Day 21

Spent a little time in Fairbanks at the Visitors Centre and LARS at the University of Fairbanks before continuing on to Denali National Park.

Muskox at the Large Animal Research Station.
Caribou at the Large Animal Research Station Fairbanks Alaska.
View near Denali National Park.
Fairbanks visitors centre.

Day 20

The attack of the killer mosquitoes.

Drove from Tok through clearing weather to Fairbanks and then on the Chena Hot Springs where we spent the night.

Chena Hot Springs camp.
The end of the Alaska Highway.
Delta Junction and lousy coffee.
China Hot Springs and dinner.

Day 19

Drove from Chicken at a leisurely pace to Tok where we stayed in a very nice camp ground. Rain of biblical proportions.

The Saloon at Chicken Alaska.
The chicken monument in Chicken Alaska.
Ceremonial chicken in Chicken Alaska.
Information on the Taylor Highway.
Wet camp in Tok.
Dinner in Tok…in the rain.

 

Day 18

Dawson City ferry crossing.
Top of the World Highway.
View toward Dawson City.
Our camp in Chicken.
Julie Prodor and her boyfriend who live in Vancouver and bought us (surprise) pie and ice-cream.

Today drove from Dawson City on the Top of the World Highway to Chicken Alaska after a brief detour towards Eagle Alaska. Stayed in the “pavillion” under a solid roof so the tent had a chance to dry out.

View from the Top of the World highway west of Dawson City.
Poker Creek at the USA – Canada border at Top of the World.

 

 

Alaska highways map.
View from Top of the World highway.
Road to Eagle Alaska.

Day 15 – 17

Bombay Peggy’s in Dawson City.

Stayed in Dawson City for Three nights as it was raining and camping in Tombstone didn’t sound as good as it did. We did go up to Blackstone Creek in Tombstone Park and fish one day.

House in Dawson City.
Wet Dawson City.
The Midnight Sun in Dawson City. I stayed here in 1976.
Old cabin on Front Street, Dawson City.
Dempster Highway bicycle art.
Graeme with the first of 7 nice grayling on the Blackstone River.
The Blackstone River, home of grayling.
Fishing on the Blackstone River.

Day 14

Blackstone Mountain

Drove from Eagle Plains through Tombstone Park to Dawson City.

Crucial life lesson!
Had a drink at the famous Bombay Peggy’s brothel turned drinking establishment

 

 

 

Fireweed – the flower of Yukon.

 

 

Tombstone Mountains from the highway.

Day 12

Graeme wading in the Beaufort Sea. Windy, cold but the water was warm.
What else can I say?
Mary bonds with the Beaufort Sea
The terminus of the Trans Canada Trail in Tuk
A different Welcome to Tuktoyaktuk sign
Sounded tasty but we had butter tarts and bannock instead.

Round trip from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk today. Drove with Olav, a Norwegion from Lillehammar, who runs the Arctic Chalet with his wife Judy. Fabulous commentary all day filled with local knowledge. Rapid trip back as Olav wanted to get to an auction.

Arctic Chalet in Inuvik
Largest Pingo in the area
Northern point of view
Sign welcoming visitors to Tuktoyaktuk
An Anglican Church, the oldest building in Tuk
The Igloo Church in Tuk
Musk Ox burgers for sale.
Sod house

Wooden frame before the sod is added
Inside view of an unfinished sod house
A pair of polar bear skin hunting pants

Day 11

Left Eagle Plains on our way to Inuvik. First stop, after waiting for the road to dry out a bit, was the marker at the Arctic Circle.

Marker at the Arctic Circle.
Map showing the various lines of longitude on earth.

Then we headed north and left the Plateau and entered the Richardson Mountains. At the east – west divide we crossed from Yukon into the North West Territories.

Marker at the boundary between Yukon and North West Territories.

Descended rapidly into the Mackenzie Lowlands and first crossed the Peel River and then the Mackenzie River before the last drive into Inuvik. Plan on spending two nights here at the Arctic Chalet with a guided trip to Tuktoyaktuk tomorrow.

Ferry crossing the Peel River.
This bridge has its pilings sunk 30 meters into the river silt.

Mary and Graeme at the Arctic Circle.
Neat the NWT boundary.

At the NWT boundary.
East into the NWT.
Crossing the Peel River.

A grand approach to the next river crossing.

Approaching the Mckenzie River crossing.
Ferry terminal on the south side of the Mckenzie River.

 

Mckenzie River near Inuvik.

Day 10

Left Dawson and headed up the Dempster Highway. First stop was at the Tombstone Visitor’s Centre to gather a bit of information on our way to Eagle Plains. Stopped at Eagle plains for the night after leaving the Ogilvie Mountains and crossing onto the Peel Plateau.

Entrance to Tombstone Park.
Midnight at Eagle Plains.
Crossing Ogilvie Ridge.
Tombstone fireweed.

This video is a look south over the Peel River with the Ogilvie and Tombstone Mountains in the background.

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