Yellowknife Adventure Day -5

I've ruminated on whether this should be called Yellowknife, NWT, Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights Adventure.  We wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for the hope that seeing the Northern Lights is on the mental bucket list.  But seeing them isn't promised.  And regardless of whether the stars align (or at least one nearby star aligns) to allow them to be seen, it will be a Yellowknife Adventure.

Planning for this started long ago.  Since a motorcycle was out for this, I didn't want to go someplace that it would be feasible to drive to.  I've already been to Fairbanks and Whitehorse.  Churchill in Manitoba was the original destination, but jeepers did it bring a unique set of issues.  The organized events there were shockingly expensive.  And the self-organized option was difficult to non-existent, while the non-organized was terrifyingly sketchy.  This belief was backed up by one of my Canadian friends who had recently been to that city.  He had some unique opinions ... yet had made it work for himself and his family in a way that I wasn't willing to.
But Yellowknife had good information, plenty of places to stay - including some unique options.  So many months ago Google flights showed us options on how to get there.  The largest airports with direct flights are Calgary and Edmonton and even getting to those cities is a bit of work, meaning a 2-stop trip is the only option.

There are three more work days to survive, and with management saying one thing while doing another, I'm ready to tell everyone to go screw themselves for a few days.

T-5 days, the intermediate aurora forecast looks fortuitous.  There is a minor solar storm predicted which, if it holds together, brings the possibility of good conditions for the Northern Lights.  And the weather forecast suggests at least a reasonable likelihood of a few night-time cloud breaks.
I'll take it; the sun is on the downward trajectory of activity in its 11-year cycle.  So if it doesn't happen this time, it will probably be a few years until another attempt would be made to see the aurora.

Unlike two years ago where spring at home was traded for the wildly varying weather in Hawaii, this year the trade for spring will be back to winter.  So be it.  Let the Yellowknife Adventure begin.