Lee has a new ball cap!

What a neat, simple, indigenous place.

We met the mayor, who owns a souvenir shop up there. As a side note, he offered that having been taken to a residential school (in Inuvik) was the best thing that ever happened to him. HIs reason - it taught him order and structure which kids don't learn at home in indigenous homes. He noted that the group of kids who were taken to that school are now the leaders and business people in Tuk.

So there we are. The Arctic Ocean. Lee had wanted to see this since he was a kid. Canada's third ocean, and there it was. Nothing spectacular, no Timmies or fancy hotels. Just an Arctic Ocean sign, a descriptive marker and a sign noting we are at "the end of the road". There are a few picnic benches, portable toilets and a smattering of other visitors, perhaps seven or weight units in all. We saw license plates from Alberta, California, Ontario and Spain. The Spanish couple and their three kids have been on the road for four years - they started out in Argentina!

A very interesting gentleman was in the local Tuk Souvenir shop - the Mayor! He gave us quite the perspective of residential schooling he encountered in Inuvik. This is quite a different perspective than we have been given from others.

Our Michelins did us proud.

We had some serious forest fire smoke north of Eagle Plains as we headed back to Dawson City. As we got about 50 clicks further south it cleared. At least and at last we had fresh air to breathe!