Twin Lakes to Hay River, Northwest Territories: paddling anyone?

As we were leaving our campsite, Pete, the campsite manager, came by to chat. He told us that there haven't been many campers recently because of bad weather. Just a month ago, they had a wind and hail storm that destroyed the place. Golfball sized hail does not make for return customers, I guess. Pete suggested we go down the road to the Twin Lakes Lodge for coffee before we set off into the mist. Let me tell you, this "lodge" is a little diamond in the middle of nowhere on the Mackenzie Highway. It was totally unmarked, and the only way you'd know anybody was that there was a tiny "open" sign out front. Their marketing squad isn't too stellar, apparently. Coffee and breakfast were great--homemade bread and the kind company of our hostess, Rosie. They even put out a newsletter called Gone Fishin' to let everyone know what is up in the area. The population is 4.

We made it to the border after riding through fog and blustery winds. I was getting blown all over the road. Had I flown off the highway, i think the landing would have been soft and splashy; the route was plunked down on a marsh for miles and miles...I have no idea how they built this road. Our electric jackets that we wear under our outer coats were essential today, as it was only about 45 degrees.

Oooh, look! A yummy, fluffy playwave, perfect for paddling. Errrr...is that a horizon line I see below?


Oh, yes it is. It is Alexandra Falls on the Hay River. Believe it or not, somebody ran this in 2003 but his sprayskirt blew off and he had to swim, so it didn't "count". Two other fearless young men, one from Montana and one from California, ran this in 2007. Rush Sturges, from California, wound up in the cave behind the falls. Scary, but he made it out OK. The Missoulan, Tyler Bradt, worked all 107 feet of it, setting a world record for the time being. In April of this year, he nailed a 186-footer in Eastern Washington, breaking the existing record of 127 feet.

And Louise Falls is just a few kilometers downriver.

We will be spending the night in Hay River, NWT, on Great Slave Lake. My little DR 650 is running like a top (knock on wood), but Mark is having some excessive chain wear and oil leakage on his KTM. He spent some time working on these issues. Team mechanic, don't fail me now!

Odometer: 2279