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Abandoned, modern, town of Faro -- see story in nearby picture. From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

What else do you do when at the edge of the Arctic Ocean -- test the water and have a stone-skipping contest (I always lose). Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Tuktoyaktuk was, again, somewhat disconcerting. It was a native village, but all of the housing was fairly modern, small, prefab units. Also disconcerting were the extensive radar facilities -- Tuktoyaktuk was one of the sites of the DEW line . See map. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

The landing strip...Short, dirt, and very cold bodies of water on both ends. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

From Inuvik to the Arctic Ocean is a relatively short distance, but it is across the tundra and there are no roads. Luckily there are regular passenger/freight flights -- and luckily I got to sit in the co-pilot seat. Through the pilot's window is the town of Tuktoyaktuk. See map. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Downtown Inuvik, NWT. It was somewhat surprising, after crossing vast and untouched terrain, to end in what looked like just a slightly weather-worn version of a relatively modern town. Inuvik is the center for much of the exploration of Canada's northwest, and the retail center for the very scattered populations across the area. See map. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

All of the major river crossings in the far north were like this. In the summer they're by ferry, in the winter it's an ice bridge, and forget about crossing during freeze-up or break-up. See map. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Approaching the Arctic Circle. The border between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories is north of the crossing of the Arctic Circle. See map. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Moving further north, minor variations in elevation would put you above the tree line. See map. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Along the Dempster Highway. Look closely and you can see the highway running near the river through much of the valley. See map. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

From a lookout over Dawson City. The long 'scar' running for many miles up the valley is the remnants of gold mining. From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

From a lookout over Dawson City. Dawson City is in the bottom of the picture, the road on the right side of the picture is the "Top of the World Highway." From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

I left Telegraph Creek late in the afternoon. My plan for the next stop was Watson Lake, Yukon, which is at the end of the Cassiar Highway and where I would pick up the Alaskan highway. It was to be a long drive to Watson Lake, but I was beginning to fall behind in terms of the miles I needed to cover, so I drove on late into the 'night'. Since it was late May already, there was very little 'night' that far north. From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Something that seemed odd to me in much of rural Canada was the existence of well-maintained Anglican churches, even in remote and sparsely populated areas. From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

Around Iskut. From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.

The fjord (Portland Canal) does not freeze in the winter, and thus is used for freight service and ferry service to Ketchikan, Alaska. See map From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.