July 26 - August 6,  2022

A - July 26, 2022

Dawson City, YT

Left Whitehorse finally about 11:00am after taking the truck and trailer for what was meant to be quick self serve car wash as the dirt and bugs on both of them were pretty bad. We survived the experience when Ken finally let me take the lead! But the windshield wiper did not, so it was off to Canadian Tire to get a new one and a spare in case it happens again.

Drove north up the Klondike Highway (same highway as the road to Carcross) stopped at the Braeburn Lodge, claiming to have the World's Best Cinnamon Buns, maybe not the best, but certainly the largest as it was the size of an 8" plate that it was served on!

This is also a check in point for the  Yukon Quest, a 1000 mile sled dog race.

And then to help wear off the calories from eating part of the cinnamon bun, we enjoyed a short hike down the stairs and along a path to the Five Finger Rapids just past Carmacks. This is a part of the river if you choose to canoe from Whitehorse to Dawson City. Something that Ken would like to do, me I'm not sure just yet.

Ken & I were saying how we are becoming immune to the beauty of the area as it seems there is one beautiful view after another with lots of lakes, rivers and streams, mountains and vistas to enjoy. The Klondike Highway is being worked on, but there are plenty more bumps and potholes to avoid, along with the dusty roads; so much for the mornings car wash!

And what is so great is that we can arrive at 8:00pm here in Dawson City, and still have plenty of light to get set up. Sunset at 11:38pm!

B - July 27, 2022

Eagle Plains, YT

One month ago we left Peoria! Can't believe that we have already been on the road this long.

And what an occasion it is, as we have started our drive up the Dempster Highway on our way to the Arctic Ocean.

The scenery is outstanding even if the road is not.  We left the trailer in Dawson City so that we could travel a little faster and not put as much wear and tear on our home. It is great to be a little more nimble while driving.  

Met an interesting couple from Germany at a viewpoint . They have been on the road the past couple of years. Had their Landrover decked out for living in and they too are on their way to Tuk. Maybe we'll see them again.

The road has opened up to grasslands from the awe inspiring views of the mountains.

Got lucky in Eagle Plains (careful now!)... Carlos the bartender and hotel check-in person was able to hook us up as the hotel overbooked a tour group by one room so we were able to spend the night there and not overnight in the truck! 

Had drinks and dinner with Thom & Petra (the couple from Germany that we met earlier in the day), and enjoyed getting to know one another; kindred spirits and now friends!  If you would like to follow along on their travels as they work there way thru Canada , the US and hopefully Mexico and beyond (Thom has a natural talent for taking outstanding pictures), you can do so at www.auers.blog  

And this may be the only time that we get to see a moose (or at least part of one!) Actually we did see a moose along the way to Whitehorse but it had it's head in the water and we were not able to stop.  So in my mind, it doesn't really count as having seen one!

C - July 28, 2022

Inuvik, NT (Arctic Circle & Northwest Territories)

Had breakfast with Thom & Petra after a wonderful sleep and a nice looooong hot shower (something to be grateful for now that we are "homeless")!

Upon leaving Eagle Plains the views have been outstanding; 360 degrees of scenery! Similar to the Grand Canyon, the pictures do not do justice to the beauty of it all.  Stopped at the Arctic Circle; Ken needed to put on his puffy jacket to stay warm, I braved it without; who's the tough one now?! 

The open tundra is not what we expected as it is very green and lush, again with the purple flowers (called Fireweed as we later found out) and of course lots of wind. 

Welcome to the Northwest Territories and the freezing cold wind! Glad I had my jacket then!

C - July 28, 2022

Inuvik, NT (ferry crossings & Arctic Chalet)

After the two ferry crossings (one across Peel and the 2nd across Mackenzie rivers), the mountains were gone replaced by the boreal forest in the lowlands of the Mackenzie River delta covered in Black & White Spruce, Poplar, Birch and Tamarack trees with lots of green undergrowth. It is strange to call this a forest when the trees are so short and you can see so much of the horizon.

Arrived in Inuvik around 7pm, and with 3 hotels in the small community of 3400, we took our chances to find a place to stay. Not great planning on our part as they were all full, yikes! Called our last place at the Arctic Chalet (https://arcticchalet.com) and they were full, but she did have an overflow room; 2 beds in the basement/storage area! Musty smelling but had a sink and it was pretty clean, given the plywood floors. We were desperate at this time, so for $60.00 a night we booked it! At least it was warm and dry.  As Judi (the owner said the Igloo Room is not representative of their other cabins, so please don't judge too harshly).

Also the other cool thing is that they train and in the winter do tours with their dog sled team.  We were sleeping pretty much right by the kennels, at least the dogs were quiet. 

D - July 29, 2022

Tuktoyaktuk, NT day trip from Inuvik 

After not the best nights sleep, we managed to find a gas station and a cup of coffee to take on the start of our rainy day drive to Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk).

Landscape was green and the rolling hills were an unexpected surprise as we thought it would be flat along the way.  The Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway (ITH), is dotted by lots of little lakes along the way; one of them even called "Parsons Lake".  Tried our best using the map to locate it and we are calling it that we did indeed find it!

The fireweed purple flowers are still here along with the occasional grouping of small white ones . We are a little early in the season to see the Arctic Tundra covered in the colorful flowers that arrive in mid to late August, but we enjoyed what we saw.  The other unusual thing that we saw were Pingoes here in the Arctic.  Which essentially are solid ice cores encased in permafrost that rose out of the ground when their initial unfrozen core was freezing (similar to how ice expands during the freezing state).

And with the rain of the morning, the truck got it's first mud bath!

D - July 29, 2022

Tuktoyaktuk, NT day trip from Inuvik 

Made it to the Arctic Ocean and touched the water which seemed warm in comparison to the Arctic wind coming off of it!  Brrr...it was freezing cold outside. There was a directional post with St. John's, Newfoundland on here and as that was where Ken was born, I made him stand there for a quick pic.  He was none too happy as he was too cold to enjoy the moment.

This is also the northern terminus for the Trans Canada Trail.

Enjoyed lunch at Grandma's Kitchen, warming up by the wood stove and tasted the Smoked White Fish (yummy) and the Beluga Whale Bites (really yummy).  

Headed back after our late lunch and the rain was getting worse as was the cold. Started the day at 41 degrees and during lunch it was 38 degree and with the wind oh so much colder!

C - July 29, 2022

Inuvik, NT

Arrived back to Inuvik just in time to take the tour of the Catholic Igloo Church; built in 1960 engineered by a man with only a grade 5 education. We were able to climb the stairs to the dome (not usually allowed but for some reason our tour guide let us go) and also see the global warming is causing the permafrost to melt and therefore the church basement is sinking (12" over the last 4 years).  They are now supporting the building with braces.

Enjoyed dinner (something other than hamburgers, which seems to be a staple at most of stops we have made) at Shivers Lounge in the MacKenzie Hotel and spent some time talking with the owner. He is from Newfoundland (still has land and a home there) and just doesn't want to retire, much to the chagrin of his wife who is retired from being an ER Doctor.  She says working the restaurant is way harder than being an ER Doctor. I can believe it, given that they too have a hard time finding anyone wanting to work.

B - July 30, 2022

Eagle Plains, YT

On the drive back from Inuvik, again crossing the two ferries, the 2nd one (Peel River) is a cable driven ferry.

Stopped along the road to walk on the tundra.  It was surprisingly boggy, squishy, tufty and mossy even though it looked solid. Managed to find one cloudberry and lots of other small shrubs with berries not quite ripe.  If the fruit was ripe then I guess we  might see any animals, but so far for us as Ken likes to say; no bear, no moose, no sheep and no sasquatch!

The road was eerily quiet when we stopped on the road, no other vehicles to be heard or seen. But again the views spectacular.

Last night in Eagle Plains (yes, we did pre-book the room this time around!)

A - July 31, 2022

Dawson City, YT

About a 6.5 hour drive back from Eagle Plains, not too many stops as we were ready to just get home!

But we were able to catch a long view of a Gyrfalcon on the top of a mountain and saw Elephant Rock (one of the Tor  features).

And of course got our final view of the Fireweed flowers and of the Dempster Highway with the bridge in the background; we made it!

Final thoughts on the Dempster Highway; 

• not as rough a road as they make it out to be (we did not get any flats), 

• you eat lots of dust when someone passes you, 

• lots of heavy mud on the vehicle when it rains, 

• without hauling anything we had no trouble having one tank of gas last us from Dawson City to Eagle Plains (so much for bringing the additional 10 gallons!), 

• fantastic views, 

• lots of places for a small camper to boondock, not so much for anything larger,

• not as many hikes as we would have thought, however we did not go looking for them very hard. 

Would we recommend doing the drive?  Absolutely! 

Would we do it again ourselves? Not likely; one and done!

Now off to explore Dawson City for the next few days!

A - August 1 & 2, 2022

Dawson City, YT

We parked our rig here at the Bonanza Motel & RV Park while we drove up the Dempster Highway and now that we are back, we will stay here for the next week while we take time to relax, get caught up on the internet and explore the city.

Still have that "sign mentality" going on as we notice that most of the signs here in town are hand painted.

Lots of old buildings, most falling apart like the Anglican Church here, but Parks Canada is in the on going process of fixing up what they can and charging to take tours of those buildings. This is definitely a government town. 

Lots of Ravens here in the Yukon; amazed at the sounds that they make as they are pretty smart and mimic what they hear around them. 

A - August 3, 2022

Dawson City, YT

Toured the SS Keno Steam Powered Paddle Wheeler.  This was a "working" boat that used to push barges up/down the Yukon River for the 5 months that it was not frozen. It is celebrating the fact that it is 100 years old this summer

They even had a big yellow generator on board for electricity and made use of the engine room to keep the coffee hot! Sleeping arrangements were a little tight and they certainly didn't look the most comfortable. 

In junior high school, Ken made a wall shelf similar to one on the boat, so just had to get a snapshot of that!

Drinks earlier in the day at Bombay Peggy's (need to stay hydrated!). Finished up the day at the local Greek restaurant, who knew one could find greek food in Dawson City. We shared the delicious appetizer plate at the Billy Goats restaurant in the Drunken Goat Tavern, and even have enough leftover for lunch the next day. 

With not travelling so much we are starting to finally relax.

A - August 4, 2022

Dawson City, YT

Yeah!  We were off to make our fortune at Claim 6! Just a short 10 miles (each way, yikes!) on the bikes up Bonanza Road to our own potential bonanza. We just needed to find that one gold nugget to make us rich.  Alas, after taking our pans to the cold creek, it's a good thing that we are rich in friends as no gold nuggets for us!

While on the bikes we decided that we did not have enough time on them, so rode into town from our campground (we are at Bonanza Motel & RV Park) to return the gold pans that we borrowed from the visitor center. Finished up the day with a total of 27 miles ridden on the bikes, longest day yet for us. 

After a tiring day and the relatively clear skies, we drove up Dome Road to the enjoy the view of Dawson City and the Yukon River!

A - August 5, 2022

Dawson City, YT

Had another relaxing day walking the city and seeing more old renovated buildings (there are lots of them and more needing to be done)and enjoyed the free music concert (Bluegrass & Folk) at the Pavilion.

Went to the NWT (Northwest Territories) Dempster Highway Visitor Museum and was presented with the Honorable member of the exclusive (la te da!) Dempster Highway Order of Arctic Adventurers! 

Thought that the Moosehide Slide we saw was caused by mining, however it happened thousands of years ago as a natural disaster.

Rounded out our day by drinking and watching the three musical productions at Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall & Casino.

Shows at 8:30, 10:00 and midnight, can't believe we stayed up so late, but by doing so, when we left the center, it was almost dark outside! Gertie had an amazing set of lungs on her and the 4 dance hall girls were certainly energetic with the kicks, shaking their skirts and tap dancing.  The first two shows were more traditional for the times and the last production was much more modern. It was a fun night made more so by having another couple from Virginia Beach (Bob & Jean) join us.  They have invited us out their way at some time and who knows we may even take them up on the offer!

A - August 6, 2022

Dawson City, YT

Forgot to mention that yesterday we had lunch (a delicious salmon burger) at Sourdough Joe's. Also including a couple of pics of Diamond Tooth Gertie's that we were at last night; Ken really enjoyed watching Big Al at work in the kitchen; ask him about it some time! 

This is our last day in Dawson City, it's been a wonderful and much needed stopover. Got some fresh veges and Nanaimo Bar Cream Liquor Fudge (yummy!!) at the Artist Market which is really just a farmer's market with very little artist items.  Also what is the common denominator for the truck pic?  Look closely now..... they all have the spare tire mounted on the roof of their vehicle.  They must have or will be, driving the Dempster Highway!

Stopped by the Museum which is being renovated on the exterior. They had a short movie (Gold Rush) narrated by Pierre Burton who grew up here in Dawson; very informative.

And for kicks tonight we went to the Downtown Hotel in the Sourdough Saloon which was serving up Sourtoe Cocktails with the Captain!  Neither Ken or I took part but it is a black frostbitten toe (supposedly) in a shot glass and you need to drink it and have the toe touch your lips for you to receive the certificate.  Looks like it was a popular thing to do... guess we are not popular!