Day 17: 09/26/2025

Start time:9:22

End time: 7:57

Starting Mileage:90274

Ending Mileage:90504

Low Temp:30

High Temp:38

Total driven: 230 miles drive time 10 hrs. 35 min

Blog Entry:

We left Eagle Plains a little later because the sun is not usually over the hills or mountains till after 8:30 am and the Arctic Circle is only about 40 minutes away. Passed several emergency airstrips today that are actually on the road. You would think the best part of the road driving would be there but you would be wrong , lol.

Got to the AC at 10:15 am with pretty perfect conditions and no one was around, walked the Sammie's around, took some pics, put the drone up. So now the count for those of you who care is Lesa and Kevin 8 times above the AC on the Dempster and 14 total, Granger 3 times on the Dempster and 5 total which ties Selah and little girl Moxee 1 on the Dempster and twice total.

We stopped at Grangers place to check it out and make sure it was still available to stay at on the way back, let the Sammie's off lead and run around a bit. So "up" the road and across the Yukon border into the NWT where we lost an hour, dang it. What a wonderful surprise down the road a big boar "male" grizzly feasting on what was left from what looked like a moose carcass, probably left from a moose hunt.  He was only about 55 yards from the road so I didn't have to go walk toward him to get closer, lol. Big gun out and took 441 pictures. 

Damn it was cold out there 35 degrees, with a windchill of 23 degrees.  Wind was blowing at 17-19 mph with gusts of 23 mph and some snow flurries now and then. I have a kestrel so it tells me all this info.  Hated to leave but we have to keep going. About another 45 minutes later we saw another grizzly but over 120 yards away. Way to windy for the drone so took some far away shots.

Crossed the Peel and McKenzie rivers on ferries, Peel river is a cable ferry and the Mckenzie is diesel powered.  Moxee's first time on a ferry, she was a bit nervous with the wave action crossing the Peel but was ok by the time we got to the other side.  I hate the last 145 some miles from the Peel river valley into Inuvik, it seems to always be a muddy mess. If were lucky the road is full of snow and packed into all the pot holes.  Well today was especially muddy and pot hole city worse we have ever seen so it took more time to drive than we thought and to make matters worse they have closed all three campgrounds before Inuvik and all the wild camping spots were just so muddy. So here we go trying for Inuvik, we made it here but it was the longest day on the road. 10 hrs. 35 minutes to go 230 miles. 

Staying the next two nights at the Arctic Chalet, we stay here every time we come this way. The owners are wonderful and I always spend extra time talking to them. They breed white huskies and have lived an amazing life up here in the north. Olaf is 83 and Judi I suspect is in her late 70's. Will head to Tuk tomorrow and just turn around and come back here. Will be another long day but we have spent a night at Tuk on a Saturday night and it is not the quietest place to be.  The locals are up all night driving their vehicles or quads up and down the main area where the "campground" is. Really not much of a campground really just a few spots on the side of the road where people come to gather at the point.