Saturday 7/30/22
We’re heading to Inuvik today. “Seven hundred and forty-one kilometres (460 miles) from the start of Dempster hwy lies Inuvik; the end of one journey and the beginning of a new one. Most destinations are reached by airplane although in the winter an ice road connects lnuvik, Aklavik and Tuktoyaktut. Inuvik ls the gateway to the Western Arctic; a land within reach, yet beyond belief.” excerpts from the Dempster billboard.
The Dempster hwy continues to surprise us with a constant change in landscape. One section would be mountainess, then valleys with lush green trees and rivers, then plains and fields with wild flowers, mirror lakes and prairies with big skies, etc. While the hwy is a gravel dirt road, I have to say this is by far the most beautiful road I’ve ever been on.
I have a wondrous feeling of awe this morning as we make our way to Inuvik. The fog is slowly lifting, parsing the low clouds to reveal the expansive land where we can see the road meandering around the rolling hills. I only wish the camera could capture the essence of this mesmerizing scene that I’m absorbing in delight.
First ferry crossing at Peel River, a very short ride operated by a mechanical rope.
Second ferry crossing at Fort McPherson shore, MV Louis Cardinal Ferry. We waited about an hour to get on the ferry as they appeared to be taking a break. Another hour later, we’re finally back on the road again. The river is not that wide, I can see the other side clearly , not sure why it took so long to cross.
We’re finally in Inuvik. The town is bigger than we thought with a population of about 3,137 people. We went to the Happy Valley Campground to secure a spot and then went out to dinner at Alestine’s restaurant. It’s a quaint little place that can sit about 10 people. We shared a table with two gentlemen from Dallas, TX: Vern and Rich. They came a long way to get here, and determined to drive to Tuk after dinner. They are also determined to take a dip in the Arctic Ocean. So will see if we are brave enough to jump in the water when we get there. We had quite an interesting conversation as they both worked at Boeing. We finished dinner with a local dessert, “Piece of Tail”, an Eskimo donut with carmel sauce, chocolate sauce and whip cream.
Sunday 7/31/22
Maintenance day, groceries, etc. We went to the Visitor Center and received a certificate stating: “Certificate Arctic Circle chapter of Adventurers – The order of arctic Adventurers bears witness that Huong Ngo-Utley having demonstrated the initiative, integrity and bold adventurous spirit of the true Arctic explorers who have crossed the arctic Circle, will hereafter be recognized as an honorable member of the exclusive arctic Circle Chapter, Order of Arctic Adventurers.” Woohoo! We have proudly earned it!
Monday 8/1/22
We’ve finally arrived at Tuktoyaktut. The name Tuktoyaktut means “resembling a caribou.” Tuk is a quiet town right on the edge of the Arctic ocean with a population of about 937 people. We met up with Joe and Elfie at the Arctic Ocean sign where the Dempster hwy ends and a few steps to touch the arctic ocean.
After all the tears of joy (not really) and all the pictures to document the achievement of making it here, they invited us over to their pad for dinner. We had spaghetti and 1.5 bottle of wine. Then we invited them back to our place for desserts, enjoying cherry jubilee with ice cream, and more wine. We had a lot of laughs chatting about our adventures and how Joe met Elfi. Quite a funny story.
We thought we could free-camped at the sandspit, but they sent people out to inform us that we would have to pay $63/night just to park there. So we finished up our desserts and moved along to another dirt lot in front of a little trailer souvenir shop that we will have to pay $25/night. We considered this as contributing to the local economy.
Tuesday 8/2/22
We walked around the little town of Tuk, checked out Grandma’s restaurant as a potential place for dinner tonight. The town is quiet, not a lot of activities here except for sandspit with the Arctic Circle sign. We came back to the Visitor center to get our certificate for “I traveled the highway to the Arctic Ocean” and “I dipped my toe in the Arctic Ocean in Tuktoyaktuk, NT Canada.” When I checked yesterday, the water temperature is about 42 degree F, so do we have enough nerve to take a dip and declare “yup, we did it or do we cheat and still take credit for it? Hmmm…. My conscience is killing me! (not)
Tuesday 8/2/22
We walked around the little town of Tuk, checked out Grandma’s restaurant as a potential place for dinner tonight. The town is quiet, not a lot of activities here except for the Arctic Circle sign. We came back to the Visitor center to get our certificate for “I traveled the highway to the Arctic Ocean” and “I dipped my toe in the Arctic Ocean in Tuktoyaktuk, NT Canada.”
By 3pm, Joe and Elfi weren’t interested in dining at Grandma’s restaurant and wanted to move on because there wasn’t anything left to do in town. So both of our trucks moved to what seems to be a fishing dock to stay the night. Around 9pm, a pickup drive up to our trucks and told us this is a private property and we’re not allowed to park here. We played dumb and talked to him, Joe also pitched in with the chat. The gentleman untidy himself as Roger , and told us as long as there’s no loud party and we don’t leave trash or dump our black tank then we can park overnight. We promised to behave and Roger was good to go….. there you go, the life of the wanderers…
Wednesday 8/3/22
We can now check the boxes: Arctic Circle 👍, Arctic Ocean 👍, Tuktoyaktut 👍! Back on the Dempster hwy for 560 miles. I have mixed feelings today, glad to move onto another highlight, but a bit sad that this part of the adventure is over. Time never stands still so we have to appreciate and cherish every moment as it comes. Who knows what tomorrow may bring.
We swung by Inuvik to pick up a few groceries, dump, and then on our way to Fort McPherson. Camped at Frog Creek for the night. We enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal with Salmon Thai Salad and finished off with cherries jubilee. Not bad for living on the road!
Thursday 8/4/22
On the way out, we stopped at the”Top of the Hill ” for lunch where we got fogged in on the way up. Today is a beautiful clear day where you can see an amazing 360 view of the tundra. The landscape is like a perfect painting of nature with rolling hills, blue sky, and out in the distant, the road is weaving around the hills like a roll of ribbons being laid out across the land.
We had smoked salmon folded in cream cheese and black pepper on specialty crackers for an afternoon snack. This is the smoked salmon that Charlie gave me. What a wonderful person for sharing this gift with us ❤.
We camped at a spot on the Dempster hwy where a previous camper claimed they saw the northern lights. Unfortunately, we’re still in early August which doesn’t get pitch dark at night so we only see mosquitoes and twilight, that’s about it.
Friday 8/5/32
Today will be a long commute day.. It’s been raining on and off today but by the time we reached the tail end of the Dempster Hwy, it was pouring rain.
We arrived at Dawson city around 7pm. We stopped by a Chinese restaurant for dinner but they only do take out. We were just too tired to wait so we got into the Visitors Center parking lot and camped for the night as the rain continues to pour. Hopefully tomorrow will be a nice day for us to tour the town.
Saturday 8/6/22
We’re blessed with great weather today. No rain and slightly on the cool side. High 50 degree F. We walked the town through Front street with shops, restaurants, hugging the Yukon river. This town seems to be popular with tourists, especially the Germans. The town buildings are colorful and definitively resembled the gold rush era. We bought souvenirs, t-shirts, etc. Had lunch at a local bistro. Paul said the hamburger and curly fries were great. I had the yam fries, also great!
I went to the Visitor center to update the ETX website since they have a decent signal and a workstation for tourists to use.
We had dinner at Annabelle’s Noodle House, an Asian fusion restaurant with a 5 stars rating. I ordered Pho but they ran out, so I had the lemongrass beef with noodles and Paul had the house special yellow curry. Oh what a disappointment! The presentation looks great but it is far from authentic in flavor, and $75 CA later…. I suppose you can’t expect authenticity in the western wilderness.
After dinner, we went to see a Klondike Cancan show at the Diamond Tooth Gertie casino/theater with Joe & Elfi. It was great fun, especially at the end where we can take pictures with the cast. We stayed for 2 shows. I think Paul, Joe & Elfi drank all the beers in the bar after being there for over 3 hours. After the second show, which was very similar to the first one, we decided to call it quit passed 11:15 pm whereas Joe & Elfi stayed for the 3rd show as they claim the show gets more risqué midnight.. 😉
As I was getting ready for bed past midnight I noticed the sky was significantly darker, not the twilight that we’ve been seeing for the last several weeks.
Sunday 8/7/22
We visited the Northwest Territories Visitor Center today and received another certificate for having been Adventurers in the wilderness and survived the Dempster Highway. We were officially sworn in by the attendant, Dawn, at the Center after an informative session about the Dempster Highway and the native Gwich’in and Inuvialuit tribes in this region.
We participated in a walking tour around Dawson City to learn about the cultures and life in the gold rush days with several of the old structures such as the saloons, Post Office, theaters, a couple brothel houses, quite interesting.
The day ended with the usual chores, laundry, dumping, and Paul even gave BAT a wash as he’s all caked up in mud from the Campbell & Dempster highways.
Tomorrow, we’ll have to cross a ferry from Dawson City to get on the Top of the World hwy. That’s it for the Yukon & NW Territories for me. Good bye the friendly and charming Dawson City.
Endless Trail Expeditions 