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The ExploreNorth Blog
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The writer is a resident of Canada's Yukon Territory with a passion for Exploring the North. This blog is one of the vehicles used to share that passion through words and images.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'commerce'
From the Sea to the Peaks
Whenever I have a bit of time to spare, I drive down to the Coast Guard Station at YVR to see if a particular piece of equipment is there so I can get a photo. This morning I finally got lucky. Back in 1997, the crew of this hovercraft very likely sa...
Alaska Highway Gas Prices
Here are some prices seen for regular gas along the Alaska Highway between May 7 and May 9 (going south from Whitehorse): Teslin: 99.9 Swift River: 99.9 Nugget City: 119.9 Junction 37: 106.9 Watson Lake: 102.9 (Tags) to 105.9 (PetroCan) Contac...
A Day in Calgary - Shopping Heaven
Today was a fun day in town. We dropped the girls off at school and went shopping There are a whole lot of things that Whitehorse does very well, but although shopping is a world better than it was a decade ago, it’s still pretty dismal. On ou...
Expedia CruiseShipCenters Yukon
The storefront part of Kim and Erik Hougen’s new business on 2nd Avenue in Whitehorse doesn’t open for a month yet but things are going full-tilt. The signs went up on the building on Tuesday and that evening there was an open house for p...
Please Take Your $$ and Go Away
I’ve been dealing with the same tire shop in Whitehorse for over 15 years. I’m a pretty low-maintenance customer - they’ve always given me good advice, good deals and good service, and I don’t waste their time. Two weeks ago, ...
An Alaska Dog Sled Tour Operator to Avoid
Going on a dog sled tour is a dream trip for many people around the world, and the Yukon and Alaska are 2 of the places most dreamed out. They are also 2 of the most expensive places to go mushing, and I feel very sorry for people who get ripped off ...
Spring Fever - Get Outside!!
Early Spring, when Yukoners and Alaskans try to blow the winter cobwebs out of their brains. It looks like everyone is on the road this weekend. On Friday we went to Carcross and I dug my way into the long-neglected cabin through thigh-deep snow. It ...
The New Mystery Store in Whitehorse
Those of you who drive up 2nd Avenue in Whitehorse may have been wondering what’s going on behind Erik’s Audiotronic. Well, this is going to be the home of a new company in town - one in a field that may surprise many of you. Although tou...
Ticketmaster - Quit Your Whining, Quit Your Buying
On the TV news last night were more people whining about “Ticketbastard” and their evil ways of scalping tickets through subsidiary Ticketsnow (which they bought for $265 million in January ‘08). Come on people, let’s look at ...
How to Piss Off Taxpayers - Lesson #1
I really hate getting emails from Yukon Gov’t email addresses from employees conducting private business. Sometimes I forward the email to the gov’t HR department to do with as they please, but I was in a good mood when one arrived a few ...
Chain Store Silliness
I went down to Canadian Tire yesterday, thinking about buying a snowblower - shovels just can’t keep up with the white crap this year in the many places that my truck-mounted plow can’t get to. What did I find instead? The front of the st...
Meshing the Yukon and Heavy Metal
Even now and then I get involved in a project whose end result thoroughly pleases me. About 2 years ago, I got an email from a fellow in New Jersey who was looking for some caribou images for a CD he and his band were producing. To make a long story ...
New Web Site: Grizzly Creek Lodge
I’ve just finished building a new Web site for a high-end, fly-in fishing lodge located east of Watson Lake, Yukon. It’s always a pleasure dealing with folks like Dave and Reggie - people who have the passion and the knowledge of the land...
Jail Terms for Gas Gouging?
There aren’t jail sentences for gas gouging in Canada, but there should be. The situation in Dawson City is absolutely appalling. While we pay in the area of 85 cents per liter in Whitehorse, in Dawson the cost is $1.31!! While “transport...
Cute Pet Checks
I don’t use checks very often anymore (pretty much everything is done online), but was looking for Northern or husky checks this morning anyway. Along the way, I found these cats -aren’t they cute? (they’re from Bradford, who also ...
Dog Owners - Dentabone Alert
I’ve been keeping this a secret for a while, but my cupboard is loaded now so here you go. The Whitehorse Canadian Tire has 10-packs of Dentabones on for $3.39. We’re used to paying in the $13 range for them, and even at that price are ha...
Back at the Kitchen, and Snow
I got back to work on the kitchen in the city house today. There’s a lot to do yet, but the timing feels good. The complicated part of the corner cabinet is now done (another pair of hands would sure have been useful in assembling it!). A pot c...
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales!
Over at my ExploreShoppingOnline.com Blog starting right now, I’ll be posting dozens of huge sales that are running online for the next 4 days. I’m busy sorting through hundreds of emails and Web sites looking for the biggest discounts av...
Amazon.ca Now Has Electronics
Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I get a lot of stuff at Amazon.com, and there have been comments from some of my Canadian readers about the fact that Amazon.ca only sells books. Well, that’s no longer true - Can...
Need an Online Map of Your Home or Business?
I got an email yesterday about a free mapping/business card site that might be of use to some of you. “Schmap.Me is a free solution that lets property managers and agents quickly and professionally share a map and contact details with clients v...
Environmental Concern or just Big Business??
“Find out what you can do about global warming. Look inside to learn more.” That’s the unsolicited message in my mail from the David Suzuki Foundation today. His is the 4th such message I’ve gotten in the past few days - other...
Some of My New Web Sites
I’ve been building Web sites like mad lately, both for clients and myself. Click on the screen shots below to go the additions of the past few days - the Guide to Fort Nelson, BC; Pearson Dental Group’s redesign; ImageExplorers stock phot...
Panamá Dreaming
As the snow gets deeper and deeper, my mind occasionally wanders to warm places, and last night I ended up in Costa Rica, where friends of mine are developing property, and then in Panamá. I love history as much as I love warm beaches, and I discove...
Spread the Frustration & Despair!
Pretend you’re a big-shot journalist and spread the pain around, but with t-shirts and posters - From BIGDOGS.com: or… From Despairwear (”Wear Your Heartlessness on Your Sleeve”): From The Onion Store (̶...
Add Flair to Your Postcards & Scrapbooks
For many people, sending postcards to the folks back home is part of the fun of travel. For a rapidly-growing number of travellers, creating scrapbooks when they get back home helps cement and even enhance the memories. Wouldn’t it be great to ...
Canadians - Don’t Panic
After staying fairly stable for much of the Wall Street crisis, my RSP funds have suffered staggering losses this week as people panic and bail out of the markets. Depending on what you’ve invested in, that may be a good idea, but probably not....
Where Wealthy Men Meet Beautiful Women
The modern world is full of paradoxical situations, and sex and dating is one of the oddest. In North America and Europe in particular, sex in the media is getting more and more blatant - the new TV series Californication being one of the best exampl...
