Uh oh... A bit of a dilemma...

Just a touch of a hiccup in my newest plan.  Not that it’s a new problem, because it’s not.  It’s been my first concern ever since this idea (moving to Whitehorse part way through my year) popped into my head!  Considering i won’t have my car to move my stuff from one place to the other... (never mind i couldn’t drive in January anyway, if that was the moving time)... just how do i get to Whitehorse from Yellowknife?  I mean really... they’re both WAY up north in Canada... it can’t be that far, can it?  

Well, have you looked at a map?  It’s an 1880 km drive!!  It’s almost as far to drive from one to the other (horizontally across the map), than vertically from Vancouver all the way UP there!  Canada is a big country... 2nd largest country in the world (after Russia).  I already knew this, but it really sinks in when you try to go from one part of it to the other!  And we're talking about only the far west side of it!

Check out the air fares?  Cost is anywhere from $500 to well over $1000!  Does nothing go directly from one city to the other?  It seems as if you have to go to Calgary & all the way down to Vancouver, then back up again!  Surely not.  Anyway, price & route, etc aside, that’s not the main problem.  It’s packing.  How on earth do i fit my stuff... (stuff that i’ll need for an entire year mind you.. this isn’t ‘just’ a short trip!)... into a mere couple of suitcases?  Can i take a large suitcase AND a large backpack for cargo PLUS a carry-on onto the plane at least?  

I mean, there’s the clothing... i really want to take my long skirts, whose bulk take up almost the entire suitcase just on their own!  Lol.  Never mind a variety of tops, sweaters, dresses, sleepwear (both summer AND cushy warm winter... OH that housecoat alone is very light weight-wise, but SO bulky!)  Then there’s my hats.. i want to take a good variety of them... gotta have SOME fun up there!  A couple of my Starbucks mugs (i can’t live without them!), a small sampling of my collections (i can’t live a year without them either!).  My netbook.. my traveling scale (so i can keep control of my weight hopefully). My favourite cookbook or two, and art books.  What about art supplies on top of all this??  OH!  I forgot about the bulky parka & clunky Sorel boots! (thanks ladybug... i did get some on sale @ 3 Vets this last weekend!... i hope the -40 rating is ok!)... OH NO!  And my 'beanie' pillow!  I can't live even one night without my enormously heavy & bulky 'husks' pillow!  *sigh* And the list goes on!!  All into just a couple of suitcases??

Well anyway, i’ve got to fit it all in somehow!  Just in case i DO do this mid-season thing.  I am just NOT good at downsizing... as much as i’d love to do it!  Hehe.  I’ll probably moan about this a few more times as time marches on...  :-)

Starbucks in Whitehorse... Just FYI... :-P

View Larger Map MAN i love 'Street View'! Just click on the picture and hold, while you move your mouse... you can look around the entire area! Or even move down the street to look further down! Just an incredible tool! It really give you a feel of the area before you go!

That said... this area is really cute! But the rest of Whitehorse seems to be pretty spread out, with no apartments in this area (which is where i'd want to live). Hmmm. There seems to be more 'downtown living' in Yellowknife... IF my Street View 'walkabout' there is accurate...

Great White North Dreams & Plans...

This is my first post for this blog...

I’ve had this dream, on and off for many, many years now. More like a deep yearning. I feel like the Great White North is calling me. Amber... Aaaaaaamber... Which honestly perplexes me, because i’ve become SUCH a wimp living here in Vancouver, BC, a temperate rain forest. I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, so i do know about snow. Problem is, i want to forget it. Twenty some-odd years here, and i’ve grown to expect that snow belongs on the top of mountains, and rain (and the occasional sunny day) belongs down here with me. If i want snow (and i don’t), i’ll go up on the mountain!

So, how on earth do i think that i can go live North of 60, by myself, in an igloo (kidding), with frigid cold & snow for a good part of the year, and lots of lonely darkness? I have no idea! I guess all i can do right now is dream (i am an incurable dreamer) and maybe, just maybe i’ll have the guts to follow through on the adventure of a lifetime. Move to Yellowknife, find a room, find a job, find some friends, and actually live that dream alongside the dancing lights!

Why Yellowknife? Well, considering i'm not American and couldn't live my first choice in Skagway, Alaska (i love the ocean), i had originally planned on Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Because it’s a bigger city, has a big art scene, and.... well yeah, it has a Starbucks. There, i said it. But i was warned of standing water and bugs in Whitehorse, and that the bugs weren’t as bad in Yellowknife because of moving water. Don’t know how accurate that is, but once my brain was turned in the direction of Yellowknife, NWT.... well... you guessed it.... i HAD to have that polar bear shaped license plate for my car. Yes, that was the deciding factor. Bite me.

Sooooo, let’s just see what exactly i’m made of. No matter what that is though... Adventurous Animal or Whimpering Wuss... it will still be an adventure!

This is me... May/10... AA or WW? Only time will tell!