The Great Mackenzie River

Today was a day for a road trip and shopping. In the company of two friends from here (nurse and spouse) we hit the road, bound for Fort Providence. We stopped first in Enterprise and went to Winnie's gift shop, where I had spent a fair bit the last time I was there. I didn't buy anything other than a chocolate bar there today...I was destined for different shops this time. So we pushed on to the Fort Providence winter road. The detour is shown here. It doesn't cross where the ferry does due to warm water currents causing open water. The place where we crossed was massive in width. Portion cleared was about the size of an 8 lane highway (4 each way), to make room for all the trucks that must cross at a crawl (25kms/hr). We stopped partway out, and took some photos I've posted here. Then we headed across to Big River Truck Stop, and had some lunch. The food was fairly good, the usual truck stop greasy fare. Two of us had the hot turkey sandwich and the missus told us she roasted the turkey herself. Off we were headed to Fort Providence, where I finally bought something in their gift shop. I bought a ready to frame piece of artwork - moose hair tufting. It is a lovely piece as you can see from the photo, but it cannot be truly appreciated until you can see it in person and admire the bristled texture of the artwork. I bought my last moose hair tufting at Winnie's in Enterprise. I saw this boat trapped in the snowbank at the side of the road...it is not the ferry.