Day 15: Dawson City to Eagle Plains YT; Dempster Hwy, 370 kms

 Last night Peter & I went through all our stuff to trim things down to the minimum for the trip up the Dempster Hwy.  We didn't want any extra weight to deal with.   We left about 60% of the stuff behind in the hotel in Dawson City.  When we asked Dave what he was going to take, he said "Everything".  Dave has a lot less than us. Check the picture of Dave's bike. It is fully loaded for the trip; 2 small saddle bags & a gym bag. Boy, these dirt bike riders are hardcore.


Today the fun began. This is the day that Peter has been waiting for.  The Arctic Circle, the NWT & Inuvik are 3 of his goals for the trip. After the usual ceremonial pictures in front of the Dempster Hwy sign we were off.  The only 5 kms of pavement disappeared quickly as we passed the sign reminding us to drive/ride safely because there isn't any medical services for 370 kms.  Point taken.

It wasn't long until we were surrounded by breath taking prehistoric scenery.  There were bunt cake mountains with icing in the distance. There were purple hills in front of them, puffy white marsh mellow clouds above the carpet of trees & foliage leading down to a wide snow covered river bed. Wow!  I thought I could see a T-Rex roaming in the distance.  Man really is but a drop in the ocean of life.

Once I realized that the road followed the river through the valley, I began looking ahead trying to figure out where the valley & road would go.  It was really a delightful ride. The road surface was basically hard packed dirt so it wasn't much different than pavement. I thought, "Wow, if it says like this, things will be a breeze."   It was like Moses had parted the forest & put a road in.  Cool.  After a couple of easy going hours the road started to climb over the mountains.  My road game changed. Now I looked ahead for the brown ribbon flowing over the hills.  It was kind of funny to see the strange directions it took.  "Man, we're going way over there & then back over here. Up & down all over the place. The guys that laid this road out must have been drunk.

Time passed uneventfully. I started looking at the clouds trying to imagine things.  Suddenly, an old prospector in a hat with the brim turned up at the front was smiling down on us.  His bushy beard was accented by a large mustashe.  He looked like a prospector Santa.  His eyes laughing @ us.

Dave lead followed by Peter, then me.  You see, Dave used to be a motocross racer. He has a lot of off road experience.  Peter has done 3K of gravel roads in Labrador;  I have done maybe 10 kms of gravel total in my life!  I didn't want to hold those guys up.  Things seemed pretty good until we were within one kilometre of Eagle Plains our destination.

We came over a rise & then headed down into a wet dip in the road.  Apparently, Dave had thrown his hand into the air to warn us but he was so far ahead I didn't see it.  The next thing I know, Peter is fish tailing wildly in front of me. First the back of the bike goes right, then left, then right, then left again swinging like a pendulum.  Holy crap! Peter regains control & straightens out the bike.  Way to go Peter!

Then I'm on top of the wet stuff.  I madly brake to slow down as much as I can.  This stuff is slippery!  I swing left to avoid the stuff Peter hit.  Bad move!  Now I'm headed toward the tree tops, off the road.  I think, "That could hurt." Another little voice in my head says, "Don't worry about the trees. The fall will probably kill you."  Suddenly, the bike shoots madly back across the road to the right, but it is listing @ a 45 degree angle in the direction I just came from.  I think, "Oh, good. I'm only going to lay it down in this stuff. That's not so bad." Somehow the front wheel turns into the skid. Miraculously, the bike straightens up.  I'm headed down the middle of the road upright again!  A sudden burst of laughter fills my helmet.  I can't believe I survived! Seconds later I am out of the brown ice.

I head up to the top of the hill. Dave is already parked in front of the Eagle Plains Hotel.  Peter is busy taking a picture of a rainbow in the valley.  Neither one of them knew that I had just about "bought the farm".

Tomorrow: more "fun" on the way to Inuvik.