Fort Simpson (Oct 08/04) - Vast distances separate Deh Cho communities. There's no disputing that.

Places like Yellowknife and Edmonton are even farther away. To get anywhere, students from this region hop on a bus, as they did last Friday to attend the NWT Cross Country Running Championships in Fort Providence.

It's not always a pleasant experience. That reminder came when teacher/track coach Val Gendron announced prior to departure: "If you're going to get sick, tell us beforehand."

She points out that an empty bucket is among the overhead cargo, just in case anybody can't keep their breakfast down. For the record, the bucket wasn't needed on this trip.

The bus gets rolling around 7:40 a.m. Students, sitting in the comfy full-length seats, chat excitedly. The volume shoots off the scale when some of the children decide to recite a rhyme or cheer wildly.

One of the reasons to cheer is to communicate their choice in movies.

The P.R. Contracting motor coach is equipped with a VCR and television monitors. The younger students are extremely vocal in support of Babe: Pig in the City. It was the first movie to play, much to the chagrin of the older students, who occupy the back of the bus.

That was followed by the animated feature The Emperor's' New Groove.

Some of those who aren't interested in what is on the screen have smaller screens of their own -- hand-held video games. Vince Tsetso, 12, moves his thumbs at lightning speed playing Zelda. Asked if he likes being on the road, he replies, "Yeah. I like the bus rides, just travelling."

Across the aisle, Dayan Burrill, 14, says she prefers to sleep to pass the time. When she's tired, she inserts the earphones from her Discman, blocks out the surrounding noise and lets Jessica Simpson's sultry voice lead her to the land of Nod.

"Reading's another option," she says.

A few rows up, 10-year-olds Chantal Cazon and Kayla Desjarlais slump in their seats and giggle regularly. They would only reveal they are talking about "stuff."

Snacks such as orange slices and juice are handed out to the students.

Pee breaks aren't necessary as the bus is equipped with it's own on-board bathroom.

The bison herds near Fort Providence don't have the luxury of indoor plumbing.

As the bus rounds the corner and the students eagerly look out the windows for a glimpse of the massive beasts, the foul odour of fresh bison dung temporarily invades the cabin.

"Oooh, it stinks," one student said.

"That was nasty," another adds.

Bus driver, are we there yet?