Dawson City to Inuvik on the Dempster

Notes on the trip up the Dempster to Inuvik.

Thursday, June 25

About 25 miles out of Dawson is the junction of the Klondike and the Dempster Highways. The Dempster is the subject of this post. It's also one of the main reasons we've come this far north. For years, I've had the Dempster on my "bucket list". I've read about others doing it. I've dreamt of reaching the Arctic Circle and going beyond, maybe even to the Arctic Ocean. The Dempster is about 460 miles of gravel road that stretches from the Klondike Highway to the town of Inuvik. It was conceived and built in the 50s and 60s and was officially opened to public travel in 1979.

Why is it a gravel road? Much of the road is built on permafrost. Gravel is a much more forgiving surface, and much less expensive to build, to repair, and to keep in good shape. Traditional road-building techniques produced roads that become soft and unusable when they sink into the thawed frozen ground called permafrost. In order to preserve the frozen ground beneath the road, newer building methods use thick layers of aggregate as insulation. In this way, the warmer road surface and the permafrost are kept apart, and the road is more stable and long lasting. It also adds to the cost and time to build roads like this.

It's important to be prepared for the Dempster. One recommendation is having two spare tires because the Dempster is known to chew up tires on a fairly regular basis. I've talked to some who wouldn't be without two spares and I've talked with others who've driven the Dempster 20 times without a problem. I brought 2 spares.

And speaking of tires, because the road is gravel... and much of the gravel they use is very hard and sharp crushed shale... it would be a good idea to have some good all-terrain tires... the kind that can take gravel and sharp surfaces better than regular street tires. I just mounted a set of new All-Terrain tires before the trip. On the other hand, I saw a lot of folks with standard highway tires too.

There is fuel available in a few places along the Dempster. The longest stretch between pumps is about 240 miles between the junction with the Klondike Highway and Eagle Plains, about mid-way. We have about 400 miles of range with the pickup and never came close to sweating it. Just because fuel is available doesn't mean it's cheap. While we were paying $1.15C further south in BC and Alberta, the price at Eagle Plains was $1.50C and $1.69C in Inuvik.

Got a cell phone? Forget using it on the Dempster. For emergency purposes, and to send out a daily location "ping" to family and friends, we have a DeLorme InReach device that can do two-way text messages via the Iridium Satellite System from anywhere on the planet. It provided us with a measure of comfort.

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A very nice couple from Ontario destroyed their truck and camper to an incident on the Dempster just a day ahead of us. This occurred about 90 kilometers (50 miles) north of Eagle Plains. At 7pm in the evening, their truck and truck camper ran off the road and into the soft downward sloping shoulders of the roadway. A panic steering correction just made things worse and they eventually rolled the unit... truck and camper separating in the process... with the truck finally resting on it's wheels in the ditch on one side and the camper laying on it's side in the middle of the road.

On the Dempster, there's no one to call as there's no cell service. Imagine, the nearest facilities are 50 miles away, and even there there are no police or emergency services. Not only did you completely destroy your truck and camper, you're totally alone... at the mercy of other travelers who happen to pass by. And let me tell you, there' are not a lot of people on that road at that time in the evening. You are so alone. A smoldering broken pile of metal that used to be your truck... your means of transportation... your lifeline. Another pile of broken wood and fiberglass, split open at the seams, that used to be your home away from home. Suddenly you have nothing... and you're in the middle of nowhere with no support or assistance of any kind. How must that feel?

We ran into these folks at dinner tonight and they told us their tale. They told us how no one responded... no police, no EMS, nothing -- when you're on the Dempster, you're really on your own. This is true wilderness. They told us of the difficulty in dealing with an insurance company that doesn't understand the wilderness and the distances involved. They recounted how they had to contact multiple people to report the incident and how few really cared or could do anything about it. It wasn't until late the next day that the highway maintenance guys based at Eagle Plains got equipment to the site and could push the broken camper off the highway. It was in the middle of the road for almost a day, traffic having to slow and inch around it. Without cell service up here, you have to rely on the few landlines available at a few places along the way. One of those places, Eagle Plains Lodge, was the nearest place in this case.

Eventually, passers-by helped them pick up some of their possessions and valued items, and gave them a lift to Eagle Plains, some 50 miles away, where they got a motel room and began the process of getting all the loose ends tied together. They couldn't take or pick up everything, so much of their stuff was just strewn beside a broken camper at the roadside... and still is at this writing.

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We had our own issue that first day, which I recorded in a separate post which follows this one. It's titled "Tire Tales from The Dempster". Just an inconvenience and not at all catastrophic, it gave us just a taste of why it's necessary to be self reliant and to have the basic resources you may need to address situations as they crop up.

We drove to the half-way point the first day, to Eagle Plains, where we spent the night in their camping/parking area. There's a restaurant and bar, both seemed inviting and reasonably good, and we spent some time chatting with a few locals.

The second day was less troublesome. The drive through the Richardson Mountains was scenic despite the general smokiness and haze in the air. There are two small ferry crossings: The first is at Peel Crossing, where a small cable ferry pulls loads across the river in just a few minutes. Only a short wait for us. The second is about 40 miles further where a larger ferry lugs loads across the larger MacKenzie River. It's a larger boat, with more capacity, but with the width of the river and the occasionally used third landing for a small nearby village, it can take more time to cross. Another thing about these crossings is the ferry landings themselves. The ferrys just pull up to the natural shore of the river, and drop their ramps, landing craft style, onto the sand and dirt. No concrete docks here. They try to maintain the landings to minimize the dips and inflections between the river bank and the ferry ramp, but often RVs with long rear overhangs are not able to be loaded. River levels and eroding banks are always changing things. Beware of this before you drag your big RV up here.

And since we're on the subject of RVs, I guess it makes sense considering the ruggedness of the road, but more than half the RVs we see are truck campers. The next most common are C-class RVs, and then a mixture of everything else. While it's possible to make this trip with a big A-class, long travel trailer, or big 5th wheel, I wouldn't recommend it.

We decided to make camp at a government campground called Happy Valley RV and Campground right in town and within walking distance to much of what we needed to do.

November 13 - Boardman Oregon to Portland

Being along the Columbia during cold months often means you'll wake to fog. Thick fog. The kind that'll make you wonder where you are... 'cause there are no visible references. Your memory is all you've got to go on. It can feel like a dream if you let your imagination run free.

They said it'd start clearing about 10am, so we lingered until we convinced ourselves that it may indeed be improving... and we were back on I-84 by a few minutes after 10am. About 20 miles later it clearly was starting to clear. Another 20 miles, just as we dropped down into the Columbia River Gorge, just as we wanted visibility to savor one of the great drives in the USA, the fog was gone. The rest of the way to Portland was clear and sunny... and "gorge"ous. Aided by low sun and long shadows we were entertained with scenic eye-candy until we reached Portland. The road through the Gorge, even though it's an Interstate Highway, is curvier than a swimsuit model and almost as delightful (except, some would argue, the Gorge ages better than a swimsuit model). I set the cruise at 50 and let those with places-to-be or those on commercial treadmills pass as they needed.

We discussed our options and decided to book a month at one of our regular RV parks in the area. Recall our situation: sometime in the next few months we'll have the opportunity to buy into an Escapee Coop Park, Timber Valley, here in Oregon. Because we're so close to the top of the list we have the right to rent a site there on a monthly basis until our spot comes up. This RV lot will eventually become our home base. We considered stopping here in Portland for just a week... for the closer access to family and re-connecting with the grandkids for a few days, and then moving the bushouse down to Timber Valley before Thanksgiving. But we're in no hurry so made the decision to keep the whole circus together, right here in Portland/Vancouver, until mid-December at the earliest.

Also on the agenda is Amtrak-ing back to the Midwest to pick up the truck camper and make the run out here all over again. No decision on that one yet... and the TC will remain "on ice" in Wisconsin until we can work it in.

With the 160 (or so) miles today, we traveled 2176 miles in 6 days of driving. This is a record for us... a record we're not particularly proud of and wouldn't have done if it weren't for the potential for tough wintery weather along the way. We found a good weather"window" and slipped through it unscathed. Except for the wind, which we just dealt with the best we could, it was enjoyable, instructive, and... and... we're happy we're here.

November 12 - Mountain Home Idaho to Boardman Oregon

With a short 300 miles planned for today as well as a westerly time zone crossing we fooled around this morning and did not get an early start. We did however get the circus on the road some time after 9am. After loading up a tank of fuel it was back on I-84 westbound, through Boise, across the Snake River (again) and into the high desert of eastern Oregon. More and more it was beginning to feel good... familiar... like a welcoming home territory... a place I know like the back of my hand, yet, perhaps, really don't know at all. That's right, this is Oregon. And right over there, across the big River Columbia, that's Washington. This is the land we called home for about 8 years in the 80s and 90s... the place we raised our kids, explored, beaches and mountains and high desert. We visited places like Crater Lake, I climbed to the top of Mounts Hood and Helens, let the kids run free at the coast, taught them to ski on the mountains, poked our noses in here and there. But if there's anything we've learned in the past 6 years of our "sabbatical", is that we've only scratched the surface. It was the Cliffs Notes version, the survey course. And now we desire to experience more of it in depth, do the graduate level version. Why? Just cuz. We're really hoping the little camper, once it gets here, is as up to the task as we are.

Weather today was good when we started but deteriorated some as we moved into Oregon. A "disturbance" was predicted to bring a 40% chance of rain, but the whole thing was to diminish as the day wore on. At least "in theory" it was a 40% chance, but "in reality" it turned into a 100 percent chance... something that never happens to me when sitting at a blackjack table in Vegas. Between La Grande and Pendleton the wipers were clearing a light rain all the way.

We landed in Boardman Oregon, at the Boardman Marina and RV Park. We're hard on the banks of the Columbia and enjoyed a sunset light show during a "happy hour" walk up the shore.

It's good to be home.

A last glimpse at the Snake River.

Campsite along Columbia River in Boardman.

November 10 - Little America Wyoming to Mountain Home Idaho

Got down to 25f degrees last night which means the furnace got a workout, as did the batteries that power it. But we managed and got a good nights sleep. The early setting sun this time of year has me thinking about bed (and sleep) at ridiculously early hours... especially when we're in boondocking mode. I can fight the urge for a while but eventually surrender when bed becomes the warmest and most comfortable spot in the house. As a result I'm sleeping, sometimes, by 8 or 8:30. Of course, that means I'll be awake early... turning up the heat... making coffee. But when our goal is to "get there", that's not all bad either. For the most part, we've been able to manage.

The other two times we've been through this way we left I-80 and took US-30, the old Oregon Trail route, up passed Kemmerer, Montpelier, and Soda Springs... and then up to Pocatello before catching the Snake River for the trip downhill to Portland. For something different today we stayed on I-80 and were treated to a spectacular drive through a couple historic canyons. It was new territory for us.

The route of the first Transcontinental Railroad is the route of today's I-80. It was the most logical path for heavy rail traffic to traverse the mountains between the flats of SE Wyoming and the Great Salt Lake Basin... some 3,000 feet lower. The upper portion is called Echo Canyon which ends in an abrupt split about half way down the mountain. At that point, I-80 goes left and down into Salt Lake City, and I-84 goes right and down into the Ogden area. The first Transcontinental Railroad took a right turn toward Ogden, and so did we.

This lower canyon is Weber Canyon (I think). In spots, it's barely wide enough to contain the river, two lanes of Interstate Highway, a narrow local road, and two rail lines. It didn't seem like the whole canyon floor was more than a couple hundred feet wide.

The morning sunlight perfectly lit the canyon walls and produced dramatic shadows that enhanced things even more. It's a small section of roadway that we'll always remember.

Once down to the Ogden area it was back to the humdrum of Interstate travel. But we both felt as if we're entering a new phase in our trip. Crossing into Idaho and getting to the Snake River meant literally that we've arrived in the Pacific Northwest. The Rockies and the high country were behind us. In a small (very small) way, we felt a sense of what those early emigrants must have felt when they made it to this point.

We arrived at our destination, Mountain Home Idaho, mid-afternoon. Miles today (and I'm not fudging anything here), was 400. In four days we racked up 1,676 miles and only have about 500 to go... which we'll break into two days.

We're parked at the Mountain Home RV Park. It's a modern and nicely cared for place operated by some of the nicest workampers we've run across. We've been here once before and thought it'd be a great spot to take a break. We booked two nights and plan on sleeping in tomorrow. There'll be a few chores, a trip to the grocery store, but mostly it'll be a day to vegetate.

I've also added a few photos to the posts of the last few days. If you have a chance, check them out. And, as always, our complete photo albums are here... at http://picasaweb.google.com/thomhoch

November 9 - Sidney Nebraska to Little America Wyoming

Decided to take a break from the string of 400 mile drives today so we stopped after 395 miles. Considering our before 8am start we were done by a little after 3pm. We're parked at Little America Wyoming, one of the smallest and busiest towns for it's size I know. We've been here a few times before and always park in the same area in front of the restaurant and store, but away from the hustle and bustle of the place. There's no RV park or campground... no sir... no madam... every time we stop for the night at Little America we blacktop boondock... just find a spot, park, and hop in bed.

We're a little early for bed, although tired enough from the day. The common thread of the last three days has been the relentless headwinds and this big old flat-sided bushouse doesn't exactly cut through the wind like an F-16. Really, quite the opposite. It's literally like pushing a billboard down the road sideways. Driving is a two hand, two strong arms, and two sharp eyes affair... and don't take those eyes off the road for a second. 9 feet of vehicle in a 12 foot lane provides very little wiggle room as the wind does it's thing. After 400 miles I'm done. Time to park and enjoy the finer things in life... like a double bourbon on the rocks with my sweetie by my side. (Yes Sue, I'm relaxed now.)

Little America is like the big America... only smaller. There's a post office here... a gas station... a restaurant... store... motel... and, perhaps best of all... no Walmart or other irritating big box store. I assume you could live and vote here. You might even be able to run for office. If I were Mayor I'd set up a toll booth at the ramp off I-80 and charge a buck for every vehicle that passes. Considering the remoteness of the place most people would still stop for a tank of gas or a free 50 cent ice cream cone. In any case, we'd have some additional revenue to help keep the place going.

There ain't much to report about Wyoming today. The highlight of the trip was the gradual ascent to the 8640 foot Sherman Summit, the highest point anywhere on I-80, and the not-so-gradual descent into Laramie. Some dramatic and interesting country for sure.

The plan is to continue our string of 400 mile days tomorrow, after which we plan to take a break. We'll be through the area of greatest concern and can slow down a bit... relax even more.

November 8 - Shelby Iowa to Sidney Nebraska

Another 400+ mile day is in the books... our second in as many days.  It might be a good idea to explain our urgency... the rush to get from the Midwest to the Northwest in just a few days.

That explanation boils down to this:  it's mid-November, Winter is closing in, the entire route is between 41 and 45 degrees north latitude, and there are a couple mountain ranges that will have to be dealt with... and an elevation of about 9000 feet. We're trying to hit a window of relatively calm weather along our 2200 mile route before all hell breaks loose... as it certainly can (and will) any day now. So our motto is "git while the gittin's good". Those who linger will certainly pay the price.

All that said, we got another early start as the sun rose over Shelby this morning. Strong southerly winds were brisk and buffeted the bushouse as we passed through Omaha and around Lincoln... enough wind to make driving tough but not enough for us to give up and throw out the anchor. As the morning wore on and we neared Grand Island and Kearney, the wind eased considerably for an hour or two, and then reversed direction and gusted out of the north most of the way to our destination, Sidney Nebraska.

Sidney is the home office of Cabelas. Their complex here includes a huge store, a huge office building, a large RV/truck parking area, and a full service RV park. Seeing as how it's getting cold again tonight (upper 20s), we opted for the RV park ($17 after discounts for 30amp electric). We might be getting soft in our old age.

The route today was all I-80. Total mileage was 435. We're positioned to take advantage of good weather tomorrow for the apogee of our dash... 9000 feet, the highest point on I-80... located just east of Laramie Wyoming. From there, as they say, it'll be all downhill.

We did stop for about an hour today at The Great Platte River Archway Monument, which is built over the top of I-80 at Kearney.  Kearney is almost exactly half way between New York and San Francisco, and over the years so much American history passed this historic outpost on the prairie.. the Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail, and the first transcontinental railroad are all right here. Although a bit pricey at $10/head for old geezers like us, it's a well done set of walk-through dioramas and exhibits that span from the days of old Fort Kearney in the mid 1800s to today. The Monument has struggled in recent years and it's future is in doubt. We're hoping those responsible can find a way to keep it alive... and keep the story of those early emigrants alive too.

Missouri River at Omaha

The Great Platte River Archway Monument

November 7 - Beaver Dam to Shelby Iowa

Hey, we're on the road again.  After almost 6 months it feels good to be moving, that's for sure.

Yesterday we moved the bushouse off the RV pad at the farm and onto a temporary one-night "stand" nearby. The truck camper took the bushouse's place on the pad... and went into "cold storage". It'll sit there... unused, winterized, loaded and ready to go... until we return and retrieve it about a month from now. (more on that later).  Considering the 24f degree temps last night, the bushouse easily rumbled to life at first light this morning, raring to go. If I didn't know otherwise I'd say it was as anxious as us to hit the road. The only unforeseen issue was a frozen tv batwing antenna which cold-welded itself to it's base... no turning... no dropping... and us not going until stowed.. The steady rain of the previous few days and the hard-freezing temps combined to make life a little interesting... especially if you're the one who had to crawl up onto the roof, negotiate the full 40 x 8 ice skating rink up there, and free the problematic antenna.

Before 8am the wheels were turning. An early-ish start was needed to keep a burning ember of hope alive that we'd make my planned 400+ miles before the sun set. The route was an easy one... US-151 through, around, or near Madison, Dodgeville, Platteville (all WI), Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City (IA). Hop on I-80 west, circle around Des Moines, and head for Omaha... but we stopped for the night in the little town of Shelby Iowa. We found an electric plug-in at a motel/RV park near the Interstate to help fend off another night of 20f degree temps. And that's where I'm writing this post.

Tomorrow will be more of the same.

In my last post I discussed our plans to first take the bushouse out to Oregon and then return to Wisconsin, probably in December, to pick up the pick up (get it?) and camper. My first thought was to fly back. But smarter people than I thought it might be cool to "rail" back.  That's right, Amtrak. The "Empire Builder" has both Vancouver Washington (about 10 miles from our daughter and son-in-laws house) and Columbus Wisconsin (about 10 miles from family in Beaver Dam) included on it's list of stops between Portland and Chicago. And not only that, a cross-country passenger train trip has been on my bucket list for years. This has the makin's of a very cool trip.

Cedar River near Cedar Rapids Iowa

October 15 - Changes to Blog

You may have noticed recent changes to the layout of this blog. Here's the quick story.

The RV Sabbatical Journal blog is now presented in a simple single column format. The focus is on the most recent post, which is where I'd like it... with little else to clutter the page. In my effort to define the blog's purpose and to feed my desire to keep it all clean and simple, I've removed that smaller right-hand column which included a bunch of things I thought I could do without or, at least, handle differently. Did anyone really care what were the most viewed posts from the previous month? Our story is best found on a separate page under the "About" tab, so the small sections called "What's This All About?" and "Synopsis" were deemed redundant and done away with. The Google search widget didn't seem to work most of the time so it too was deep-sixed.

The two elements that I felt still had some value were the previous post "Archive" function and the "Follow Us by Email" widget, which are both now in the footer at the bottom of each page... if a reader wants them, they can still find them. I've also turned "comments" back on and will simply deal with things as they come in that department.

A side benefit of moving to a simple uncluttered layout is that it's now much easier to read this blog on tablets and smaller screens. I never had success in getting the mobile version of the blog to work the way I thought it should (and the way Blogger implies it will work), and now I don't need a mobile version. Ahh, the benefits of simplicity.

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Rain fell most of the day here. But we really shouldn't complain about the weather this month... it's been spectacular for the most part. The kind of October we've been hoping for. However, as we head into the last half of the month, sinking historical average temperatures and fewer hours of sunlight will slap us in the face... and we'll wake from this seasonal dream... and bask in the Winter which provides the balance that defines enjoyment. How does one appreciate the mean unless you've experienced the extremes?

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Ran down to Madison this afternoon to pick up Dar at the airport. She flew to Phoenix last Thursday to join her favorite sister for a long weekend of exploring the Phoenix area as a possible retirement spot... for her sister, not Dar. While there are parts of Arizona that would be of interest to Dar and I as a home base, Phoenix ain't one of 'em. Just too many people and too much hubbub.

And we stopped in at Ale Asylum on the way home... to bolster our energy and replace essential electrolytes (lost during long periods of travel at high altitudes) with craft beer that's "Fermented in Sanity". Oh, and we had dinner there too. It's good to have my partner back.