Eagle Plains
A necessary stop.
I needed gas at Eagle Plains, which is about the halfway point to Inuvik.
Out here, with 300 or 400km between fueling stations, you want to keep your tank as full as possible. If you have a half a tank, you can get back to the last place you got gas. If you let it go below half, you have to trust that there will be gas ahead, and in these parts, that's not always the case. Sometimes small stations run out of gas: there's a lot of demand during the summer, and they can run out. Then you're stuck until the next supply truck comes in.
Many people carry extra gas cans. I did look into this, but with the bike and kayak on top of the car, I don't really have any place to carry them. I'd have to put another rack on the back of the car, and that would interfere with opening the hatch. So if I'm going into the backcountry, I just make sure to always gas up, even if I'm only down a quarter tank. It's worked so far, and the Dempster is probably the most challenging "highway" N0MAD has travelled.
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| Tire change at Eagle Plains |
Now, I've had this go on several times before. I've had it come on during cold mornings (because cold decreases the pressure). It's a temporary thing and goes away when tire heats up from driving or the weather warms.
However, unfortunately, this time, it really wasn't that cold, and I could only assume that I'd gotten a puncture. The car was driving well, and it was less than 20 km to Eagle Plains, so I decided to go for it, and not change to the spare on the road.
I have never been so glad to see the "2km" sign that announced there was gas, service, lodging and food at Eagle Plains.
So I made it, with air still in the tire, although it was deflating visibly, even during the time I was getting gas.
Oddly enough, it was the left rear tire that got the flat. This is the same position as the tire that went flat in Sacramento, just a little more than a month ago. However, the tires were rotated at when I had the car in for its 30,000-mile service, just before I left, so it should not have been the same tire. Not sure what to make of this. It's just an odd coincidence.
There was an overloaded Jeep Wrangler getting a flat fixed before me. It was only moderately comforting that a flat tire could even happen to a rugged Jeep!
There was some small discussion among the servicemen about where to put the monster jack, but other than that, the folks at the station were just efficient. Norm, the guy in charge, was a lean, craggy man of indeterminate age, but probably on the far side of 60. Affable and friendly, it was evident that dental care was not a priority in his life. There was a big golden retriever that was VERY interested in the inside of my car, no doubt smelling the thuringer sausage that was in there. The dog had been "working" at the station for the last four years, and seemed to be the official greeter.
The fellow who fixed my flat looked like he could use a rest. I think the fixing-flat business had been steady all day. Sweating, he got the tire off, roughed up the inside with a sander, cleaned the rubber dust off, and slapped on a patch. He pressed the patch on with some device, running it across the patch in a zig-zag pattern to anneal the patch to the tire, then put the tire back on the rim. In short order, I was back on my way without ever having gotten my hands dirty, and my wallet lighter by $116CA for both gas and flat repair.
If you're going to have a flat, that's the way to do it.
Made it! On the Arctic Circle on the summer solstice!
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| Inukshuk on the Arctic Circle |
On the Arctic Circle
It actually was a relatively short distance further to the Arctic Circle. I couldn't believe that I was really here; a goal that I've thought about ever since last summer when I decided NOT to do the 500-mile Dalton Highway to Deadhorse.There's a big sign and displays, a beautiful view of the Richardson mountains just to the north, and a couple of outhouses. There was also a big vehicle parked in the parking lot. I've seen these huge behemoths in Alaska, too. They are VERY tall, rugged vehicles that look like they've come from the military. They ride very high, have enormous tires, and looks like a super-camper.
As I was looking at the displays and fingering my phone, trying to figure out how I was going to do a selfie or set up the phone on the conveniently-located table for a self-timed picture, when a girl emerged from the vehicle and asked, "Would you like me to take your picture?" I said, "Sure!" and then we got to talking.
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| Two lonely outhouses on the Arctic Circle |
There are nomads everywhere!
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| Flat number two |
Unfortunately the tire pressure light went on again.
The words that came out of my mouth are unprintable. IT WAS THE SAME %!&*!! TIRE!!
The pressure failed quickly this time, and I barely had time to make it off the road and into a nearby campground, fortunately not far away. I really wanted to get off the road to someplace flat and not busy or dusty. The campground was deserted, so I had my choice of spots.
Flat Number Two
Unfortunately, this time it looked like I was going to get dirty. I got out the Toyota manual, the jack, the nut wrench, jack attachments, my "rug" (an old bathmat that's on board for just such occasions), and started the process.
Unfortunately, the campground was rife with mosquitoes that evidently hadn't been fed in a week. There were hordes of them, an "8" on the Mosquito Index.
I'd gotten the nuts on the flat tire loosened, the car chocked properly, the spare down from its storage place, and was working on getting the car jacked up, when a blue van drove by, stopped and backed up. A fellow with a neat black beard in sandals and a bright blue t-shirt umped out. I recognized them from an earlier stop at Elephant Rock.
"Need some help?" he asked. I mumbled something about that I had a flat, the second of the day, and was doing okay at getting it changed. He would have none of it, and said he'd changed lots of flats. It was evident that her really did want to help.
His wife got out of the van and retreated quickly for her bug net. Long story short is that we got the spare mounted, and I learned a few tricks for making things easier. This was the bright side.
I was now nervous about driving forward to Ft McPherson, as it was further than heading back to Eagle Plains, and I was now without a spare. It was getting late in the day, too. Quino advised going forward, since Ft McPherson is a bigger town (300 people) than Eagle Plains. So while I'd reached one goal of getting to the Arctic Circle, I hadn't made it to Inuvik by the solstice. I could still make it to the Aboriginal People's Day activities, if all went well, so I acceded. Quino and Jaime said they would follow after me in the van. Neither of us were speed demons on this road.
Grizzly Bear
The drive was beautiful, but I confess I would have enjoyed it more had I not been so worried, even with caravanning. There is some steep relief in the Richardson Mountains, with some very respectable grades. The landscape here is open grasslands, and low bushes, very open.
At one point on the road ahead, I saw something that at first I thought was a bicyclist, or maybe a motorcycle. Then, as I slowed and got closer, I thought it might be a moose, although I thought that moose liked more cover with high willow bushes, not this open tundra.
Then the animal started running, and it was evident that it was a VERY LARGE BEAR. I slowed down to a crawl; Jaime and Quino slowed in their van, too, and the bear lumbered off the road into the greenery. He (I'm sure it was a "he") didn't go far, and just started eating the vegetation. He was very unconcerned. Perhaps he knew that the large "animals" passing by stay on the road.
It was a priviliged moment, as the only other grizzlies that I've observed were from the Denali bus, and they were so far away as to be fuzzy bear dots, only seen with binoculars. And I felt perfectly safe in the car.
Peel River crossing
It was getting late by the time we crossed the Peel River via ferry, but of course you'd never know it because it's so light! This is the first of two ferries on the Dempster Highway. Both are free, and operate almost 16 hours per day during the summer. In the winter, the Dempster becomes and ice road, and vehicles just cross the river on the ice.
This river crossing is pretty quick, and we did not have to wait in line at all. I think the ferry could probably take about six "normal" vehicles on each run, and the crossing only takes less than 10 minutes.
Summer Solstice at Ft McPherson/campground
There is a campground just about 10km before Ft McPherson, and I opted to stay here, since nothing in the town would be open at this hour of the night. People are out enjoying the midnight sun, not working, especially on the day before a holiday!
It felt good to stop. It had been a very long day.
I'd gotten the nuts on the flat tire loosened, the car chocked properly, the spare down from its storage place, and was working on getting the car jacked up, when a blue van drove by, stopped and backed up. A fellow with a neat black beard in sandals and a bright blue t-shirt umped out. I recognized them from an earlier stop at Elephant Rock.
"Need some help?" he asked. I mumbled something about that I had a flat, the second of the day, and was doing okay at getting it changed. He would have none of it, and said he'd changed lots of flats. It was evident that her really did want to help.
His wife got out of the van and retreated quickly for her bug net. Long story short is that we got the spare mounted, and I learned a few tricks for making things easier. This was the bright side.
I was now nervous about driving forward to Ft McPherson, as it was further than heading back to Eagle Plains, and I was now without a spare. It was getting late in the day, too. Quino advised going forward, since Ft McPherson is a bigger town (300 people) than Eagle Plains. So while I'd reached one goal of getting to the Arctic Circle, I hadn't made it to Inuvik by the solstice. I could still make it to the Aboriginal People's Day activities, if all went well, so I acceded. Quino and Jaime said they would follow after me in the van. Neither of us were speed demons on this road.
Grizzly Bear
The drive was beautiful, but I confess I would have enjoyed it more had I not been so worried, even with caravanning. There is some steep relief in the Richardson Mountains, with some very respectable grades. The landscape here is open grasslands, and low bushes, very open.
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| Grizzly bear! |
Then the animal started running, and it was evident that it was a VERY LARGE BEAR. I slowed down to a crawl; Jaime and Quino slowed in their van, too, and the bear lumbered off the road into the greenery. He (I'm sure it was a "he") didn't go far, and just started eating the vegetation. He was very unconcerned. Perhaps he knew that the large "animals" passing by stay on the road.
It was a priviliged moment, as the only other grizzlies that I've observed were from the Denali bus, and they were so far away as to be fuzzy bear dots, only seen with binoculars. And I felt perfectly safe in the car.
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| Peel River ferry crossing.(Quino takine a photo), about 9pm. |
It was getting late by the time we crossed the Peel River via ferry, but of course you'd never know it because it's so light! This is the first of two ferries on the Dempster Highway. Both are free, and operate almost 16 hours per day during the summer. In the winter, the Dempster becomes and ice road, and vehicles just cross the river on the ice.
This river crossing is pretty quick, and we did not have to wait in line at all. I think the ferry could probably take about six "normal" vehicles on each run, and the crossing only takes less than 10 minutes.
Summer Solstice at Ft McPherson/campground
There is a campground just about 10km before Ft McPherson, and I opted to stay here, since nothing in the town would be open at this hour of the night. People are out enjoying the midnight sun, not working, especially on the day before a holiday!
It felt good to stop. It had been a very long day.
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| View out N0MAD's window at 1am in the morning. The sun has not set AT ALL. |
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