Day 23 June 15, 2006? Day trip Dawson City to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada
? ? ? ? ? ?Well folks today we? detoured? from our trip to Alaska and what an adventure.? We started off to breakfast at 6 am and were on the road by 7 am heading up the Dempster Highway.? This highway was completed in? 1979 by the oil companies? to? provide a road to? their oil and petroleum fields.? It is unique in that it is built upon a gravel berm anywhere from 4 foot to eight feet high to insulate the permafrost from the road.? Without this gravel base the perma frost would thaw and the road would? sink into the ground. It is gravel? almost all the 460 miles. One could take their motorhome on it but it would be filthy from the underside up and inside out.? The highway heads north of Dawson city and ends at the northernmost of all of Canada's cities, Inuvik.? I saw the most spectacular scenery I’ve ever seen today.? The massive ecosystem of tundra and miles and miles of untouched wilderness were beyond anything I could have imagined and pictures can’t capture the magnitude or the size of this land.? Not a phone pole or electric lines,? Just nature.? There were places I could stand and turn in a circle and see mountain ranges after mountain range for 360 degrees.? It is pretty this time of year as the snow-melt contrasts with the fuzzy green of the tundra.? The scraggly trees point all directions as the perma frost cause them to freeze and thaw and point in all directions.? It was a long day and we traded off driving .? During the first 10 miles of this road we saw 1 bear, one deer, one porcupine and scenery to die for.? When it was my turn to drive we rounded a corner and there right at the side of the road sat a bear smiling.? He posed for Terry who threw his coffee cup, The Milepost on the floor? in excitement to catch the shot.? Wow.? We crossed four mountain ranges.? We saw several Arctic hares(rabbits), two things I think were mink but Terry thinks they might have been marmots.? We’ll have to look in a book to identify them for certain.? ?At mile 252 from our start we reached 66 33 lat long.? This was the ARCTIC Circle for heavens sake.? “Who’d a thunk!” as Margi would say!? I thought we were going to Alaska this summer and today I was on the Arctic Circle and heading north.? We had beautiful but windy weather.? It was about 73 and sunny.? We passed several viewpoints and campground along the way.? Now we even get to cross 2 rivers on ferries.? The first one was scary but no big deal.? Just drive on ride a minute and we’re across the Peel River.? The next crossing at MacKenzie River was a bit different.? There was a car in front of us so we waited and we waited and we waited from 6:45 to 9:15 pm for the ferry to arrive.? We could see her sitting across the river, just sitting.? Finally I struck up a conversation with a trucker who said it is a new captain and he thinks it’s too windy to cross so we shall wait? until the wind dies.? This could be all night.? It is 85 miles back to a campground we are in the car with no sleeping bags) and no place to go ahead. Finally the ferry loaded us and we were the first ones on and first off and flew down the road at the 90 KM? per hour speed limit.? Boy did the dust fly behind us.? When we arrived in Inuvik, we find our? little Arctic Chalet to stay the night.? Seems the Petroleum Conference is in town and all the rooms are filled.? We stay in the Trapper Cabin with no water and the bathroom is up the road so far we take the car to brush our teeth.? We love having a motorhome!? But we are troopers and tired.? We? had the? gal call and hope to get on a flight to Tuktoyaktuk to visit native culture and step into the Arctic Ocean tomorrow.
Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven: 0? Car driven 460 miles fuel= $1.41 per litre, only? one station along the? ? ? ? ? entire road.
Wildlife sightings: 2 bear, 1 caribou, 1 porcupine, 2 mink/marmots?, 2 rabbits,
Temps:? High 73? ?Low 53
Camping Costs:? $50.00 for a room with no bathroom!
? ? ? ? GPS loc: 68.128908, -133.667955