Travel – Page 6 – MacKenzies on the Road

August 3, 2018August 1, 2018

A Tale of Two Roads

It was the best of roads, it was the worst of roads (with apologies to C. Dickens), but which is London and which is Paris? The Dempster Highway of the Yukon & NWT vs the Dalton Highway of Alaska.

The Dalton was built in 8 weeks, during the 1970’s oil shortage, after vast reserves were discovered in Prudhoe Bay. The Dalton was originally known simply as The Haul Road and it was built that way. Straight up and over everything in its path! We were sometimes climbing in first gear for 10 minutes at a time. About half is paved, and most is rough from the weather and the constant flow of trucks supporting the oil infrastructure at Prudhoe (ironically many of them hauling fuel north to the various work stations).

The Dempster was built to explore for resources and to connect Inuvik via road to the rest of the world. It was built at a slower pace and follows the natural contours of the land it travels through. None of the Dempster’s 550 miles is paved, and much is rough from the weather and the materials used to construct it!

Glaciation is the biggest variation we saw over the 2 roads. The Dalton in Alaska traverses an area called Berengia that was spared the effects of the ice age glaciation. When you hit the Arctic Circle on the Dalton you could be in the Maine woods! It isn’t until you pass over the Brooks Range that you feel like you are in the Arctic. When you pass the Arctic Circle on the Dempster, you “feel” that you are in the Arctic.

Both roads are rough, the Dalton due to its route and the Dempster due to the materials used to construct it.

Both are long out and backs, the Dalton at 830 miles round trip and the Dempster at 1100 miles.

Both are beautiful in their own way, the Dalton has the Brooks Range and the Dempster has the Tombstones, Ogilvies and now the Arctic Ocean.

We found the Dempster road to be ‘expansive’ because much of it is Arctic tundra and the Dalton to be ‘industrial’ since it follows the pipeline and was built quickly as a truck haul road for the pipeline.

You will just need to add both to your bucket list and decide which is London and which is Paris!

August 2, 2018August 1, 2018

Beep Beep Beep

So, we go into Fairbanks, stock up and head north to the next gravel road, the Dalton Hwy. About 20 miles north of Fairbanks we come across Olnes Pond, a small recreation site for day use and 12 campsites for overnight campers. We grab one of the few remaining sites, set up and settle in for a quiet evening.

At 2 am we are awakened in our quiet little spot by trucks with back-up beepers…and they run continuously for the rest of the night. Unknown to us, our idyllic campsite is next to a gravel pit and just south of a huge road reconstruction project, Alaska road crews apparently work 24 hours a day.

So much for our good night’s sleep.

The road construction site just up the road.

August 1, 2018

Eagle, Alaska

We made it into Alaska (yes, the US foolishly let us back in) and promptly took a right turn north on the first gravel road we came to. Sixty-five miles and a few hairpin turns later, we entered the tiny ‘city’ of Eagle, not to be confused with the native town next door of Eagle Village, or the suburbs in between, as the locals call it for when you need to move away from the other 86 people living in the area.

The gravel road to Eagle had a few turns!

And it used to have a snack stop. (Apparently it shut down because the owners died, not because of lack of business)

We camped at the local BLM campground for 2 nights, $10 a night, and explored the area, in 90 degree heat…an Alaska heatwave (we almost got caught skinny dipping, again)!

The town consists mostly of log cabins, even the town hall and church are in old cabins, restored Fort Egbert, a grass airstrip right in town, and a fairly new 20’ish room hotel that looks completely out of place.

The town water supply…and you thought it was the gas station.

The sign says it all…notice the telephone booth?

The airstrip. The town office and church are at the far end.

The town of Eagle is on the Yukon River which we have crossed on a ferry, followed, swam in, crossed over a bridge, been our co stant companion for several weeks now…and absolutely loved.

We purchased our most expensive bag of chips, yet…$11. We needed the salt in the hot weather…that’s our rationalization.

All in all, we loved Eagle. It is a very small town at the end of a dirt road that isn’t plowed in the winter (it becomes a snowmobile super highway) where people are eeking out a living, very much like Tuktoyaktuk in the Yukon.

I almost forgot! We saw a herd of caribou on our way into Eagle. It was what is know as the Forty Mile herd. Very cool!

July 31, 2018July 26, 2018

Poker Creek, Alaska

Today we crossed back I to the US, of course we had to do it in style, we crossed into Alaska at the most northern land border crossing we could find! We only had to drive 60 some odd miles across a road called ‘The Top of the World’…totally worth it!

I wonder what the 3 residents do when they are off duty?

July 29, 2018July 22, 2018

Yukon Dipping

Last night we slept next to the Klondike River and went for a dip. Tonight we are camping just north of Dawson City on the Yukon River and couldn’t resist going for another dip!

July 28, 2018July 22, 2018

The Turn at Tracer Brook

In the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run there is an aid station at about 60 miles called Tracer Brook. When you get there, you have been running south all day. At Tracer Brook, you make the turn north towards the finish. You are no longer going away; you are going home. It’s still a hell of a long way but you are now going in the right direction. It is a huge milestone in the race.

We made the Tracer Brook turn when we left Tuktoyaktuk . We have been travelling roughly North since leaving Florida and after 3 months on the road we have reached the farthest north one can drive in North America, Tuktoyaktuk, North West Territories Canada!

We made the turn at Tracer Brook! We are headed South!

July 27, 2018July 22, 2018

Dust in the Yukon…Resistance is Futile!!!

As some of the pics show, there is a bit of dust on the Dempster! (When it’s not in the form of mud!) Over the 550 miles northbound the dust became a standing joke. One of us would call out “truck ahead!”. The other would look out over the vast arctic plain and see a plume moving across some distant mountainside 5 to 10 miles away and respond “I guess that’s the road!”. A half an hour later the gravel truck would appear and we would crank closed the dash vents and windows as we passed through the plume.

And then there was our own dust that some how circulated back inside.

Each night while prepping to camp we would sweep the dust out of every corner and crevice of the Rover. Resistance was futile!

In Inuvik we purchased some foam weather stripping to try to stop some of the dust entering the Rover. The First Nation guy behind the counter said “Vermont?!, that’s a long way to come for weather stripping!” Too funny, but he had a point!

We will let you know if the added weather stripping helps.

July 26, 2018July 22, 2018

Tuktoyaktuk

Once you travel the Dempster and arrive in Inuvik, you now have the option to travel another 100 miles on the new Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Hwy to the Arctic Ocean. Of course, we had to go!

We awoke to a beautiful morning, a definite must for traveling this road, and adventured north. The road is still being ‘fine tuned’ so there are patches of mud where the permafrost is winning and sections that make your teeth rattle. The gravel trucks run non-stop and the locals see it as a new super highway.

Tuk until this year could only be reached by sea or air. The ITH (Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway) across the permafrost north to Tuk connects it to the rest of the world. The small village could be a fishing village on the coast of Newfoundland, Maine, or Scotland where people are eeking out a living in a tough place.

We had Muskox burgers, stood in the Arctic Ocean(no swim), and met some nice people.

We had a beautiful day and an epic adventure!

Luckily, we had a nice day so the road was open. Last week it was closed because of rain. 99 miles to Tuk!

We made it, thanks to my expert driving.

Our toes in the Arctic Ocean. I know our friends are disappointed we didn’t go for a dip (too big of an audience:)

The wee Rover didn’t get to dip her tires in the Arctic Ocean, she had to settle for a picture under the sign.

As usual, Darrin found someone to talk to. This is Bogie, self appointed local historian, lived in Tuk all his life and a great sharer of local life in Tuk.

These are a Pingos. I can’t remember how they are formed, but the center is ice and the First Nation people used to use them as a refrigerator.

July 25, 2018July 22, 2018

Talking Tires

We (aka Darrin) did a ton of research prior to our departure on what tires to put on the rover. We chose Toyo M-55’s 11 ply traction & snow tires. They are produced for use on logging and construction vehicles. They are a bit loud and give a bit of a rough ride, but they have been spectacular so far. Especially on the last 1500 miles of mud, rocks, dirt, and sand that make up the Campbell Hwy, the Dempster Highway and the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway.

A car we were leapfrogging up the road was running BFG All Terrains which was the other choice we were thinking about. They were stranded for a day when a stone about the size of a large pencil eraser was pushed straight through the lugs of the tire.

To think of our tires and everything we have put them through over the last 3 months and especially the last 1500 miles one would think they would be trashed, but in reality they actually look like we just drove to the mall!

I can find no cuts or damage of any kind; amazing!

July 24, 2018July 22, 2018

The Arctic Circle

One of the highlights of the Dempster is crossing the Arctic Circle. After this point, we are in the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’ where the sun never goes down, but just circles around the sky.