From Mile “0” in Dawson Creek, we made our way to Watson Lake, YT. The stop here was important to us because Craig’s Aunt Karen and late Uncle Eugene had placed a sign in the famous sign forest back in 1997. We knew it would be next to impossible to find it but we wanted to try. We looked around the bulldozer where Aunt Karen said they had put it but to no avail. We went to our campsite, made our sign, and went back and placed it in the area around the bulldozer too hoping we were in the vicinity of theirs.
From Watson Lake, we made our way to Whitehorse, YT. We were hoping to stay at the government campground but found it was full. We had heard the Walmart in town allowed RVs to camp overnight so we went to check it out thinking if there were a few others there we would feel comfortable staying. We were shocked when we drove in. The number of RVs outnumbered the customers there. It felt weird and we actually had a hard time finding a place to park. We unloaded the Jeep and went to find some dinner since we really didn’t want to hang out in the parking lot. We eventually did just park so we could steal McDonalds wifi and get some things done.
We were pretty much the first ones to leave Walmart at 5:40am and just wanted to get on the road. We headed up the Klondike Highway which was really beautiful but really rough and potholed. It was slow going, but I ended up getting some cool pictures.
We got to Dawson City and found a government campground outside of town. The government campgrounds are nice because they are only $12 with toilets and free wood. We stayed there for two nights while we hung out in Dawson City and repacked our stuff getting ready to head up the Dempster Highway.
Tuesday morning we dropped our trailer in the airport parking lot. Picture a big field with a small airport across the road. We felt good about leaving it there considering we saw other RVs parked there for a couple of days as we had been by.
Then we headed north on the Dempster Highway. The Dempster Highway is 456 miles long and all gravel. It leads to the town of Inuvik and up until last year that was as far as you could drive. Last year the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway opened which allows people to drive right up to the Arctic Ocean. As we traveled the highway, we wound through mountains and hills and streams and plains. It was beautiful.
We reached the Arctic Circle around 5:30 pm Tuesday night. As we drove in the pull-off for a picture at the sign, we were slightly annoyed to see two bicyclists had leaned their bikes against the sign and were taking a break where everyone takes their picture. I went to use the restroom hoping they would take off soon. When I returned, Craig was chatting with one of them and I said hi to the other. We all started chatting and that is how we met Chad from Anchorage and Sturan from Scotland. We parted ways knowing we’d see each other at the next campground.
A few hours after we set up camp at Rock River Campground, Chad and Sturan road in. The mosquitos were horrible here and it was raining off and on. They hunkered down in the screened-in kitchen shelter so we joined them. Turns out Chad and Sturan had just met in Dawson City. It was really fun to exchange stories and realize how much we all had in common in that we wanted to get away from ordinary life. These guys definitely brought it to another level when they decided to take off from Anchorage and bike all the way to Tuk. We were happy to make them a hot breakfast in the morning and we parted ways promising them we’d pick up their food cache they left in Eagle Plains and deliver it to the Visitor Center in Dawson.
As we continued on our way, we had to wait at two ferry crossings. We were the first in line at the second one and three guys on motorcycles pulled up behind us. The road had been really muddy and rough and they all looked it. We offered them water and paper towels to clean off their helmets. They were from Nova Scotia and had left from Whitehorse that morning. That’s a really long way to ride!
We made our way up to Inuvik where we grabbed some lunch and decided to drive the last 86 miles to Tuktoyaktuk. Because this section is a new road, it has not settled and has loose gravel and rough sections that when wet are pretty horrible. We ran into our Nova Scotia biker friends in the same restaurant and they had decided not to continue to Tuk since stories of bikers being stranded and being trailered out were going around town. Paul, James and Jamie were bummed and we felt bad for them. Paul asked if we could send some pictures of the Arctic Ocean and update them on the road which we did. We made it up with no problems but noted a few sections that would be miserable for bikes, not to mention it was really cold up there. Paul was happy to see the pictures and also happy to hear that they made a good choice in not continuing.
Once in Tuk, we made our way to the end of the peninsula where we heard we could camp. It was kind of awkward and there were a lot of people camping there. We weren’t entirely sure what to do. We found a spot and fumbled around with getting level and felt dumb because a table of people were watching us. We got settled and Anna, who was sitting at the table, walked over and asked if we were all level with a smile. She was parked behind us in a Subaru which she was camping out of. She is a professor from New York and was there to photograph the locals hunting whales. There was still ice on the ocean, so her stay in Tuk is going to be a little bit longer than she anticipated. She had already made friends with some of the locals and she was really helpful to us to figure out what Tuk had to offer.
Thursday morning was downright cold. The wind was biting and you couldn’t put enough layers on. We had to cook in the camper to get out of the wind, which for those that have seen the inside of our camper, is pretty tight. We made it work and it felt like the old days before we added the trailer.
Even though it was chilly, seeing the Arctic Ocean was unbelievable. When you really think about how many people actually get to see the Arctic Ocean and put their toes in, made it felt pretty unreal. June 21 was the summer solstice but also National Aboriginal Day. We went into town where they had a stage and the locals were dancing to songs that are 500 years old and passed down through their generations. It was pretty cool to witness a little bit of their culture.
The rest of our time we relaxed. We read books, took naps and chatted more with Anna. We didn’t even eat dinner until 11:30 pm because we didn’t realize how late it was getting. Twenty-four hour sun is weird. We both woke up at 3 in the morning and it was still bright as ever.
Friday morning we said our goodbyes to Anna, having exchanged numbers and promises to keep in touch. Hopefully we can look her up when we get to the east side of the states.
We got back into Inuvik, picked up a few supplies and got our certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle. We’re in the cool kids club now! We weren’t too far south of Inuvik and we came across Chad and Sturan. They were dust-covered but looked happy to see us. We refilled their water and assured them the trek to Tuk was worth it! What they are doing is so extraordinary. They deserve all the credit in the world for sticking it out and accomplishing this goal. They are hoping to be back in Dawson City by Tuesday and we really want to celebrate with them. We have no schedule and are going to hang out until they get back into town.
This week has been full of beyond ordinary sights, beyond ordinary weather, and beyond ordinary people. We are excited for more beyond ordinary experiences.
Off to Dawson…happy to sit and relax and wait for our new friends.