Under the Stars
On our last night in Uranium city i wanted to spend some time capturing the ice roads in their element - amongst the stars. In the early evening we set out west with the printed google map in hand. I had a gut feeling where to navigate and sometimes that’s all you have in the middle of nowhere.
Twenty minutes of driving and we finally arrived at our destination: The last active road before being dumped out onto the ice road again. The only settlement was roughly 80-100 kms north west, a small coastal community Camsell Portage ( All of which are connected by the ice-roads during the winter.)
We drove out another couple of kilometers onto the ice. The snow crunching beneath my tires was a welcoming sound - we weren't going to need skates to keep our balance.
As i was setting up my tripod a small red ford pickup truck heading north slowed and stopped. A couple stepped out and had a bewildered look about them. “Your a long way from home arnt you?” The driver said with a cheeky grin - he was an elder for sure, but his youthful banter hid the age lines. “Yah were from Alberta, ive wanted to come here for years and share its stories with rest of Canada. So many people just don’t know any of this exists.” He smiled and we chatted for a while about story telling, hockey, and driving thousands of kilometers just to photograph snow and ice. My dad I were mesmerized by this spiritual individual.
Before he and his wife jumped in the ford and drove off, he rolled down his window and shouted: “Never stop telling stories, its your calling.” He looks up “I think the sky is going to dance for you.” And they were gone.
When darkness hit, something magical happened. We were tired, cold and ready to pack up after shooting the stars - but mother nature wasnt finished. As if someone flicked a switch the northern lights appeared and danced for us for another couple of hours. It was truly one of the most memorable send offs of my life.
