"The funkiest part of the city is Old Town, with its historical buildings, many of which house pubs, restaurants and souvenir shops with names like the Wildcat Cafe and Trappers Cabin. In summer, two- to four-day cruises leave from the government dock and sail the waters around Yellowknife Bay and Great Slave Lake," Roberts writes.

Roberts picked up a "spiffy new Dodge Ram 2500 V10 Club Cab at White Bear Chrysler (in Yellowknife) and after a few quick instructions, we were on our way."

He drove east and back on the Ingraham Trail. Then he took the pickup for a cruise west of Yellowknife.

"Almost immediately outside Yellowknife, pavement gave way to hard-packed dirt. In no time, a fine red powder coated the squeaky-clean black truck. The highways, in fact alternated about 50/50 between pavement and dirt, although always well-maintained," he wrote.

The pickup sailed through Rae, down the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, north of Fort Providence.

Then they went to Fort Simpson, Fort Resolution and their destination -- Fort Smith.