Eagle Plains to Inuvik - Wednesday August 31, 2011

How's this for Mud?

Well I guess it was inevitable that some "less-than- stellar" weather was going to catch up to us! We have been living a charmed life on that score now for 20 straight days and like all runs-of-luck, they run out at the most critical moments. (i.e., when you happen to be on the most challenging part of the Dempster Highway).

After a not so great breakfast at the Eagle Plains lodge (the cook obviously had no idea how to poach eggs) we packed up yet again and hit a wet and very slick road with a consistency of hot fudge. Glad we have 4 wheel drive! Off course, like most public works organizations that supposedly operate in the best interests of the travelling public, the local highway maintenance crew was out plowing up the wet road just outside of Eagle Plains and making it worse.

"Aortic Cat"

Fifty-three kms to the Arctic circle carefully climbing into the Richardson Mountains as we went. We arrived there without incident and were welcomed by a break in the clouds.

And the fall scenery was as usual, "Amazing".










We met Karen and Marvin at the Arctic Circle pull-off. They were expertly changing a flat tire on their twin axle trailer when we arrived and were on their way home to Inuvik after being on holidays for six weeks. I had been wondering how people with large rigs handled flats and Karen (who has a class 1 truckers license) showed us a trick whereby you run the inflated tire on the side of the trailer with the flat up onto a block of wood just high enough so that the flat tire clears the ground and then place a jack under the axle carrying the flat tire and away you go!

While we were admiring the view, Tony from Germany showed up on his motor cycle covered in mud and obviously having the time of his life sliding around on the road behind us. (Crazy!!).

We all left the pull-off together with Karen and Marvin in the lead ( let the experienced drivers show the way). About a mile later we saw them pull over and bail out of their vehicle, Karen with camera in hand and Marvin climbing the ladder to the roof of their trailer. Unfortunately we arrived too late to glimpse the two grizzlies Karen managed to photograph disappearing over a nearby ridge.  Clearly their willingness to leap out of their vehicle meant that these people do not see grizzlies as being a threat to life and limb. This was confirmed when Karen related that she had won a photo contest a couple of years ago with a picture of a grizzly feeding off a dead caribou a mere twenty feet away from her. (Crazy!!).

The road meandered up into the clouds until we reached the Yukon/NWT boarder, at which point we began our decent, through what was now a dense fog, into the Mackenzie Delta where the weather (according to Karen) was beautiful.

As we traveled down hill (slowly at first) the visibility and the road began to improve until we emerged at the first of two ferries that cross the winding Mackenzie river just south of Fort McPherson.  As you can see from the following picture this cable ferry is little more than a landing craft with a gate that drops onto the available dirt embankment.  The captain has to frequently maneuver the boat into position depending on the type of vehicle attempting to board. In our case we had to be very careful and attentive to the position of our trailer hitch as we boarded and disembarked (still managed to drag the hitch foot on the ground, fortunately with no damage).

 

After a quick lunch at the brand new but unmanned travel information centre on the other side, we headed off to the second ferry some 57kms further north at  a pretty town named Tsiighetchic (pronounced siga-chick).

Tsiighetchic

According to a young member of the road maintenance crew who accompanied us across the river on the ferry, Tsiighetchic is a "dry town" (i.e., no booze). I later learned from a communicative seven year old in Inuvik, that this really meant that there was no liquor store in town. She (Brittany) was from  Tsiighetchic and was staying in Inuvik with relatives while her dad was trying to "sober up"! Tough stuff for a seven year old to give voice to.

The 122 km road from Tsiighetchic to Inuvik, through the delta, was well used, well maintained, straight, flat and boring. Known as "rabbit alley" because of the many arctic hares seen along the way, the road was good enough to allow speeds of up to 90km/hr. (my speed, everyone else flies along at 120kms or more). At this point after almost 9 hours on the road (counting wait time at the ferries) we were happy to make the final reckless "dash" to our final destination.

The scenery perks up a bit as we approached Inuvik and the fall colours (to the extent that they exist up here, mostly yellow) were on the verge of being at their best.

We finally moved on to paved road at the point where the Dempster intersects with the turn-off to the Inuvik airport. After a few yards I was wishing we were back on the gravel road as this portion of the highway was in immediate need of repair as it heaved and turned like a roller coaster making the trailer hitch groan despite the road's smooth appearance.

But we had made it!

Welcome home to Inuvik.

Tombstone to Eagle Plains - August 30, 2011

Even though we were camped in a valley along a fast running stream bed the sun did not disappear behind the surrounding mountains until well after 9:00Pm. It was after midnight before things started to get dark in the tent. With the loss of sunlight the temperature began to plummet. By morning there was a hard frost covering everything and the surface of our tent (despite a good fly) was soaked by the condensation created by the cold outside and the relatively warm bodies inside. When this happens you have to be careful not to touch the tent ceiling when exiting to answer the somewhat painful call of nature (brought on by an unwillingness to leave the warmth of one's sleeping bag) as the surface tension created by the waterproofing on the outside surface of the tent is broken and you suddenly spring a leak.  This normally happens when you first wake up in a semi-comatose condition having forgotten where you are and you stretch arms on high and oops, touch the tent right over your head and the Chinese water torture begins.

Marci and I suddenly realized that if we were cold in the tent then Lucy, housed in a metal container called a car, was probably even colder. Despite my resistance to the physical pain I had tolerated for at least an hour, concern for  Lucy was sufficient motivation to extricate my body out of my bag as quickly as possible. This well intentioned and selfless move was severely hampered by a painful leg cramp that forced a delay in the action as I threw myself back onto my air mattress, cramped leg straight up in the air (oops touched the tent!) gritting my teeth and trying to remain civil at the same time (lots of people in the camp ground at close proximity and sound carries in a canyon).

When I retrieved Lucy out of the car and held her to my chest for warmth she was trembling, whether it was from the cold or my somewhat rapid and aggressive, quick-unlock-the-car-and-grab-the-cat, attitude I'm not sure. I think it was the former as she stayed curled up with Marci in her sleeping bag until it was time to get a move on about an hour later.

As soon as the sun cleared the hill to the east of us its warmth quickly melted the frost on every thing including cold grumpy me. you can't stay unhappy for too long in a place like this.

The sodden tent and fly folded into a plastic (Canadian Tire, not Walmart) tote to be dried out later, a quick breakfast of cereal, fruit and yogurt, and we were off to our next stop at Eagle Plains some 300kms away.

The day started off well weather wise but on our arrival at Ogilvie Ridge we could see showers beginning to develop. Not good as one experienced Dempster traveller told me later, "I would rather eat dust all day than drive through slick Dempster mud."

Well we only had to endure a few harmless spits before reaching Eagle Plains 107kms further on, for which we were grateful as the road took a turn for the worse and became significantly more difficult to negotiate because of areas of sharp rocks protruding out of the crown of the road which could easily cause major tire damage especially to the trailer if we did not significantly reduce our speed and increase our collective focus on the road rather than the scenery. This was unfortunate because this part of the road runs along a high ridge all the way to Eagle Plains which affords  spectacular views like this.















Seven hours to cover 300kms, average speed 43kms/hr, with a few less photo ops maybe we could have upped it to 50kms/hr but not much more. We arrived at Eagle Plains around 5:00pm just as a significant downpour was about to arrive. According to the folks working here, it has been raining all summer, very strange for a normally semi-arid environment.

Fuel Tanks- Gasoline, Diesel, Heating & Avgas

For those that are interested in plying the Dempster the following interview on YouTube of the person  in charge (whom we met) is very informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YubRZCO3tk

Our only complaint with the accommodation at Eagle Plains was that the heat is always on. When we opened the door to our room we were met with a blast of hot air reminiscent of all the "hot air" in Toronto.

After supper the rain came in earnest! Looks like we won't be eating dust tomorrow!!!

Good Bye Dawson City Hello Tombstone - Monday August 29, 2011

After picking up a few groceries and enjoying a great breakfast at the Triple J Hotel, Marci, Lucy and I (might as well admit to the fact that the Cat forms an integral and identifiable member of our expedition) headed up to the top of Dome Mountain to enjoy the "recommended-by-everyone" view. It was a beautiful morning as we coaxed the toyota and trailer up the steep and seemingly endless climb to the summit. as you can see the trip was worth it!

The next stop was the "last chance" ($1.77 /litre) gas station at the start of the Dempster Highway some 40km back down the Klondike Highway from Dawson City. $94.00 to top up the tank and fill our 20litre spare tank. The next gas is 370Kms up the Dempster at Eagle Plains. Road conditions and several long climbs through two mountain ranges dictate the need for extra gas especially when towing a trailer. 

Our plan was to spend two and a half days driving the 700Kms to Inuvik. Our first destination was Tombstone Territorial Park only 70Km up the road. We arrived at the interprtive centre at around 3:30pm on Tuesday. The centre was established two years ago at an old gravel pit used to source material for the highway.

After finding a campsite into which I was capable of successfully backing up the trailer, we set up camp.

The next task was getting the cook stove going and preparing supper, vegitables and cooked hamburger over rice noodles.

Then finally to enjoy the results in an idealic setting.

And an after-dinner walk in paradise!

Before retiring for the evening we locked all food and other "consumbles" in the trailer and bedded Lucy down in the car with her food, water and private commode lest she too attract the attention of possible night-time merauders looking for an easy meal. 

So ended our first and easiest day on the Dempster. The real fun was yet to come on our way to Eagle Plains.

Dawson City - Sunday August 28, 2011

"


Supplies on board and trying to forget our brush with Walmart, with better weather in the offing further north we left Whitehorse in a miserable cold rain headed for Dawson City 532kms up the Klondike Highway .

"Walmart in Whitehorse" Truth is, that this is the real threat to our Arctic Sovereignty. What next? Walmart in Dawson City and Inuvik? Come on Hutch get your mind back to where it has been for the past week!!





As promised (on the weather Network) the weather and the scenery improved immensely the further north we proceeded. Great views at the Yukon River Valley and the TinTina Trench






Gas at Carmacs YT and lunch at Grandma's Kitchen at Pelly's Crossing. I went for the exotic and ordered a caribou hot dog (tough as leather).

As with all these highway stops a completely screened in enclosure is  provided for customers so they can enjoy their food away from the ever present swarms of bugs. Fortunately we seem to have avoided bug season.

One of our voracious followers commented that the night sky must be a spectacle of stars given the complete lack of ambient light int this part of the world. Fact is, we haven't seen any stars yet because the sun doesn't disappear sufficiently until after midnight even at this time of year, way past our bed time. This will not be the case for much longer at which point we will report back.

Arrived in Dawson City around 4:00pm local time, checked into a much too expensive cabin at Klondike Kates and went for a walk. Boardwalks and unpaved dusty streets added to the ambiance of this unabashed tourist trap of a town. At one point the dust precipitated back to earth during a brief sun shower and the visual effect was like watching a curtain of beads being lowered from the sky. Unfortunately I did  not have  a camera handy to get a picture (Damn!)

The curtain went up on the show at Diamond Tooth Gerdy's at 8:00pm sharp. We joined the rest of the old folks from the inland tour portion of Holland America Alaskan cruise and were plesantly surprised at the quality of the show and the Lasagna.






Tomorrow, a trip up Dome Mountain here in Dawson City and back along the highway about 40Kms to take on the Dempster.

Whitehorse - Saturday August 27, 2011

An hour and a half drive from Johnson’s Crossing put us in Whitehorse, a government funded town in a beautiful setting that left us with a sense that something was missing? (perhaps a personality) A nondescript day weather wise. Dreary cloud. The drive was nice but not outstanding.(we are spoiled).  However, the objective after checking into the Yukon Inn was to stock up on TP, detergent, cat food and litter (a year’s supply). 

The Great Canadian Super Store (GCSS - Loblaws) provided the human necessities and the cat litter but the cat food was another issue. 

Everything at the GCSS is super sized since many of the people shopping here come from afar and only visit two or three times a year so there is lots of “Stocking Up” going on. 

We visited four places looking for Lady Lucy’s preferred victuals with no luck. We even ventured into the Walmart (God save our pure Canadian Souls) based on the rumor that we would find it there. The agreement was that I would wait in the parking lot while Marci went into the store so that only one of us would be tainted. Anything for the “CAT”. We finally had to settle for something else at the “Feed Company” who’s proprietor was both knowledgable and helpful. She knew about supplying people from Inuvik with their year’s supply of various pet foods. She told us she would give us a credit for the unused food if Lucy did not like it, “just send it down with someone when they come shopping in Whitehorse” (1,250kms),she said, as if it happens all the time, which it probably does.

Getting all this stuff into the trailer required another repacking exercise. Balancing the heavy stuff (kitty litter, six cases of food and liquid detergent) at the rear to take some pressure off the trailer tongue. That’s it! No more stuff! The trailer has to survive the Dempster!! Remember???

Elk Stroganoff, half rack of ribs and a few beers on the propane heated patio of the Klondike Ribs and Salmon Restaurant on second street together with some good conversation with two aerial surveyors at the next table wound up our day.   

Liard River to Johnson’s Crossing

Awoke to a cool clear morning at the Liard River Lodge and quickly went to the car to check on Lucy who was really really happy to see me. Although she had her litter box, plenty of food and water and warm blankets to sleep on, she immediately curled up in my lap looking for body warmth to take off the chill her little body was obviously feeling. It is amazing how much this little animal has added to the enjoyment of this trip. 

Rather than have breakfast at the lodge restaurant Marci and I broke out the camp stove, boiled up some coffee and ate breakfast out of our cooler while Lucy explored the nearby woods on the end of her leash. 

While we were looking for an electrical outlet to run the coffee grinder (not a difficult task as every parking lot in this part of the world are wired for block heaters) Marci struck up a conversation with another guest at the lodge named Mike Ocko. Mike and his family are hauling a twin axel trailer filled with their worldly belongings behind a BFT  (Big F’n Truck) on their way home to Inuvik after living in Fort Simpson for the last 22 years. It sounds like they are are a similar travel schedule as we are so we may have company as we travel up the Dempster next week. 

After repacking and securing the tailer load for the third time, (practicing for the real test just before we hit the Dempster) we hit the road for the 520 Km trip to Johnson’s Crossing at the tip of Teslin Lake just east of Whitehorse. Lucy now has free run of the car while it is in motion and has chosen the lap of the person in the passenger seat as her preferred perch where she sleeps and preens herself for hours. But, as soon as we stop, she is ready to bail out and hunt down the local critters. 

The weather deteriorated significantly shortly after we met this guy and three black bears along the way. 

The countryside flattened out north of the Liard River and the scenery was much less spectacular than yesterday. By the time we got to the grocery store and gas station in Watson lake it was beginning to rain.

We arrived in Johnson’s Crossing (Bridge over the Teslin    River) at 5:30 local time and found, to our surprise, that the RV park and motel we had booked was a very clean, pet friendly but modest location (very small room) run by a lady named Andrea Underwood. Andrea also runs a bakery on the premises and serves simple but tasty home made fare.  Our surprise was based on diminished expectations resulting from our less than enthusiastic impressions of the more heavily advertised locations in the Village of Teslin (50 km before Johnson’s Crossing) that we had considered before deciding (on a whim) to book with Andrea. 

Life North of the oil patch is much harder than than further south. We saw a number of tourist locations that were closed down and more than one still in operation with “for sale” signs on them. The proprietor of the Toad Lake lodge where we stopped for gas, told me her business was down 30% from last year. She blames the US recession, the accompanying weak US dollar and the cost of fuel. 

Short Drive to Whitehorse tomorrow. 

Fort Nelson to Liard River - Thursday August 25, 2011

Magnificent, stupendous, unbelievable is just the start of the emotions evoked by the 320 Km drive along the Alaska Highway between Fort Nelson and the Liard River. 

Make sure someone else is driving if you come this way as the twists and turns demand the driver’s full attention leaving little time for enjoying the constantly changing vistas just around the next corner.

My brother Mike was moved to tears two summers ago as he entered the Rockies on the way to my sister Christine’s wedding in Canmore Alberta. Impressive scenery to be sure “but” this part of the Alaska Highway will turn Mike into a babbling brook when he gets here. There is no country on the face of the earth like Canada and this part of it testifies to that fact. Forget the ancient Romans or the Egyptian Pharaohs and their pyramids, nothing can match this priceless natural portrait that could only be painted by the hand of the almighty. Everyone needs to put this journey on their “bucket list”.  

The clear bright weather that seems to have been following us across this incredible country served to enhance our 360 degree high definition visual experience. As much as we tried, the accompanying pictures only hint at the reality of what we saw when we reached the highest point (1,267 metres) along the highway at Summit Pass. 

My previous complaint about the lack of wildlife has been remedied as Caribou, Stone Mountain Sheep and Wood Buffalo slowed us down in a number of locations along the way. 

Major reconstruction of the highway at Muncho Lake gave us a taste of the dust that we expect to see on the Dempster. Fortunately we were the second vehicle behind the “pilot” vehicle that led us through the 10Km long construction zone so we did not have to eat too much dirt. A look into our side view mirrors revealed that the large tread on our new mega tires was throwing up so much dust that we could not see the trailing vehicles.     

With all the construction delays and requirements for slow careful driving, it took us six hours to cover the 320kms to Liard River (in retrospect I wish we were still there). We checked into our room at the Liard River Lodge then immediately headed across the road to the Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park for a soothing dip in the sulphur hot springs ($5 per head, cheap at twice the price). It is a five minute walk along a board walk that winds through a warm water marsh from the park parking lot to the hot springs. The springs have remained as I remembered them from my last visit 25 years ago, quietly under developed and unspoiled.  

After passing the beware of the recently sighted bear sign, we were accompanied on our walk into the springs by three gentlemen and their wives from Minnesota who were driving three large semi-trailers loaded with Arctic Cat snow machines destined for Alaska. They had just negotiated the same twists and turns on the highway that we had and were glad to be off the road. They all admitted to preferring the straight and flat roads they normally drive in the US midwest but were also flabbergasted at the beauty of the country they had just driven through. 

The hot springs were glorious. the top two or three inches of water are very hot and can be moderated by reaching down and bringing cooler water up from the bottom of the stream with your hands. All the older distinguished grey-haired gentlemen in the pool seemed to be concentrated at the “hot” end near the source. The relief I felt in my sore lower back and shoulders was immediate. Unfortunately it is not recommended to spend too much time in water at these temperatures because of the potential for elevated heart rate and its resulting effects which often causes people to pass out for a spell as happened to one fellow while we were there who had stayed in a little too long. 

The menu at  the lodge restaurant was limited so we went for the highly recommended (by the waitress) shepherds pie. It was both plentiful and good. Stuffed, we headed for an early night. Unfortunately Lucy had to sleep in the car as the Lodge had a no pet rule. To say the least she was a lot more sedate about it than another guest’s pet retriever who was quite upset at being forced to sleep in his owner’s truck and let everyone within in earshot know about his displeasure for quite awhile before accepting his fate and settling down. 

Tomorrow, on to Johnson’s Crossing in the Yukon.