In 2010 we had been close to the Arctic Circle and had seen how gorgeous the fall colors on the tundra could be. Now the final section of the Yukon’s Dempster Highway has been extended from Inuvik in the Mackenzie Delta of the Northwest Territories (NWT), all the way to Tuktoyatuk on the Beaufort Sea, an arm of the Arctic Ocean. With that in mind we thought we’d give it another go.

Perhaps it wasn’t the most auspicious year to attempt a drive to the Arctic Ocean. California, Idaho and Montana were aflame, while in Canada over 650 fires raged in British Columbia.  We started to really see and smell the smoke our first morning camped out in Wyoming. The rising sun looked like a pale red ball. Our campsite in the Missouri Breaks of Montana on August 20 wasn’t any more encouraging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The size of the northern wheat belt in Montana is overwhelming. It’s an amazing testimony to the industrious goal of feeding the planet. Wheat as far as the eye can see for mile after mile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on the interstate, to make some time, we crossed into Alberta, Canada. Smoke and glowering clouds made visibility even worse. Sprinted to upper British Columbia and the start of the Alcan Highway at Dawson Creek.

Low cloud ceiling and chilly winds made stopping at Muncho Provincial Park in British Columbia unappealing. However, we did see Stone sheep, relatives of our Bighorns, along the highway.

A bit later we found Wood Buffalo, a different sub-species of North American Bison. They are larger than our Plains bison. Wood bison are the largest terrestrial animal in the Americas. They are bigger and heavier than their cousins to the south. Males can weigh over a ton. Their fur is darker and shaggier, but they have less of it on the beard and forelegs. The horn cores are larger, and the highest point on the spinal hump is farther forward.

Stopped at Liard Hot Springs for the night and a much needed soak. It’s a lovely facility, but a far more popular place than we generally prefer. Talked to a man who had visited as a child. It was his first time back and he was shocked by the changes. Gentrification seems to be the fate of most hot springs areas.

We leave the BC smoke behind at Watson Lake on the Yukon border and trade it for clouds, with occasional rain and/or sun. We had driven to the Yukon in 6 days; blinding speed for us dawdlers. Vistas started to expand, and fall colors began showing more frequently.

Years before we had taken the Canol (short for Canadian Oil) Hwy. north. It leaves the Alcan just beyond Teslin, but this year it was a slimy mess, so passed it by.

Reprovisioned in Whitehorse, the Yukon capital. Whitehorse is an interesting city, very modern and cosmopolitan…not something one might expect so far north. Its population is about 25,090, while the population for the entire Yukon Terr. is 33,900. Imagine how sparsely populated the territory is, but then remember how extreme the winters are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a lovely day in Whitehorse so we visited the S.S. Klondike to learn about the paddle-wheel steamers that used to ply the Yukon River, an interesting saga of high hopes and true grit.  A fleet of riverboats was commissioned to carry heavy loads of silver-lead ore and freight the 467 miles between Whitehorse and Dawson City: an upgrade from the local barge traffic. In 1897 there were 7 steamers operating, by 1899, there were 30! This steamer is 210′ long and 42′ wide. It took 4 to 5 days, 5 to 7 wood stops and 140 cords of wood to power the boat upstream. Downstream was a more moderate 1.5 days, 1 to 2 wood stops and 40 cords of lumber. The man stoking the fire had to pick up a 4′ length of lumber from the pile, run over and toss it in the furnace, twice every minute! There were wood contractors along the way providing jobs and timber for the boats.

 

A section of the river, called the Five Fingers rapids was a constant headache for these boats. Finally in 1900 they started dynamiting a section of rock to make the passage less dangerous. The boats ran until 1953 carrying freight and passengers, then passengers only until 1955. Now the few left are museum pieces.

Well outside of Whitehorse we camped on the lovely Lake Ethel.

I’ll leave it here until the next chapter. If interested, a short video of the wood buffalo follows. Click the link.

https://youtu.be/j8HkIbnAS74