The Dempster Highway

This may look like it came off a travel brochure – but it’s an actual fortuitously-sunlit photo of the Dempster Highway, which stretches from just outside Dawson City in Yukon Territory, across the Arctic Circle through Inuvit in the Northwest Territories, and finally to the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean.  The last stretch to Tuk just opened in late 2017; it previously was only accessible by plane or boat.

Speaking of which, my cousin Dani and husband Allan actually blazed the trail to this part of the world when they went through the Northwest Passage on the first large cruise ship to do so in 2017.  Their trip was amazing, seeing so much of the beauty of the Arctic waters, as well as the tiny communities who welcomed tourists for the first time!

Our road trip in contrast is on the gravel and dirt highway that is built up at least 4 1/2 feet above ground……. Otherwise, its permafrost base is subject to thawing, which would break up and buckle the driving surface.

Just a few miles before we got to the start of the Dempster, Henry noticed signs of a large forest fire off to the west.  We pulled over into a nearby gravel pit to watch, and ended up spending the night.

Quite a breath-taking view it was – a show of nature’s raw power –  and yet so common now in the western parts of North America, as weather patterns depart from their long-established norms.

Since summer in the far north means daylight extends through the night, we were up into the wee hours watching…. this photo taken at 12:30 am, just as the sun dipped a bit below the horizon –

The morning after this diversion, we embarked on the almost 900-kilometer (560-mile) trip one way to one of the northernmost points reachable by road on this continent.  Lots of people are prepared for extended stops, breakdowns and multiple flat tires!  Hopefully Henry is too!

We have to admit that the extended daylight hours have taken their toll on both of us; with sun beaming down, it’s easy to get caught up in the day’s activities; then Henry’s deep-seated fear about “burning daylight” means that we have to get up as soon as he notices that the sun is still out.  O Sleep, I miss you heartily!

Finally managed to snap a photo of a moose just down the road at…. only partially appropriately….. Two Moose Lake.  We took that as a good omen nonetheless!  (Not a great shot, but they are quite elusive!)

A fair number of folks on the highway – almost all of them in RVs or campers; some on motorcycles, and a pathetic few on bicycles loaded with gear.  I salute the determination and stamina of the latter, if not their good sense.

Not everybody is prepared for the roughness of the road – this poor schmuck’s tires were fine, but the lug nuts holding the wheel on his little car suffered stress fractures!

We were unable to find a campground or turnout to spend the night; instead set up camp on a little bluff and huddled inside while a heavy rainstorm with high winds swept through.

We thought the rain would improve the drivability of the road, but unfortunately it turned the surface into a sticky gray mess that this hapless fellow on his bicycle just could not negotiate.

Natural beauty of course….. the confluence of a couple of rivers, one with a heavy mineral content, a flower called cottongrass that is in rampant evidence across the tundra all the way north….. and an apple we had as a snack.

A bit past the half-way point to Inuvik, we crossed the Arctic Circle, where we were made welcome by a curious Arctic ground squirrel.

The Arctic Circle is at latitude 66 degrees, 33 minutes, the point at which the sun does not fall below the horizon on the longest day of the year (June 22).  From here we are in the Arctic, what some call North of 60……