The day we drove from Watson Lake to Whitehorse we passed through the small village of Teslin, home of the longest bridge on the Alaska highway.

The longest bridge on the Alaska highway in Teslin, Yukon.

I have since learned that of the approximately 450 people who live in Teslin, I know two of them. Or I used to.

About 20 years ago, my parents were friends with Brenda and Richard Oziewicz. Brenda was technically my boss when I worked at the local library as a teenager. We lost touch sometime after the Oziewiczes moved to Whitehorse. Before we left, my parents tried finding their contact information but had no luck. None of us remembered how to spell their name other than my mother's helpful "I think it has two zeds." When you type "I think it has two zeds" under name in an online directory I'm pretty sure it tells you to buzz off.

Last week I was looking though the Yukon publication, North of Ordinary and I was feeling somewhat dismayed at the high quality of photography and writing in the magazine. I was hoping to swoop in with my photojournalism background and take the Yukon by storm. Wouldn't you know there are quite a few great photographers up here. Darn. I flipped to an article about soap making, think maybe that would be the way to go (there are some great soap makers too) when the name Brenda Oziewicz popped out at me. Brenda had owned a soap making business.

Armed with the correct spelling of Oziewicz (yes, there are two zeds mom) I quickly looked up their phone number. After a few bouts of phone tag we connected and learned some more about the Yukon, heard about some great places to canoe and camp out of Teslin and we promised to get together the next time we were all in Whitehorse. They also reconnected with my parents. Now I know a total of two people in the Yukon and the north is not such a lonely place.