Well we made it to Carmacks in time to watch the second period of the hockey, and what a game! Crosby with the OT winner, a great way to end the olympics. We're now on our way to Whitehorse to begin the celebrations with my friend Steph.
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Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuk!!
We were up early today and on the road to Tuk by 9. This is a true ice road as we drive on the Mackenzie River the entire way. Its quite surreal, the road itself is turqoise, brown, white, and green all depending on the type of ice you're driving on. There are ominous cracks in places several inches wide and a few feet deep. The river is quite wide and so too is the road, but it still feels like you should be in a boat rather than a car!
We wound our way along the delta until finally we came out in Kugmallit Bay and onto the Arctic Ocean! We turned the rudder and headed east along the coast, slowling down as we got closer, not really wanting to reach our final destination. The thermometer read -34C as we rolled into town, and it sure looked every bit as cold as that. We had passed the tree line coming coming up the river and the surroundings were completely barren. The buildings looked as though they'd been battered by snow and wind for the last 30 years, which I'm sure they have.
We promptly got stuck in a snow drift at the far end of town, and had to get the shovel out as the locals looked on! I strolled down the main street and took a few pictures, and tried to imagine living in such a place. Although quite willing to give anything a go, I'm really not sure I could spend much time in this place, it just seemed so barren and lonely, the end of the earth.
Pete picked me up and we drove to the other end of town towards the Pingos. We could only get so close before we had to park and walk across the tundra and frozen lakes. We were well bundled against the cold and carried a bag of Smarties in case of emergencies! The pingo is like a giant frost heave and occurs when an ancient lake drains and the small amount of water left gets covered over and freezes, or something along those lines!
Pete and I were at a bit of a loss for what to do next. We had arrived very early, seen what we had wanted to see, and had originally planned to camp. However the extremely cold temperatute and a strong desire to get moving persuaded us to head out again, but not before cooking up a tasty lunch of spaghetti sauce and noodles which we polished off while watching the Top Gear Arctic special on the laptop!
We got back on the ice road and began our long trek south. The full moon was a good excuse to keep driving, so we refilled in Inuvik and tackled the Demster in the dark. We switched off every few hours and stopped to gas up in Eagle Plains, but had to use the jerrys as they were shut for the night. Our trusty Sceptor cans were still working great, but the cold was too much for the pour spout which cracked after our first can. As we are prepared for the wosrt (!) we got out the trusty funnel and managed to get another 40 litres in. The Demster was beautiful at night, even more so with the full moon and clear sky. High beams weren't even required as everything was so bright, and the wind wasn't an issue as it was on the way up.
We were successful and arrived back at the Klondike at about 5:30 this morning. We slept for a few hours at the gas station expecting it to open at 7, but it never did. We headed to Dawson for fuel, ended up staying for beakfast, and are now driving furiously towards Carmacks so we can watch the Canada vs USA Olympic hockey final!
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We promptly got stuck in a snow drift at the far end of town, and had to get the shovel out as the locals looked on! I strolled down the main street and took a few pictures, and tried to imagine living in such a place. Although quite willing to give anything a go, I'm really not sure I could spend much time in this place, it just seemed so barren and lonely, the end of the earth.
Pete picked me up and we drove to the other end of town towards the Pingos. We could only get so close before we had to park and walk across the tundra and frozen lakes. We were well bundled against the cold and carried a bag of Smarties in case of emergencies! The pingo is like a giant frost heave and occurs when an ancient lake drains and the small amount of water left gets covered over and freezes, or something along those lines!
Pete and I were at a bit of a loss for what to do next. We had arrived very early, seen what we had wanted to see, and had originally planned to camp. However the extremely cold temperatute and a strong desire to get moving persuaded us to head out again, but not before cooking up a tasty lunch of spaghetti sauce and noodles which we polished off while watching the Top Gear Arctic special on the laptop!
We got back on the ice road and began our long trek south. The full moon was a good excuse to keep driving, so we refilled in Inuvik and tackled the Demster in the dark. We switched off every few hours and stopped to gas up in Eagle Plains, but had to use the jerrys as they were shut for the night. Our trusty Sceptor cans were still working great, but the cold was too much for the pour spout which cracked after our first can. As we are prepared for the wosrt (!) we got out the trusty funnel and managed to get another 40 litres in. The Demster was beautiful at night, even more so with the full moon and clear sky. High beams weren't even required as everything was so bright, and the wind wasn't an issue as it was on the way up.
We were successful and arrived back at the Klondike at about 5:30 this morning. We slept for a few hours at the gas station expecting it to open at 7, but it never did. We headed to Dawson for fuel, ended up staying for beakfast, and are now driving furiously towards Carmacks so we can watch the Canada vs USA Olympic hockey final!
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Inuvik
We took it easy on Friday. We were invited to a potluck that evening so we decided to stick around and head to Tuk on Saturday. Pete had to take care of a bit of work, and I took the opportunity to update the blog. That afternoon we went for a walk throgh the town and had lunch at the Eskimo Inn, not a delicious place but supposedly the best of the three.
We wanted to go dog sledding but left it too late in the day, instead we for another walk. That evening we cooked up some of our chili and headed to the potluck. After some delicious grub and great conversation, we ventured into town to the local bar, The Mad Trapper, to immerse ourselves in the local culture. Good times were had and on the way back we were fortunate enough to see some northern lights, the first on our trip.
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Friday, February 26, 2010
The Dempster, Day 2
As we've gone north the sun rises much later, but also sets later. Not really wanting to get up before it was light outside, we got off to a bit of a late start. I went to start the Jeep and the key fob wouldn't unlock the doors, so I turned the key in the lock and opened the door, setting off the alarm in process. Normally I just put the key in the ignition and it turns off the alarm, however this morning it wouldn't go off. So with the alarm honking away we scrambled to unhook the battery, until Pete tried his key in the ignition and it went off. Strange.
I then went to start the Jeep, it turned over and started, revved, then died five seconds later, it did this several times. Thinking we had frozen fuel lines (it was -30 this morning and we weren't plugged in) we let it sit for a minute while we packed the rest of the stuff up. Pete then tried it and it started right up, odd... guess he's got the magic touch!
Later in the day after another stop, we had the same issue. I think it might just be the battery dieing in the key fob, or at least I hope it is because I'm getting a little sick of the horn going off and entire towns staring at me!
Anyways, we got on our way and within the hour we arrived at the Arctic Circle! I never thought I'd be driving to the Arctic Circle but there we were, what a crazy feeling. We snapped a few photos before gingerly stepping over the line and carrying on northward. The SPOT ceased to work at this point, it couldn't find any satellites. Our GPS was in and out as well, but generally had better reception that the SPOT. Once we were out of the mountains the SPOT was able to reconnect.
The mountains continued, and so did the wind. At times there was so much snow blowing across the road we couldn't see anything. But when we could see the mountains we were in were amazing. No vegetation at all, only the odd bush or tree hidding in a gulley. It was like a bleak, snow covered desert, quite surreal. We stopped a lot for photos; Pete hiked halfways up a mountain to get a few fantastic shots of the pass we drove through. Shortly thereafter we re-entered the Northwest Territories and slowly the mountains gave way to the plains.
We stopped in Fort McPherson for gas and to check out the local canvas and tent shop. They bring in all of their materials for an exorbitant cost from Edmonton and sell to people and companies across Canada. They probably don't make any money but its a government owned operation so I guess that doesn't really matter!
The drive from here was straight, flat, and dare I say a bit boring. We did cross the Mackenzie river one more time though, and found ourselves in Inuvik in good time. Its strange that a town of this size (only 3000 people but its the biggest town we've been in since leaving Ft. McMurray!) can be at the end of such a long and desolate highway.
We had the good fortune of having a friend of a friend who has very graciously invited us to stay at his place. He works as a biologist for Parks Canada, and cooked us a fantastic meal last night. I am now using his internet as Pete puts in his day of work at one of his branches in town! We will probably stick around here all day and hopefully make the final push up to Tuk tomorrow.
I then went to start the Jeep, it turned over and started, revved, then died five seconds later, it did this several times. Thinking we had frozen fuel lines (it was -30 this morning and we weren't plugged in) we let it sit for a minute while we packed the rest of the stuff up. Pete then tried it and it started right up, odd... guess he's got the magic touch!
Later in the day after another stop, we had the same issue. I think it might just be the battery dieing in the key fob, or at least I hope it is because I'm getting a little sick of the horn going off and entire towns staring at me!
Anyways, we got on our way and within the hour we arrived at the Arctic Circle! I never thought I'd be driving to the Arctic Circle but there we were, what a crazy feeling. We snapped a few photos before gingerly stepping over the line and carrying on northward. The SPOT ceased to work at this point, it couldn't find any satellites. Our GPS was in and out as well, but generally had better reception that the SPOT. Once we were out of the mountains the SPOT was able to reconnect.
The mountains continued, and so did the wind. At times there was so much snow blowing across the road we couldn't see anything. But when we could see the mountains we were in were amazing. No vegetation at all, only the odd bush or tree hidding in a gulley. It was like a bleak, snow covered desert, quite surreal. We stopped a lot for photos; Pete hiked halfways up a mountain to get a few fantastic shots of the pass we drove through. Shortly thereafter we re-entered the Northwest Territories and slowly the mountains gave way to the plains.
We stopped in Fort McPherson for gas and to check out the local canvas and tent shop. They bring in all of their materials for an exorbitant cost from Edmonton and sell to people and companies across Canada. They probably don't make any money but its a government owned operation so I guess that doesn't really matter!
The drive from here was straight, flat, and dare I say a bit boring. We did cross the Mackenzie river one more time though, and found ourselves in Inuvik in good time. Its strange that a town of this size (only 3000 people but its the biggest town we've been in since leaving Ft. McMurray!) can be at the end of such a long and desolate highway.
We had the good fortune of having a friend of a friend who has very graciously invited us to stay at his place. He works as a biologist for Parks Canada, and cooked us a fantastic meal last night. I am now using his internet as Pete puts in his day of work at one of his branches in town! We will probably stick around here all day and hopefully make the final push up to Tuk tomorrow.
The Dempster, Day 1
After our meeting with Sergio we pressed on. Soon the road started up into more mountains and we knew we were in for an amazing drive. The sun struggled through the clowds and blowing snow for most of the day, but eventually came through in the afternoon. The trees got smaller and smaller as we progressed, and the tree line dropped lower and lower. Any rise at all and the trees would disappear, only the occasional shrub.
We stopped for lunch at what must be a summer camp grounds, the boys hut provided a perfect shelter from the constant wind. We cooked up some curry and had it on tortilla shells, delicious! The temperature had dropped to 25 below, and the wind chill was making things a bit more difficult. We decided it was time to cover the grill of the Jeep so we took out a bit of welding blanket we'd taken for this purpose, cut out two headlight holes, and secured it under the hood.
On we went. The mountains didn't end. We drove through valleys, along streams, cliffs, and avalanch areas. The peaks were pure white, and made an erie backdrop as they all but disappeared into the overcast sky.
Again we climbed into the mountains, only this time there was no protection from surrounding peeks and the wind howled across the road. Snow drifts cut across the road and would explode in the rear view mirrors as we drove through them. We passed the snow plow stopped on the side of the road, men working on it in the bitter cold. On we forged.
Gas light. Shoot. We drove on through the worst of it, but eventually we had to stop. We donned our parkas, ski pants, and goggles and managed to fill up in record time. After that we were out of the mountains and into the hills, where a forest of stubby snow covered trees grew, no higher than six feet tall.
With Pete fast asleep in the passenger seat, we crested another hill and arrived at Eagle Plains, a small service station, hotel, bar, lodge, etc built by the government for 3.5 million dollars back in '79. Not sure if we would camp or not, we went inside to inquire. Straight into the bar we walked, saw the Canada vs. Russia hockey game on tv, and promptly ordered a beer and dinner and watched the game. Needless to say we got ourselves a hotel room that night and had a fitful sleep!
We stopped for lunch at what must be a summer camp grounds, the boys hut provided a perfect shelter from the constant wind. We cooked up some curry and had it on tortilla shells, delicious! The temperature had dropped to 25 below, and the wind chill was making things a bit more difficult. We decided it was time to cover the grill of the Jeep so we took out a bit of welding blanket we'd taken for this purpose, cut out two headlight holes, and secured it under the hood.
On we went. The mountains didn't end. We drove through valleys, along streams, cliffs, and avalanch areas. The peaks were pure white, and made an erie backdrop as they all but disappeared into the overcast sky.
Again we climbed into the mountains, only this time there was no protection from surrounding peeks and the wind howled across the road. Snow drifts cut across the road and would explode in the rear view mirrors as we drove through them. We passed the snow plow stopped on the side of the road, men working on it in the bitter cold. On we forged.
Gas light. Shoot. We drove on through the worst of it, but eventually we had to stop. We donned our parkas, ski pants, and goggles and managed to fill up in record time. After that we were out of the mountains and into the hills, where a forest of stubby snow covered trees grew, no higher than six feet tall.
With Pete fast asleep in the passenger seat, we crested another hill and arrived at Eagle Plains, a small service station, hotel, bar, lodge, etc built by the government for 3.5 million dollars back in '79. Not sure if we would camp or not, we went inside to inquire. Straight into the bar we walked, saw the Canada vs. Russia hockey game on tv, and promptly ordered a beer and dinner and watched the game. Needless to say we got ourselves a hotel room that night and had a fitful sleep!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Belgium Skiier
Just wanted to make a quick not.
We have started up the Dempster Highway after leaving Dawson City where we stayed last night. And not more than 3kms up the road we came across a man on cross country skis towing a sled.
Sergio, is from Belgium and makes a trip somewhere in the world for 4 weeks of travel. The last trip he made to Canada he made a long trip via dog sled. This trip thou he opted for skis so he could enjoy more solitude. His sled has the name of his cheese shop on the side "Maison Du Fromage". In the sled he carries enough supplies for 30 days; and you guys all thought we were crazy, Sergio can only cover about 20km on a good day!!!!! It is over 500 km from Dawson to Eagles Plane the next community on the highway!!!!
What a great start to our Dempster experience.
We have decided as well to make a point of trying to meet more people and hopefully share stories of your mutual experiences of the north.
And of course tell all of you all about them.
We have started up the Dempster Highway after leaving Dawson City where we stayed last night. And not more than 3kms up the road we came across a man on cross country skis towing a sled.
Sergio, is from Belgium and makes a trip somewhere in the world for 4 weeks of travel. The last trip he made to Canada he made a long trip via dog sled. This trip thou he opted for skis so he could enjoy more solitude. His sled has the name of his cheese shop on the side "Maison Du Fromage". In the sled he carries enough supplies for 30 days; and you guys all thought we were crazy, Sergio can only cover about 20km on a good day!!!!! It is over 500 km from Dawson to Eagles Plane the next community on the highway!!!!
What a great start to our Dempster experience.
We have decided as well to make a point of trying to meet more people and hopefully share stories of your mutual experiences of the north.
And of course tell all of you all about them.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Cambell Part II
Woke up this morning nice and toasty after 10 hours of very good sleep. Its always tough to get out of the tent when its still dark and you are actually warm in your sleeping bag! But get up we did, around 6:00. I cooked some grub while Pete rearranged the truck in an attempt to better accomodate my 6'4 frame in the front seats. We got things squared away and after about 20 minutes of getting the Jeep up the rest of the hill we'd come down yesterday we were on our way. Again another gorgeous day after the fog lifted. The road was great and we got some good shots of it for all to see. The jerry cans came in handy again as we had to top up an hour or two down the road.
On we went and took the turnoff to Ross River where we filled up all the tanks and headed to the start of the Canol Road. After hearing so much about this road we really wanted to head down it, but learned that all the old equipment was near the NWT boarder, quite a distance. We crossed the Pelly River anyways and drove a couple hundred metres until it turned into nothing but snowmobile track, passable but extremely slow. Slightly disappointed, but knowing that we needed to make some distance on our ultimate goal, we turned around and got back on the Cambell.
We next arrived at Faro where we drove around looking for a lunch spot. Its a very odd town, somewhere between a ghost town and a thriving small community. Its there because of the zinc mine, but that has been closed since '98. Houses and appartment blocks are boarded up and driveways are unplowed, yet the parks and facilities are quite impressive, though mostly closed. We did manage to find an open restaurant after several false tries, and had a decent lunch. Afterwards we took a drive up to the minesite, which, as we found out, is still employing people to do water treatment and other environmental work; didn't sound like it would be reopening. I asked the security guard if they had any P&H shovels but she just gave me a blank stare... Apparently not!
After the very uninformative security guard turned us away from the gate we headed back to town to fill up and carry on. Having not seen a gas pump, we enquired. at the hardware store and received a toothless chuckle in response, "you have to go to Ross River for that!" Its only about a 100 km round trip!
We figured we had more than enough fuel so we carried on. The rest of the Cambell was mostly two lanes and paved, quite civilized really! We were lucky enough to see a linx cross the road and pause long enough for a good look, beautiful creature.
We fueled up at Carmacks and are now well on our way to Dawson City where we hope to find a motel and a shower (going on 3 days now...) Who knows what we'll find though, may have to camp again! We've been getting intermittent signals so have enjoyed reading everyones comments on the blog and on the forum.
Well my thumbs are killing me from typing on this Blackberry so I'm signing off, till next time...
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
On we went and took the turnoff to Ross River where we filled up all the tanks and headed to the start of the Canol Road. After hearing so much about this road we really wanted to head down it, but learned that all the old equipment was near the NWT boarder, quite a distance. We crossed the Pelly River anyways and drove a couple hundred metres until it turned into nothing but snowmobile track, passable but extremely slow. Slightly disappointed, but knowing that we needed to make some distance on our ultimate goal, we turned around and got back on the Cambell.
After the very uninformative security guard turned us away from the gate we headed back to town to fill up and carry on. Having not seen a gas pump, we enquired. at the hardware store and received a toothless chuckle in response, "you have to go to Ross River for that!" Its only about a 100 km round trip!
We figured we had more than enough fuel so we carried on. The rest of the Cambell was mostly two lanes and paved, quite civilized really! We were lucky enough to see a linx cross the road and pause long enough for a good look, beautiful creature.
We fueled up at Carmacks and are now well on our way to Dawson City where we hope to find a motel and a shower (going on 3 days now...) Who knows what we'll find though, may have to camp again! We've been getting intermittent signals so have enjoyed reading everyones comments on the blog and on the forum.
Well my thumbs are killing me from typing on this Blackberry so I'm signing off, till next time...
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
Oops
I see that I just posted the last one 4 times... Guess I got a little carried away! However we were able to read a few of the comments as we go in and out of service areas here, and just wanted to say that we love reading them! Thanks guys, keep them coming... Pete and I have run out of things to say to each other and enjoy the outside stimulus! Ha ha!
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Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
The Cambell Highway
The Cambell started off paved, then went to gravel, and then turned to a single lane. We had a bit of a scare after encountering the first semi barreling down at us from the other direction. Pete had to jam on the breaks and literally squeeze up against the snow bank on the side of the road. After the first encounter we were a little white in the knuckle going around any corners, of which there were many!
The scenery was breathtaking, a gorgeous sunny day with pristine white snow covering the mountains. We drove along a wide valley passing over creeks and alongside lakes. Around 3:00 we came to a summer camp site and pulled off the highway and down a snowy road which led to the lake shore. After some shenanigans at the shore which involved deep snow, a Jeep, a few shovels, and about a quarter tank of gas, we donned the snowshoes for a hike.
The sun cast long shadows across the lake as it approached the mountain overlooking our position. Pete and I walked straight out across the lake with the intention of reaching the otherside, however half way across we chickened out and turned around after encountering a section of slush! I'm sure it would have been fine but we were an aweful long way from anywhere, not least of all the shore.
We turned around and walked back to the side we came from and proceeded to walk south around the next point where we basked in the setting sun and munched on some very patriotic "Believe" Snickers bars!
With the sun setting and the cold coming in we decided to make an early camp. We moved the Jeep up the hill a ways to ensure we wouldn't be stuck there permanently and started camp. Pete started a fire and I heated up some delicious pasta sauce and noodles. It was another clear night but after dinner the cold got to us and we turned in to the tent. Fearing a very cold night, I donned a large percentage of my body weight in extra clothing and, after struggling with chords and zippers, promptly fell asleep!
PS. It was 7:00...
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The scenery was breathtaking, a gorgeous sunny day with pristine white snow covering the mountains. We drove along a wide valley passing over creeks and alongside lakes. Around 3:00 we came to a summer camp site and pulled off the highway and down a snowy road which led to the lake shore. After some shenanigans at the shore which involved deep snow, a Jeep, a few shovels, and about a quarter tank of gas, we donned the snowshoes for a hike.
The sun cast long shadows across the lake as it approached the mountain overlooking our position. Pete and I walked straight out across the lake with the intention of reaching the otherside, however half way across we chickened out and turned around after encountering a section of slush! I'm sure it would have been fine but we were an aweful long way from anywhere, not least of all the shore.
We turned around and walked back to the side we came from and proceeded to walk south around the next point where we basked in the setting sun and munched on some very patriotic "Believe" Snickers bars!
With the sun setting and the cold coming in we decided to make an early camp. We moved the Jeep up the hill a ways to ensure we wouldn't be stuck there permanently and started camp. Pete started a fire and I heated up some delicious pasta sauce and noodles. It was another clear night but after dinner the cold got to us and we turned in to the tent. Fearing a very cold night, I donned a large percentage of my body weight in extra clothing and, after struggling with chords and zippers, promptly fell asleep!
PS. It was 7:00...
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
BC to the Cambell Highway
We woke up this morning a little colder than we would have liked, and uncomfortable... Have to sort out the pillow situation. We were up at 6 and packed up and on our way by 7:20. The clouds soon parted and the glorious sunshine appeared and would stay with us all day. At these latitudes the morning and evening sun seem to last forever, making for some great photography. We soon came across a herd of buffalo (first sighting of the trip even thou we have been seeing signs for them since fort smith. They were totally agree and unmoved by our presence so we were able to hang out and take a bunch of shots in the morning light. I was even up on the roof of the jeep, (felt like a true safari). We saw a few more herds today as well as a few more moose.
We had a peaceful drive up to Watson Lake, there really is no traffic up here this time of year. The odd semi or pickup but other than that we are on our own. We made it into Watson Lake around 10:30, and filled up with gas and tightened up the bolts on the roof rack (it was starting to rattle loose). Before leaving Watson Lake we stopped for a photo shoot at the "sign post forest".
Then we finally started up the Robert Cambell Highway! This one of the things on Sam and I's checklist of things to accomplish on this trip.
We are about to lose reception so I am ending this one here and will finish it off when we get service again.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
We had a peaceful drive up to Watson Lake, there really is no traffic up here this time of year. The odd semi or pickup but other than that we are on our own. We made it into Watson Lake around 10:30, and filled up with gas and tightened up the bolts on the roof rack (it was starting to rattle loose). Before leaving Watson Lake we stopped for a photo shoot at the "sign post forest".
Then we finally started up the Robert Cambell Highway! This one of the things on Sam and I's checklist of things to accomplish on this trip.
We are about to lose reception so I am ending this one here and will finish it off when we get service again.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
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