Northwest Territories - Northern Lights

Tomorrow is Canada’s 150^th Birthday so Happy Birthday Canada! We are keeping with the Canadian Province theme and this week we have the Northwest Territories. Our focus is on the Northern Lights. They are a spectacular sight to see if you get the chance to.

Although you can see them in the Yukon, Nunavut, and Alaska as well, some say that the best spot to see them is in the Northwest Territories. They are located in the Northern and Southern hemispheres over each magnetic pole. The Auroras in both hemispheres tend to mirror each other with similar shapes and colours happening at the same time.

The lights are created by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding and entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Something I did not know before was that the lights you see in the North are known as the Aurora Borealis and the lights in the South are the Aurora Australis.  

Take a look at the photos. What colours do you see? Many colours are often present but pale green and pink are the most commonly spotted colours. Other shades you might see are...blue, violet, red, and yellow. They also may take on different looks as well as you can see below. 

The best time of the year to watch the lights is winter because it’s darker more often and there are more frequent clear nights. 

 

Some of the best places to see the lights in the Northwest Territories are...

The Salt Plains – This is so neat. You can walk barefoot on the Salt Plains where “saline minerals leach from an ancient seabed, turning the world white and crystalline.”

Blachford Lake Lodge – For a relaxing rustic stay this is the place to book for your trip to the NWT. It also offers great views of the Northern Lights.

Great Slave Lake – It’s the second largest lake in the NWT and the deepest in North America (the sixth deepest on Earth!) Rent a boat and it would be a very romantic place to watch the lights.

Alexandra Falls – Considered the greatest waterfall in the NWT at 10 stories high.

The Snow Castle – A castle made out of snow each season is a cool adventure for adults and kids and a perfect spot to see the lights.

Wood Buffalo National Park – This is the largest park in Canada (bigger than Switzerland) so there are many great spots to look at the Northern Lights and you’ll see Buffalo.

In an Igloo – An experience you won’t ever forget.

Yellowknife Bay – This is another romantic and cute spot with a floating village and houseboats that you can stay on. A perfect comfortable place to view the lights.

Aurora Village – “A place where traditional Aboriginal culture blends together with modern amenities for  a truly remarkable experience.” This is the world’s epicentre for watching the Northern Lights you can’t stay at a better place for getting the full Northern Light experience.

Houseboat Bay – Go for a kayak ride around the houseboats in the summer. Or even better, stay in them during the winter for a cozy vacation at one of the bed and breakfasts and snuggle up to watch the lights above.

For more info about the Northwest Territories and the Northern Lights look here...

http://auroravillage.com/

https://www.northernlightscentre.ca/northernlights.html

http://spectacularnwt.com/

Newfoundland and Labrador - Icebergs

It is officially summer and we are starting a new theme for our blog posts. To celebrate Canada’s 150^th Birthday we are going to do 13 posts during the summer inspired by the 10 provinces and 3 territories. First up...is Newfoundland. We thought that we might just go in order from west to east but then we thought it’d be more fun to pick the names out of a hat like we have done in the past.

This week the post is about all things icebergs. I know they sometimes get a bad rap because it’s one of the first things you think of when you think about the sinking of the Titanic, but we think they are pretty cool and to see one up close would be an amazing experience. Icebergs are a big deal in Newfoundland. Newfoundland is considered one of the best places to view icebergs in all shapes and sizes and colours; some are over 10,000 years old! People take tours to go and see all of the icebergs located in Iceberg Alley and you can even drink some (more to come on that later). 

If you are planning a trip to Newfoundland, icebergs are definitely something that you have to put on your to do list. They are massive pieces of nature that are not to be missed. They look big on the surface but just imagine the rest of it under the sea. It's believed that 90% of the iceberg is under the surface.

Iceberg Alley is located from the coast of Labrador to the northeast coast of Newfoundland. The best time of year to watch and look for icebergs is actually late Spring, but you can still see them floating through in early Summer as well. To show you where to look for one and to report one that hasn’t been noted already, there is a website set up called IcebergFinder.com. It gives you some iceberg facts, the most recent ones spotted, pictures, and you can report a “berg” if you spot one that is not already on the list. They are constantly melting so some icebergs listed may not be there when you go to look for them!

http://www.icebergfinder.com/

http://www.icebergfinder.com/iceberg-facts.aspx

So you can simply watch for icebergs from the shore or it’s recommended if you can to watch them from a boat tour or a kayak. If you opt for a boat tour or kayak trip then you’ll most likely get to see the many humpback and killer whales and puffins that inhabit Newfoundland’s ocean and shores. They have many tours available depending on what you’d like to do. Make sure you listen to all of the safety precautions. Apparently icebergs are quite unpredictable and maintaining a safe distance is very important because ice could fall, there could be hazards under the water, and large waves may suddenly happen.

http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/ThingsToDo/BoatTours

http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/ThingsToDo/Kayakin

Since there are so many icebergs in this region, they put them to good use and make drinks from them. They harvest the water from the giant icebergs to make vodka, gin, rum, beer, and they leave it as plain water to drink also.

https://www.iceberg.ca/

http://www.quidividibrewery.ca/award-winning-beers/iceberg/

The most famous iceberg of course is the one that sunk the Titanic. It was thought to be about 200-400 ft. and probably about a mile long. That night it was said that the water temperature was just under freezing which of course is cold, but that is warm to an iceberg so it was probably melting and probably completely melted away by 1913. At the time of the collision, it was passing through Iceberg Alley just off the coast of Newfoundland which we now know is full of icebergs especially in the Spring when Titanic was passing through.  

A steward on another ship took a photo of an iceberg that is most likely the one that struck the Titanic as it had streaks of red paint on it.

https://www.wired.com/2012/04/titanic-iceberg-history/

This past April one of the largest icebergs ever was spotted off the coast of Newfoundland in Ferryland and there were 480 other not as big ones that were out there too. The gigantic iceberg was 80 meters high and attracted crowds of people. It was a big deal. Eventually it floated off and started melting down, but it was quite the sight to see for a while. 

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/world-famous-iceberg-drifting-from-newfoundland-town-mayor-says-1.3382554