Nunavut Newbie v.2.0: Iqaluit Newbie: Vehicle Lessons, Dog Sledding, & Long Overdue Price Photos

Well folks, last week was that time of year again. Yes that's right. A new chapter in the book of Vehicle Lessons Learned was added. After a particularly windy day, I was driving around Iqaluit's "New Plateau" area. I rounded a curve and boom. Stuck. Foot to gas pedal, no movement. My first thought was, "This can't be happening. This isn't real." I thought if I gave reality a few seconds to set in, I'd push the gas pedal again and we'd be on our way. No such luck. Attempts to dig or push the Suzuki out of bumper-high snow rendered useless. Yes, I was genuinely stuck. After a few phone calls placed to Wynberg's after-hours towing line and $200 later, the XL-7 was back on the mean streets of Iqaluit. I am never driving up to New Plateau area again...unless I have to.

The most embarrassing part of the ordeal was that I wasn't just on any drive, I was giving a "tour" of sorts to a visitor. I felt like a northern poser who had just been outed as a newbie southerner. A little bit of my dignity was left in that ditch, haha.

On Monday of my visitor's stay, we went dog sledding. I had never been and wasn't sure what to expect. The dogs weren't behaving too well unfortunately and so we had to stop often so the guide could motivate the dogs to run. I also learned that every single piece of outwear I own isn't good enough when all you're doing is sitting or standing. My fingers went numb in sealskin mittens and my toes were freezing in my -70C rated boots. Still, it was enjoyable.

Now for some photos. I've included some photos of grocery prices as it's been way too long since I've done that.