Hay River and Wood Buffalo National Park

Late Summer in the NWT

Lacey the wonder watchdog

August colors  and calm

Moonrise over Great Slave Lake-Hay River campground about 10pm

Wood Buffalo Habitat-Salt Plains

Golden Eagle Nest-local adaptation

Suggestions of autumn in the leaves

Afternoon reflections on our way home

Our trip via the Waterfall Route (south of the Great Slave Lake) took us to and through Hay River and on to Fort Smith, the southern most community in the Northwest Territories, just above the Alberta border. And not incidentally, along one of the few roads through the Wood Buffalo National Park, a World Heritage Site (and home not only to the bison, but also one of the last known nesting grounds of the endangered whooping crane and the northern most reach of the migratory white pelicans). Perhaps ironically, we saw alot more buffalo up close and personal along the side of the road from Yellowknife to Fort Providence (it borders the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary) than we saw via the telescopes overlooking the Salt Plains of the National Park...but must admit the buffalo looked more relaxed grazing on the plains in the distance.  No crane or pelican sightings on this trip (we hear that fly-in trips are typically needed to net those), but we did see creative use of the telephone lines by golden eagles, and at least one red fox checking us out along the way.  And more than a hint of the turning season ahead...

Words to live by

Scoping the Buffalo grazing on the Salt Plains