On the Road to Inuvik: Dispatches

Jack Stafford, August 1^st

Thurs, 8/1

In the middle of the "night" I woke in a sweat. I had a t-shirt, sweatshirt and down jacket on under the down comforter. Strip and go back to sleep until 10.

By the afternoon I was in town running errands. Refuel tank and Jerry can - $55.00, wrote postcards, banked, shopped food and ate. My empty beer cans were worth $3.60 from the recycler. The money went to a spray-wand car wash.

The first time I used the car wash was yesterday with Dennis. I had focussed on the cosmetics. Now it's time to get underneath at the running gear. The Dempster mud goes on like cement and as such dried on it's very hard to remove. The tranny and engine were caked, backing plates on the rear wheels, and the bumper had filled up with mud.

We board a flight for Tuktoyaktuk on the northern coast. At the beach I wade in ankle-deep for a photo. The beach has many interesting cobblestones near the murky water. Houses are built on top of pier pilings set into the permafrost. Outside each one is a tank for the heating oil, a snowmobile under a tarp and sometimes a sled.

Back in town we find the Blue Moon Bistro still open. Somehow we ordered wrong and ended up with four pizzas at our table. It's the best pizza this side of the arctic circle! Really, it was delicious. Odometer: 239,182

Fri, 8/2

I wake up to Jorge needing a ride into town. His right front wheel bearings need replacement so I get up and get on the pedals to town. He found the inner bearings at one supply house and the outer ones at a supply across town. They had the parts which was the important thing. When I sprayed off the rear wheels I only cleaned the part that is visible from underneath. There was still 3/5 of the mud clinging on the rims causing serious wheel imbalance. At a fuel station I washed off all the remaining mud from the rear rims and back in balance.

At noon everyone congregates at the igloo chapel in downtown Inuvik. The local press guy wants photos and interviews. I don my V@L shirt. Inside the chapel I find that it's actually a double dome built on a specially engineered foundation. This helps keep it insulated in the winter and from sinking into the permafrost in summer. Across the street I see another Lada 4wd imported from Russia, it's the Cossack model.

In a line we all head out of town to the Dempster. Goodbye civilization. We all get spread out and separated at the ferry crossings. Noone is waiting on the other side anymore, it's everyone for themself. This is the only road and we know exactly where it goes so we'll end up at Eagle Plains or Dawson City to regroup.

Just north of the arctic circle we drive through some fierce crosswinds. We stop at the circle turnout for the rest of our group. Coyote and Dennis were way out front, Bob bringing up the rear. After an hour and no other southbound traffic we head into Eagle Plains. Don gets his VW running with some hotwiring and joins the group that has decided to continue on into Dawson this evening. It's cold and rainy now at 10pm and I've had a full day of driving so I stay and wait 'till the morning to drive the six hours to Dawson. I listen to Radio Australia on the SW. Odometer: 239,644.

Sat, 8/3

The rain has stopped. The others have left for Dawson so it's just mine and Jorge's VW for the day's drive. At Engineer Creek campground there's a sign on the Dempster warning of mosquitos. The Dempster is not dusty or muddy and the insects are not so bad today. This was the most pleasant and scenic of all the gravel roads thus far.

Sun, 8/4

We left the Klondike R. camp and headed for the ferry across the river. Today we take the Top of the World Highway. It's supposed to be a scenic route according to my AAA atlas. The southern half of the Dempster was more scenic IMHO. A gravel road in the same condition as the other gravel highways in Canada. The US side was another story.

This "highway" was very dusty. If the road surface was not washboard it had the look and feel of a dry creek bed. After we pass Mt.Fairplay we're going too slowly for this washboard road. 007 would love this road as his martini would be shaken, not stirred. I can't take this shaking and pass the convoy leader. Picking up some speed I cruise at 55mph and the vibration is squelched.

We stop in Tok, AK for fuel, then head south to our camp near a lake. Across the lake are some snow-capped peaks that are inside a State preserve. This camp is on the itinerary and is a BLM camp. No firewood like in the Canadian parks so we gather down wood for a fire. Odometer: 239,878.

Mon, 8/5

I've left my white gas, Coleman stove at home. For this trip I have borrowed a small, butane fired, single-burner unit. It's the kind of thing that your omelette is cooked on when you go out for brunch. It only kicks out so many BTUs so that 15 minute muffins take 60 minutes. The butane cooker dosen't bake well but is very light and compact.

My starter solenoid is dead. I get a push but don't crank the wheel to make a turn. Now I need a tow or risk falling into the ditch. Tobin hauls me out using a tow rope, then we're back on the Alaska highway.

There's a 40 mile stretch which is under construction. 5-10 mph with alot of stops. The workers are rigging charges off to my right. Finally we get onto paved road again and cross the border into Canada. After passing a motor home, one at a time, we decide to make some time. The pace is quickened, then everyone stops when Jorge needs to add oil to his crankcase. I would rather stay on the road and let them catch up, so I don't pit.

The scenery is incredible along the stretch from Destruction Bay to Haines Junction. The road workers that built this part of the highway must have loved driving because the curves were beautiful. Long, banked sweeper turns where you never have to move the wheel, then symmetrical S's. This part was a joy to drive.

At Pine Lake campground it's sprinkling rain. Ivette and Jorge are glad to see me and my hatchet. They want to build a fire. The others are planning a camp in Haines Jct with hookups and electric heaters. The Freeman family arrives and sets up camp. We get a nice fire going. The Holser family stops by for a visit but the rain drives them on their way. We slap together a lean-to out of a plastic tarp and stay dry near the fire. Then to sleep. Odometer: 240,170 miles.

Jack