Up and a cuppa next following Route 2 west until Tetlin Junction where you hook a left and follow Rt 5 to Chicken. At Chicken its another cuppa with 2 fat pills to cover the rest of the trip to the Canadian Border. From here its Rt 9 commonly called, “The Top of The World Highway” to the Yukon River ferry landing. The river must be running in excessive of 8 knots and just watching the ferry going back and forth, its amazing that the ferry can make the run from one side to the other.
Into Dawson for fuel and food for the trip north on the Dempster Highway. Its 750 kilometers of gravel road to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, one-way. The gravel road as far as I’ve gotten today is in fine shape; the mosquitoes are another question though. Once you open the door to the vehicle the suckers just swam in and it’s a mad rush to shut the door again before you are inundated. Of course for the next half hour or more while you are driving you are doing your best to kill the bloody pest but by this time they have already taken their fair share of blood. With this in mind my thoughts for stopping for the night had to be off the river and as high as possible, cold and windy as hell. This is found but there is enough bear scat (Google) around that I could very well open up shop selling fertilizer.
The Dempster Highway north it is for this bright and sunny morn. Underway by 0700hrs heading for petrol, cuppa, fat pill and lets just get there. Goal was the Native village of Inuvik (Google) with a quick stop at the Arctic Circle. With the Arctic Circle behind me it’s the ferry across the Peel River then into Fort McPherson for a cuppa. Inuvik is only 2 hours away and is doable. Well 15 kilometers out of McPherson I hear a loud noise such as a rock hitting glass, nothing on the front windscreen, but looking through the rear view mirror I see a small hole in the rear window and its getting bigger by the second. Over to the side of the road, out of the vehicle and the back window is just crumbling in front of me. I think that the rear wheel picked up a rock bounced it off the bicycle into the rear window.
Back to McPherson with gravel dust, glass pieces and mosquitoes coming through the window. After checking with a few people it was to the local canvas shop for help. Fortunately they carried a roll of clear plastic that once cut to size allowed me to cover the window and Duct tape it to the max.
After fixing the window, I decided that my fun quota for the day was over. So back south I went and 11 hrs later I am back at the campsite from the night before.
My chances that the Honda dealership in Whitehorse (Yukon Capital) will carry a back window for the Honda Element is slim or none period. The province of Alberta is probably going to be my best bet. And here I thought things were getting just too easy….!
As the sun never sets at this time of the year and with the broken back window on my mind; 0130hrs I was up packing the stuff away and what do we have but none other then a dead battery. As the vehicle is automatic, we are not jump-starting this sucker. Well after pacing up and down the road until 0445hrs, a vehicle shows up but being that it is a tractor-trailer with a 24-volt system which is not good for the 12-volt system of mind, but no worries.......! Actually 5 hours later another vehicle makes it to the horizon. Its good to go and while we are charging my battery I spot a flat tyre on his truck. Now my handy-dandy air compressor kicks in plus a few other items that he does not carry and by George we are both happy and I can now look forward to a 3-hour drive on gravel roads south.
Back in civilization, I contact the Yukon Honda, as Wednesday is a holiday, he won’t be able to order the glass until Thursday with a delivery date of a week Thursday. It seems that Alberta is going to be my only bet not unless I can live with the plastic window until October.
Anyhow it’s down from the Dempster Hwy turning east on Route 2 to Carmacks for the night.
Carmacks for the night was another interesting scenario. Starting around midnight we have 3 women in the next house over trying to out do them selves on who can scream the loudest, then we have mom coming out and adding her voice to the song fest. Next it’s the lads across the way drunk and calling the women every name in the book. And we have a repeat at 0400hrs.
From Carmacks, its back across the bridge and hooking a right on Route 4 with a petrol and cuppa at Ross River, population 400, then continue on 4. The road after Ross gets a bit narily, but considering what I’ve been through, it’s a major highway.
Did photo a black bear but other then that it was just another gravel road. Thinking that I just might escape without the front windscreen suffering any damage, wrong on all accounts. Two dings today with one going from right to left. I am starting to believe that the Yukon has less then 30% of their roads sealed and they are in league with the glass manufactures. Even the Alaska Highway is gravel in many places but what really amazes me is that the native bird is not the mosquito.
Simpson Lake campsite it is for the night with Watson Lake tomorrow, hopefully getting a Honda Dealer lined up for a replacement to the back window.
Alberta Honda is going to ship the back window in and when I get to Edmonton, Alberta, they will install same.
Starting from Simpson Lake and heading to Watson Lake was supposed to be a piece of cake. But due to the heavy rains for the last couple of days the roads that were being worked on were a bloody mess. A bit like trying to drive on ice and my thoughts of anyone trying to go through this mess on a motorcycle is definitely going down regardless. Into Watson Lake with a stop at the Information office for a cuppa and a brief chat. They must have 10,000 license plates and signs that adorn the surrounding area around the center. Traveling east from Watson we encounter, black bears, moose, bald eagles, bison (2 herds), reindeer, and mountain sheep. I haven’t seen this many animals in the 2 months on the road and I get all of this in a 5-hour period.
It’s Route 77 British Columbia going north to Yellowknife, capital of the Northwestern Territories, which we look at next. Plenty of gravel, potholes and mud.
With another RV parked in the same area (Rt 77) for the night it was 3 cups of your finest in the morn with the same amount of BS to go along with it. So Route 77 north to the Northwest Territories border then we change to Rt 7. First petrol stop is Fort Liard and of course not asking the right questions again leaves me to believe that there is petrol ahead at a particular gas station. Well as all good bits of data come to fore, subject petrol station had been closed for the past 2 years. This meant that I had to go west 65 kilometers to Fort Shimpson to get fuel plus the 65 kilos back. As the next petrol station was 300 kilometers in the eastily direction and the fuel gauge was just below the half mark…………did I mention that since the Yukon I have killed over 1000 mosquitoes. To get to the fuel stop it also included a ferry ride.
Anyway up Route 77 to 7, which follows onto Rt 1, which at the time I am spending, the night right below a bridge and the mossies are in great form. Tried stopping at other areas but the deer flies (a bigger bite, more blood) were about in abundance. Bison and reindeer were the noted animals for the day. The dirt road up on Rt 7 was right bloody nasty in spots, wet, slippery as bull dust (Google). The biker that I met the night before had gone down in this very area.
Getting finally on the road to Yellowknife (Northwest Territories capital) and a day later I am there. Ride around it twice trying to find a place to wash clothes and Wal-mart. I finally decide that life is a lot better out of the big city and head south. It’s another long ride south to Alberta, hopefully leaving the mossie;s and deer flies behind.
Would like to make one statement here; anyone that comes north this time of the year and wears shorts and a t-shirt has got to be a total nut case do to the mossies and deer flies. The only good thing is that there is a lot of flying insects now blessed with my DNA.
Facebook for photos.
Norm
The Greynomad
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