Leaving the Dempster and heading south

July 20^th, 2026

Pelly Crossing, Yukon Territory

Woke at 7:00 am so I could get and earlier start.

Showered and geared up and then loaded the bike.

Had several conversations along the way.

Three guys riding bicycles up the Dempster, so spent a few minutes talking with one of them.

Then another motorcycle rider stopped to talk to me a bit.  He too was still on his way north.

Once loaded, I did final room check, dropped the key and rode the bike over to the fuel pumps.  Filled the tank and the spare bag as well.

Moved off to the side to get everything secured and make sure I was ready to go.

I then hit the road south.

I was able to push it pretty good in most spots, just having to go really slow in the very loose gravel sections and a few wet spots where they were spraying Calcium Chloride on the road and making a mess of it.

Reached the Ogilvie Mountain ridge lookout I had stopped at on the way up.  That time it was raining, overcast and clouds hanging low into the valley.

Today it was bright and sunny with full view of the mountains and valley below.  Spent a few moments taking photos before heading back onto the road.

I put the camera back up and the tape repair on the mount seems to have done the trick, it was holding pretty good, though I also changed the angle and level at which it sits, see if that creates any better photos.

Or maybe not.

Few miles down the road I noticed it was still shaking pretty bad.  I had noticed that morning that the bar I have stuff mounted too was loose, and looking closer found that both small screws on one side were gone, so the entire bar could rotate just a bit.

The two on the other side were there, though one looked like it might be out a bit, but did not want to unbury the tools to fix it.

Well, now on the side of the road I noticed that one was also gone.  So only 1 left and while it was still fully screwed in, who knows if it will survive.

To help, I removed the camera and mount as well as the GPS for now as I really do not need it since I am using the maps on the phone as the primary.  That will reduce the weight and hopefully the impact of the vibrations.

So very little filming was done today, and did not do much yesterday either, but then much of the route was filmed on the way up, so not a huge difference on the way down.

Stopped again for the Tombstone mountain view, this time the clouds were not blocking the view and got a full view of the valley and mountains.

I also spent a few minutes eating my cheese puffs as I had not yet had any food today.

Back on the road I pushed it to the end, though it got really rough in the last few miles, I do not recall it being so bad on the way up.

So rough in fact that the bracket holding the bar all the gear attaches to broke, and the entire bar collapsed onto the handlebars.   This is going to be a problem.

I saved it from sliding off since the screws were missing and got it wedged just right to stay put till I reached the end of the road, only 25 minutes away.

We finally reached that final mile which is paved, crossed the bridge and turned into the fuel station at the corner.

I got off and unpacked the tools to get the Gorilla tape out.  Using several pieces, I was able to tape it back into place enough that I can ride, and still have the GPS mounted as well, but not the camera, so still no video even on the pavement.

Spent a few minutes talking with a guy who was riding on his way up, just starting, and looked as if he had joined up with two other guys (and their dog, poor puppy is in for a rough ride on the back of that bike) to ride up.

I told him what I thought about the road and the things they would need to watch out for.

Final thoughts on the Dempster Highway.  A challenging ride, made you work for it, showed you some amazing views, and some interesting people.  Loved seeing the Arctic Ocean and being so far north.  And I will NEVER ride it again on a motorcycle.  Might drive it in a truck or SUV someday, but not going 2 wheels again.  It just takes too much out of you.

I pulled over to fuel up the tank and then rolled onto the highway.

Took me several miles to get used to riding on pavement again, slight change in the way I shift the bikes weight and such, mainly being more cautious on the gravel, so now I could really get into the leans again.

Of course, the pavement was not a complete joy.  It was bumpy, and pot holes were almost as numerous as on the gravel, and these were far more dangerous if you hit them.

Had to weave around a bit and finally reached better roads, for a while.

Eventually reached a work zone where the road was dirt covered with gravel, and thick gravel too.

It was only about 5 miles, but still annoying to deal with.

Then the road was in decent shape for about an hour, till I was only 30 minutes away from my stop where I would decide if I would stay or continue on. (I had already decided to stay, was feeling it after so many miles on the rough road.)

Then we were stopped for another work zone, and this one must have been a one-way road as they were stopping traffic to wait for pilot car.

After 10 minutes we started to move, and then after about 4 cars stopped again.  Still not sure what happened there, but sat for another 20 minutes before we finally got to go.

This as very miserable as the temperature was now about 85 F (30 C).  I thankfully had already pulled off the rain jacket as it was warm enough on the ride down, I did not need to stop the cold wind, and the road was dry and no threat of rain, so rolled it up and stowed it about half way down.

Once we got going then things got bad road wise.  Much of it was broken up dirt and pot holes and lots of loose gravel, loose dirt, baseball size rocks and even thick sand.  They had us changing sides often as well and going up and down small hills of dirt.

The dust was horrible, and I had to try and stay far enough back from the camper in front of me to see the road.

This lasted for about 10 miles I would guess.  Took us 20 minutes to get across it moving pretty slowly.

Once off, then the road was again bumps, dips and pot holes for a few miles before it became normal.

Few ass-hats of course thought going 10k over the limit was not fast enough and blew by going 30 over.  On those same bumps, dips and pot holes.

I really need to open a chain of tire and suspension shops up here, the way they drive around here on these roads they have to go through tires and shocks like most people use toilet paper.

Finally reached the small village of Pelly Crossing, which is actually at the bridge crossing the Pelly River.

This village is a First Nation community, and there is a small fuel stop and general store here.  Might be a truck repair shop as well, could not tell.

Across the road the community has created a campground which they do not charge people to use, and I was planning to stay there tonight.

Rolled into the campground and found a spot that was a bit off from the other sites where I could see the campers parked.  Not sure if this was meant to be a camp site or just a picnic site, but I will stay here.  There is a fire pit, bench and picnic table here along with a small pile of wood (supplied by the campground).  I will not be using the fire, not worth the time.

I figured out the spot for the tent and slowly put it up and then unloaded the bike and stored things in the tent.

I emptied the spare fuel bag into the tank and then stowed it on the rack as I probably will not need it again, though might still be a few sections here in Canada where fuel stops are far away from each other.

I then rode over to the general store to see if I could find food.

They did not have any hot foods, so just bought a bag of chips and 2 ice teas, and a bottle of water as I am about out in my pack.

Back at the campsite I ate a few of my tuna packets I brought along for these occasions and cleaned a few things out of the food box (a simple lunchbox), that I was not going to use and were getting beat up by al the dust and vibrations.

I then walked the trash over to the bin and got the bike covered up and everything inside the tent.

Started my mosquito repellant as well to get them to go away, though does not help with the flies or the small gnat like things.

I then talked on the phone a bit (finally back in the connected part of the world) and did a few online updates.  Walked over to find the toilets, quite a walk, but at least the sun never really sets, so can see at night.

Finally changed out of the bike gear, mainly as I am overheating, forgot how warmth feels after being in cold and cool weather for the last few weeks except a few days where it got warm.

Will get this published and then probably setup the air mattress and sleeping bag, might even just call it a night, see if I can get up really early and get going before it gets to warm.

Might need to find a few places to stop and sight see as I will not be able to check in till 3:00pm, but will likely be in town by noon.

I will be hanging out again at the Yukon Motorcycle Park for 3 nights to get things cleaned and fixed on the bike, get laundry done as I will be ready again, and hopefully get some editing done.

I will leave on the 24^th to start heading south.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Coming back down the Dempster

July 19^th, 2026

Eagle Plains, Yukon Territory

Woke at 8am and sat at the desk for a while, just having hard time waking up last few days.

Got showered and geared up and then went out to uncover the bike.  Moved it right up next to the front entrance since no one was parked there now.

Loaded the bike and got everything secured.

Once checked out of the room, we rode over to get fuel and then hit the road south.

As with yesterday, I pushed it faster on the lightly graveled areas and had much less problem with the bumps and vibrations.  Kept up the pace really well to the MacKenzie ferry and got lucky to have it on my side of the river and waiting for any cars, so was able to pull right on.

Once across, the next section was a bit rougher, but still made good time to Fort McPherson where I stopped to fuel and get lunch.

Was hoping to have some nice hot food again, but since it was Sunday, the kitchen was closed, so just had stuff they had made previous day in the cooler. 

I bought a double cheeseburger again and nuked it in the microwave.  Actually, turned out pretty good.  Ate that, drank a soda, and had some of the cheese puffs I still had left over from last night.

Back on the road I reached the Peel River ferry and was first in line.  However, there was a large excavator sitting right on the dock to the ferry and it was still moving dirt around to short up the sides. (Note:  They just rebuilt these docks about 2 weeks ago after river flood washed them away, so probably still getting them setup.)

Then the excavator slowly moved onto the ferry and they took it over to the other side.

Once it was off, it started to work on that side while the ferry returned.

By now quite a bit line of cars was waiting, and a truck.

They docked and waved us aboard, so I got on and the cars started to come in after me.  Looks like the truck will have to wait though.

Onto the other side and the excavator kept working to the last second, moving only as the boats ramp touched the dock.

I was let off first and quickly made my way out of there.

Roads got a bit rougher, but still managed to keep my speed.

I finally stopped to piss as there were no rest areas along this road, so just find a bush when you can. 

Back on the road I zoomed the rest of the way to Eagle Plains, only having a few issues near the end where they were grading the road and it was very deep, loose dirt.

Pulled into Eagle Plains at 3:30pm, making it a 6-hour ride all included.  2 hours faster than my ride up.  Some of that time up was spent on stops, but most of it was just trying to figure out the road.

I went inside to see if they had a room, but the front desk was closed and did not open till 4:00pm.

I stood by the bike for a bit cleaning off the lights and such from all the road much, and then went inside to wait.  Actually had a nice view over the distant mountains today as well.  Last time it was cloudy and raining when I arrived, and I really did not look when I left that morning, was too worried about the ride that day.

Once they opened (about 5 minutes after 4) I was 3^rd in line to talk to the guy and they did have a room.  Got checked in and room was first one in the hallway, and I had also managed to park right next to the door this time.

Unloaded the bike and got it covered, then went inside to sort the bags a bit and then get cleaned up, was a warm day, and I had a few too many layers on.

Once showered and dressed, I did a few things online and then went to dinner at the restaurant.  Nothing fancy, and expensive, but was food.

Bought a few extra drinks and then came back to the room.

While eating I had reviewed a few different route options for the next few days.  Also tried to figure out where I will be going tomorrow.

Other than getting to the end of the Dempster, I was hoping to go all the way to Whitehorse, but turns out it is farther than I thought.  That would be a 12-hour ride.

I figure the end of the Dempster will take me 5 hours (200 some miles) if I can keep speed.  The problem is this section of road was one of the worst, so not sure if I will be able to keep up speed, and it has been rained on several times, so might be pretty beat up, and maybe still wet, which was a huge part of my trip up taking so long.

Assuming things are good and I get to the end, then I found a campground about 3 hours down the road which should suffice.  Just hope it has spots as it is a first come setup, so no way to know till you arrive.  If full, then will have no choice but to go all the way and find a hotel as I will not have a reservation anywhere.

I will try to make a reservation for the following few nights back at the motorcycle park south of Whitehorse.  There I will clean the bike a bit, clean some of the gear off and do laundry and work on videos for a few days.

Then we will start heading south, but while I have decided to not take another long empty gravel route, I have found a few out and back trips to see some other stuff, so may do a few detours before I head south on the Alcan highway.

For now, I am going to spend rest of the night getting the park books hopefully and then working on converting videos so I can get some editing done, running out of hard drive space and now a month behind on my channel….was really hoping not to get that far back.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Arriving at the Arctic Ocean

July 18^th, 2026

Inuvik, Northwest Territory

Woke at 8am and was still dead tired.

Sat at the desk in the room and must have fallen asleep again, as I suddenly woke again around 9am.

Took a shower and geared up.

Loaded the bike and checked out of the hotel

Rode a mile over to the local fuel station and filled the tank and the spare bag.

Then routed myself to the end of the road in Tuktoyaktuk and headed north.

Before I got out of town I caught site of a fox crossing the road, then saw two more sitting nearby a building.  While I was taking photos, another larger fox came from the other side of the road with a kill in its mouth and the 3 smaller ones went over and started fighting over the food.  Guessing parent feeding young?  Was good to watch and hopefully got it all on film.

Road just out of town as rough, and then a grader was in the process of making it even worse by digging up the small rocks and spreading loose, thick dirt all over the road.

After that the road improved a bit, but not for long.

As with other days, just massive wash board, pot holes and ruts.  Few spots where it would clear up or the gravel was gone and dirt was smoothed out.

Some spots they had put down a darker gravel, much smaller size and this were mostly smooth, but did not last long in most cases.

I stopped a few times to either piss or change something with the clothing.

On one stop I noticed my GoPro Max2 was wobbling really bad.  I inspected and sure enough, the RAM mount had broken from the vibration.  While it is still attached, it is no longer stable, so that ended my filming for the day except at the very end in town when I was going slow enough to risk it.

I will see if I can tape it up tomorrow (forgot to bring the tape inside tonight) and maybe I can still film some, otherwise might be end of the filming unless I can find another way to put the camera on the bike.

I knew I as close when I saw the Pingo Park viewing platform. Stopped to take a few photos and try to read the boards, but the mosquitos were insane.  Hundreds of them would swarm you when you were off the bike.

Rode a few more miles and the road became very thick with gravel, hard to keep the bike going in straight line.

Stopped at the Tuktoyaktuk sign to do my photo and then rode into town, which is still a few miles off.

Meandered my way through the town and finally reached the end of the land along the coast of the Arctic Ocean.

Did the photo with the sign, which another rider nearby offered to take for me.

I then did some more photos from a viewing deck near the campsites.  I had thought about camping, but when I looked closer, the sites were just rocky patches next to the sea wall with a spot for a fire and a bench.  I also noticed there was a cost to camp at them, and the place to pay was clear on the other side of town, and had looked closed when I came through.

Not sure what I will do, but decided to go eat first.

I stopped at a boat on display to do some photos, and then found Grandma’s Kitchen, which is kind of the place to eat in town.

You park up in a dirt lot and then order food at the window in a small trailer setup next to the house.  This is the kitchen.

You can then go into a small building nearby to find a table and wait.  And wait.  And wait.  

She tends to be busy, and as it is just her doing the orders, cooking, and bringing the food over, it does take some time.

Food arrived, spicy chicken and fries.  It was good, but costly.

Once done, you go back over to the trailers back door and pay for your meal.

I then walked out to the edge of the rocky shore (perhaps ¼ mile) to touch the Arctic with my hands.

I had thought about taking off the boots and wading into it, but the effort to get these damn things off and then back on, especially with damp feet was more than I was willing to put up with out on the edge with nothing but hard rocks to sit on, cold air, and tons of mosquitos.

Walked back and got the bike ready and then headed out.

I had more than enough fuel, so no need to stop here for any, just hit the road south and went.

I had been playing around on the way up trying to find why I could not keep my speed up, and I think I narrowed it down to the tires on the bike.

I had gone with a 50/50 tire as I still ride mostly on pavement back home.  While the tire has done okay in hard packed dirt and small grain gravels, it has shown it is not up to the larger rock gravels at all.  It is like riding on marbles.

As with the Dalton, the south bound lanes of the Dempster seemed to have less gravel build up, so I pushed the speed up past where I had been doing in the past, close to 50 mph.

This actually did smooth out much of the bumps from washboard, though some of the larger ones still hit the bike, but much less impact, other than vibration passing into my arms, that issue still persists.

The pot holes and large rocks and bumps still needed to be avoided, or you rapidly slow down and just bang into them and hope for the best.  Yeah, not the best way to ride, but it makes the trip much quicker.

The only issue was still the very loose gravel, which is mostly found on the curves and bottoms of hills and near bridges.

I did slow a few times just to give my body a rest as the vibration was still significant even at speed.

The suspension did seem to be acting normally at these speeds though, but not sure how well the speed and impacts were acting on it.

I finally slowed down when I hit a very deep patch of gravel (which was invisible to see it was that deep) right before a bridge.  Bike started to fish tail side to side and almost went down on me.  I immediately let off the throttle and just tried to keep it upright until I hit the pavement of the bridge (they are concrete slabs on this section of road).  That allowed me to brake then and traction on the tire kept me straight.

The last few miles into Inuvik were horrible where they had graded the road earlier.  While not as deep, the dirt was still very loose and thick in spots all across the road.

Arrived in Inuvik and went to the same hotel I had stayed at the night before.

Thankfully they still had a room open, though this time on the 2^nd floor, and the elevator button is broken for 2^nd floor, so have to take the stairs.

Got bike unloaded into the room and spent some time talking with a group of 4 riders I had met along the road.

They had been at same hotel last night, and left after me, but passed me not far outside of Tuk.  I then saw them at the Arctic sign and one of them is who offered to take my photos for me.

They were then at Grandmas Kitchen as well and spent some time talking with them.

They left first, but somehow ended up behind me, so must have stopped somewhere.  They passed me about half way back, but I kept them within sight after that as I really kept up the speed at this point and road was doing better going south.

They were going to go ahead and ride on the Fort McPherson for the night.

Once the bike was unloaded, secured, and covered, I walked over to the convenience store again to buy a few drinks and something to eat and I was not hungry enough to have a full meal again.

Then I decided to do laundry as when I asked earlier, they did have machines and they did not cost anything.  They also sold laundry soap since I do not have any more on me.  Cost $3 for two pods and some dryer sheets.  Only needed 1, so have some soaps for the next laundry day.

I took up the clothes and put them in the washer.  Both dyers were in use, but by time my clothes were done they were empty.

Put them into the dryer and let that run.

Worked on stuff online and cleaning gear while that was all going on.

Now the clothes are done and put away.

I will finish this blog entry and upload it and then head to bed.

Going to see if I can push all they way to Tombstone campground tomorrow, and hope they have spots open.  I do not want to reserve though in case I cannot make it, same with getting a room in Eagle Plains again.  Will just have to risk it and see where I end up.  Worst case I pull over somewhere and just sleep on the bike best I can for a few hours since there is very little space to put up a tent anywhere, but might be able to get bike on a small side road going to who knows.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route (round trip):

Attack of the Dempster – Day 2

July 17^th, 2026

Inuvik, Northwest Territory

Woke up at 8:00 am.

I looked outside and it was bright and sunny, no sign of rain and while things still looked wet, not as bad as they were night before.

I took a shower and then got partially geared up.

Went out to inspect the bike, and decided to clean some of the caked-on mud off with my small brush I brought.

Took a few minutes and was swarmed my mosquitoes doing it, but got a fair amount of dirt off.  Now the lights are visible again, and bike weighs several pounds less.

I did notice the line for fuel was backed up about a dozen cars, and saw the truck near the pumps.  So good sign the fuel has arrived.  I still have an hour of packing and loading, so should be good by time I get ready to go over there.

Had the bike mostly loaded and was putting the final pieces on when a guy walking by asked me a question about the bike.  Guess his dad has same bike.

We started talking, he was a big biker, though this trip he was in a pickup with friends and they were camping along the way.

After about 30 minutes, I had to cut things short so I could get my last items from the room and check out, it was already 10:30.

Grabbed my last things, dropped the key at the desk and then loaded the bike the rest of the way.

Rode over to the pumps which as I thought were no longer busy and fueled the bike and my spare bag. (I had poured the fuel from yesterday into the bike so I could leave the empty bag on the bike to avoid anyone stealing the gas).

I then pulled off to the side to secure the spare fuel and finish getting things setup on the bike.

Then pulled out of the area and headed north.

Yeah, I have decided that with the good weather, and several people telling me the road improves to the north, I would give it a try.

The road started out in pretty bad shape, but it did quickly smooth out some and I could get some better speed. 

I had to pull over almost immediately to change battery in the camera though.  Forgot about that.

Once on the road things went pretty smoothly for the first hour or so.  Then the road started to get a bit bumpy again, but not near a bad as the other day.  So slower, but still doing decent time.

I made a few stops to take photos.  Stopped at the Arctic Circle sign which was not far from the hotel as well.

The road started to get a bit rough again, and had to slow way down, but it only lasted a short distance.  Then a section where the road was still very wet, and slick slowed me a bit more.

I was starting to get tired and sore again.  The only campground on this section was too close to the hotel to be useful; I needed to ride more than 1 hour.  Decided I would make it to Fort McPherson, which is about half way to Inuvik (where I hoped to make it).

Once there I would have lunch, get fuel again and see what I wanted to do.

I had been told things would get better after I entered the Northwest Territory.  That came and went and the road did get wider, and much nicer, but still had some rough spots in it.

I arrived at the Peel River Ferry crossing and had to wait as the ferry was still on the other side.  Once done there, it started back over toward our side of the river.

Took about 10 minutes before it was time for us to board.

Rode up onto the deck and to the front area, behind another bike that was in line before me.

Ferry crossed in about 5 minutes and then the other bike and myself were the first off.

Got going and then about 10 miles up the road I reached the turn into Fort McPherson.

I rode around the town a bit, not sure what all was here.  I saw the fuel stop which was next to a hotel and thought I might stay there.

I stopped to get fuel and went inside to pay.  I saw they had some hot foods you could buy and few drinks and such as well.  I had not seen anything else in town, so this would have to be my lunch stop as well.

I went out and moved the bike from the pumps and then went inside and bought a coke, some chips and a cheeseburger.

Went out and ate standing next to the bike, while fighting off mosquitoes as usual.

Once done, I was actually feeling much better, not as sore and bit of energy again.  The lack of food prior day might have been part of my issue this morning.

Decided to just keep going as it was only around 3pm, so bit early to be stopping.

Got back on the road, which was still doing okay, few rough spots, but the roads in Northwest Territory were in fact better as I had been told.

I reached the MacKenzie River ferry, and this time it was a bit longer wait.  Then once on the ferry, it took about 20 minutes to cross as the ferry also serves a town that sits on the opposite bank of the smaller river feeding into the MacKenzie.

Once we reached the far shore, I was the first one off and got up and out of the loading area.

Once on the open road I was quickly passed by other cars as the road here was a bit heavy with gravel, so could not go as fast.  It has been like this in sections since the last ferry crossing and even a bit before.

The road eventually smoothed out and I was now able to cruise along at nearly the same speeds I would on pavement.  Few spots I had to slow down, but mostly decent road now.

Stopped a few times as needed and then reached the first of 2 campgrounds I had as options if I did not want to keep going.  However, this one was closed, and since I was doing good, would just keep going.

Passed the other campground as I was still good, and only 30 minutes to reach Inuvik, seemed the better option.

The road did get a bit beat up now though as I was coming up on town.  They are working on the road and had graded it on both sides, which really makes things worse.  You have all the dirt piled in the center at times, and all the loose dirt across the road, and worse are all the golf ball sized rocks just laying around now as well.

Had to slow down quite a bit to keep from being knocked over from hitting a rock, or hitting one hard enough to puncture the tire.

Then, about 5 miles from town, the road was suddenly paved!

Made those last few miles in smooth bliss, other than it was getting overcast and cold again.

Turned into town and then pulled off into a park to check my maps to see where the hotels were.  I knew there were at lest 2 or 3 in this small town.

I had already passed one coming in, but did not look like the place I wanted to stay (though when I saw the name, I had did recognize it from several people talking online about it and saying good things.)

I still opted for one of the two in the center of town as they were closer to food and other shops if need.

Stopped at the first of the two and they had rooms open.

So got a room (again, very end of the hallway, and no closer door this time) and started to unload the bike.

I did notice while I was checking into the room that I had cell signal with data here!   I was able to get online without needing Wi-fi.

While I was unloading, I ended up pausing and having a very pleasant conversation with a young woman who was outside.  She had inquired if I was heading back south, and when I said I was still going north, she started to offer me tips on things to do in Tuk (my final destination) which was where she was from.

After 20-25 minutes we said farewells and I finished unloading the bike.

I looked up the restaurants in town, and a few were closed, or would close in just moments, but two were open a few more hours at least.  The one was just a pizza shop, other did little bit of everything, and it was a bit closer, so I chose it.

Decided to just wear my bike gear since it was nice and warm and would block the cold wind better, no point in changing into other clothes for this.

Went outside and secured and covered the bike since I was not going to ride it down for food.

Place was about 5-6 blocks away.

Once there I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich with fries and a drink and ate there at the place.

On the way back I stopped at a small convenience store to buy something to drink and then came back toward the hotel.

While I was walking, I caught up with some lady that had been slowly walking in front of me, and the closer I got the more I realized she must be drunk.  Could not walk in a straight line.

And as I feared, she tried talk to me and kept trying to keep up with me.

I could smell the alcohol a bit, but her slurred talk and continued inability to walk confirmed it.

Missed half what she said and just gave dull answers to the rest, but she kept trying to stay with me and constantly bumping into me as she swayed.

Then she started asking me if I wanted to spend time with her….if you catch my meaning.

I pretty much just said no and ignored the questions, and then she slipped in the dirt and fell down and I used that as my chance to get away and kept walking. (This is when having a very fast walking pace comes in handy).

Turned into the hotel lot and got inside.   Never did see if she had gotten up or not.

Once in the room I took a warm shower and then sorted things a bit so I could find stuff, then got the blog from last night done and this one.

Now I will upload everything and copy footage over before going to bed.

Shorter ride tomorrow, so no rush to leave.  If things go well, then we will reach the Arctic Ocean tomorrow!

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Dempster Highway Attack – Day 1

July 16^th, 2026

Eagle Plains, Yukon Territory

Woke normal time and got ready.  Packed what I could, but then walked over to see if the local bank (CIBC) was open.

They were not, so went over to the market and bought some water as I was nearly out.

Back in the room I filled my pack and bottle and used the rest to take medicines.

I packed the food and other drinks in the bag and started to load the bike.

Took a bit of time, but was not in a rush.

While I was packing the bike, I missed the call back from my bank.  So called them back, and spent 30+ minutes on the phone with someone who clearly had no idea what they were doing.  They had to verify my identity like 5 times, and never could answer my question why the ATM withdrawal was not being allowed. 

Only thing they could come up with was that since I was out of the country and there was no travel alert for Yukon (because they did not include it in the list of Canada provinces, guess it doesn’t exist?), the transaction was being denied.

They were going to forward to the card services people, and I would have an answer in 24 hours, upon which I told them that was useless to me as I was leaving in less than an hour.

Told them to email me if they found anything or fixed the damn system, but I would just see if the bank would exchange US cash for Canadian cash.

Once the bike was loaded up, I checked out of the hotel, then rode the block down to the bank.

Had to stand in line a bit, fully geared up and sweating profusely.  A guy came out to see if he could help, but since I needed cash, he was not able to do anything.

Finally got my turn and after a bit of paper work and signatures was able to convert $300 in US cash to just over $400 in Canadian.  Seems the exchange rate has either moved back against me, or this bank was less giving as the last time I took out $400 Canadian, it was only $280 dollars.

Either way, I had enough local currency to cover me if I bumped into a place that did not accept cards or did not have internet, both issues I had read can occur up in these northern parts.

Back on the bike and over to the fuel station.

Fueled up the bike and filled my spare bag as well.

Then parked to the side to adjust a few things and we were ready to go.

Rode down the street and passed the museum again.  As I passed the building with the trains in it, I noticed it was open, so I did a quick U-turn and parked the bike to go inside and get a better look.

Spent only about 5-6 minutes inside, took a few photos, and then back out to get on the road.

It was around 11:00am now, so needed to get going.

Hit the highway a few blocks down and made my way down the road.  Simple highway, few nice views, but mostly just trees.

Finally reached the Dempster highway turn off.

I stopped to do several things.  Needed to put on my other layer and change gloves as it was colder than I had hoped.

Also wanted to put the socks back on the front forks to help keep the dirt down.

I organized a few things to better secure them and then used the port-a-potty on the site….and immediately wished I had not.   Never seen a portable outhouse full to the brim!

I then pulled up to the fuel pumps at this un-maned corner station and topped off my tank.  Was not much, but never pass fuel in these parts when you can get it.

Crossed the highway to do the photos with the Dempster highway sign, and then headed north.

The road was not too bad, and was making good time for about an hour or so. 

Scenery was great and quickly reached the high point for the road at just over 4000 feet.

Road started to get a bit rougher, but still manageable, just slowing me down a bit, but not too badly, and slower just makes my fuel economy go higher.

I stopped at the Tombstone Park Visitor center, mainly to use the restroom, but did go walk around the building a bit.  Mostly interactive displays on the geology and animal life of the park, aimed more for younger people, but still cool.  Views from the area were quite nice as well.

Bit down the road I stopped again for views up the valley toward Tombstone Mountain, but the clouds were not going to be nice and show it today.

Bit farther and we started to climb again.

It had been sprinkling now and then the whole ride, but not enough to really get the roads wet.  Till now.

Not sure if it had just been raining hard before I got there, or the low clouds had just saturated everything as well, but road turned to wet, slick, muddy mess. 

And the trucks going up and down were just tearing it up even worse.

I finally had to slow down to 2^nd gear, sometimes even 1^st and crawling along at 10-15 mph to avoid spilling the bike.  Even had to walk my feet along a few times it was so slick.

I stopped near the top of the hills for the viewpoint of the Ogilvie mountains and talked a bit with a guy who was setting up his camper to stay the night on the top.  If it had not been raining, I might have put up my tent as well.

It finally started to dry up some, but then the road just turned to crap.  Washboard surface, but uneven, would run part way, go away, come back, only cross half the road or run at angles.  Then add in all the buried rocks, pot holes in groups of 20-30 with no clean route through or around, and other cracks still filled with water, and the road edges were just soupy mud in most spots, or right on the edge or a 10-foot drop into the trees.

And the it got wet again.

Finally crawled into Eagle Plains about 9:30pm.   I started the road at noon.  230 miles (369km) distance.

I went to the hotel and went inside and the front desk was closed!  I did see a sign about talking to kitchen staff, but about then a guy came up and asked me if I knew about the gas?

Turns out the fuel station next door, the only gas in the area, and the other then I would need, was out of fuel!

As we were talking, a guy came out of the door by the desk and turns out he was the hotel person.

I asked if they had rooms, and they did, so he opened up the front desk to get me checked in, and the other guy asked about the gas.  It was supposed to arrive in the morning.  So, guess we will see. (This is probably the 3^rd or 4^th time this season this place has run out of fuel based on the forums I follow.)

I asked about food, but restaurant was closed, so wouldn’t be eating tonight except for the pepperoni sticks and left over potato chips I had in my bag.

I found my room and then found a door closer (I always seem to get the rooms as far away from the door as possible when I book into a hotel vs motel.)

Unloaded the bike and decided it was so dirty and muddy I would just leave the cover off, perhaps the light rain that was still coming would wash a bit of it off.

Once inside I just tossed everything on the floor, wasn’t going to be changing clothes or working on anything tonight.

I washed off my rain pants as they were caked with mud, then took a shower myself as I really needed a hot shower on my sore body.

I then got on the Wi-fi and did a few things and ate my measly meal (this was actually only food I had all day).

I then organized a few things and recorded a few videos.

Really not sure I will continue this route tomorrow.  If it is still raining, then I may see if I can book a second night and just stay another day, see if it lets up.  Or turn back south and suffer another long day on the road, perhaps stop at the last campsite an hour from the highway and camp.

Not sure what I want to do.  Feeling a bit down right now between the weather, the horrible roads and the bikes inability to keep up speed on the rough terrain.  Thinking either bike is just not suited for these roads, or the fork seals leaked out enough to make things not work as well as they should.

Besides all the bouncing and inability to stay connected to the ground, the vibrations are being sent up through the grips and my hands and wrists are taking a beating.  I am in agony with my wrists. (which is why I am typing this the following night actually!)

Now I am going to bed!

Catch ya down the road, just maybe not this road.

Todays Route:

Day off in Dawson City.

July 15^th, 2026

Dawson City, Yukon Territory

Slept in a bit today, but not too late.

Got up, got ready and left to go do a few things.

First, I wanted to visit the tourist office to check on what they had on the Dempster.

Walked over the 2 blocks to it, and wandered around a bit checking out the displays.

Then I talked with one of the staff who had some data on the highway, and the next few days weather predictions.

I then walked over to the paddle steamer Keno which was preserved after its retirement in the 1950s.  It now sits up on the shore next to the river and can be toured, though was closed currently.

I then went back to the room to get my other camera and then decided to walk over to the local history museum and the old train hangar next door.

Museum had some nice gardens next door with some old WWI German guns that were brought back and put on display.

The museum itself was in the old city administration building.  A nice set of displays, but not as interesting as I had hoped.

Went next door to the train place, but they were closed.  But could see inside the windows enough to at least see the old locomotives that served the mines in the area back in the day.

Then I walked a few more block over to the Jack London Museum.

Jack London had traveled in the Yukon region in his early life before he was known for writing.  Many of his works were based on his experiences travelling and mining for gold up here.

While the mine was several miles up the canyons and they lived in a cabin nearby, they did come into Dawson City for official business and to get supplies.

The small connection and the fact that it was a local man who in the mid-1960s finally tracked down the cabin from old clues and stories left behind.  They had it dated using the wood and also matched up the wood cut from it by some trappers in the 1930s that had Jack London’s name written on it. 

That board was finally tracked down to the widow of one of those trappers and eventually brought to the cabin where it perfectly matched the spot.  Hand writing experts had also verified that the writing was most probably original as well.

Through some odd partnership, the cabin as eventually retrieved and moved out of the remote area and into Dawson City, but only part of it.

With the partnership, the cabin was cut in half (top and bottom) and the bottom was left here, and the top recreated, and the top when to Oakland California (where London had spent time) and the bottom recreated for display at the Jack London waterfront plaza.

The cabin sits here in Dawson and a building was built to house photos and other history on him and the recovery of the cabin.

Board with Jack London name (Replica, original is in California)

After this, I walked back via the residential roads.  Some really nice old homes built up here.

Saw my first kitty cat in town, who just stared at me for a bit, but did not come over.

Then walked back into town.

Stopped again at the bank, same issue.

Called the Card Services number, and got voicemail!!

Left a message, went over to the other market to buy some stuff, then back to the room.

I then called the regular call center number, talked to them and after 15 minutes of trying, they were also unable to reach anyone in that department!  So, they send an urgent email.

Never did hear back.  I am thinking my time at this bank may be coming to an end, been having lots of issues with them lately.

I then stopped at the local Jamaican restaurant as I was hungry, but the Greek place I wanted to eat at did not open till 5pm.  It was only 3, so figured I would have something light to get me by.

I tried to order a beef pattie (A Jamaican dish), but they were out!

So had tacos with jerk seasoned chicken instead.  Very good food.

I then walked back to hotel and bummed around for awhile working on various things.

Walked back over to the Greek place and had dinner, but ordered a bit too much, so stuff right now.

Back at the hotel I then edited a video and got it uploaded, and now trying to get these blog entries caught up.

I have also packed a bit, but will finish in the morning.

Not in a hurry tomorrow, will get up usual time, get ready and then go to store to buy water, then stop at bank and see if they will exchange US currency (unless my bank calls me back with a solution before then).

Otherwise, will have to hope the credit card will work everywhere up north.  I have heard some places do not take them, and other times they cannot take them due to outages, so a bit concerned here.  Great time for my bank to do have something stupid going on and have such poor service.

I will then load the bike, check out and go get fuel at the only station in town.

That should be enough to get me to the first stop tomorrow, though I will carry the extra fuel as well, and there appears to be an unmanned credit card only stop right at the start of the northbound road, so if that is there, I will top off there again, which should give me enough for sure.

Then we will start heading north.  Going to be a bit uneasy though, it has rained a good amount here in town tonight, so if that same rain hit the Dempster, it could make things interesting, possibly enough that might have to abandon the trip and turn around.

Will need to monitor it as I go, see how things are and make a decision, once I reach a certain distance, I will be committed at least to the next fuel stop.

Catch ya down the road.

Top of the World – Back in Canada

July 14^th, 2026

Dawson City, Yukon Territory

Woke normal time and got ready.

Loaded the bike and checked over the room, then rode around to the front of the place.

It was open, so went inside to check out and spent a bit of time talking with the owners.  

More Arizona connections!  Older guy had grown up in Tucson.  Younger guy spent time in Chandler.  And while we were talking, and RV pulled up, and when they came inside, turns out that family was also from Tucson and had seen my AZ plates on the bike.

Once done talking, I got on the bike and headed east.

The road turns to gravel now and for the first few miles, it was a bit tricky.  Very steep hills, tight corners, and road surface was bit rough, and gravel was random in spots.

Then I came upon a section they were actively grading, which tends to make things worse for a while.  Lots of loose dirt, larger rocks pulled up and laying around.  It can smooth out some sections, either grading them down, or filling the holes with dirt, but still rough.

Finally past that the road started to level out some, and gravel became less, so was able to get speed up some.  Still wash boarded badly, but that 32 MPH trick still worked to keep me from being vibrated to death. 

Speaking of vibrations, while I was stopped to take some photos, I noticed another casualty of the rough roads (either the Dalton or recent road).  My headlight bulb was out.  There are 3 bulbs in the housing, a daytime light (dim), the main headlight (on all the time) and the high beam (manual activation only, cannot be left on). 

The main light, which would be very important if I was in the dark, and which I had just replaced about 8 months ago, was out again.  Assuming the vibration?  I will try to look up inside when I get somewhere I can do that, perhaps the wiring just came loose?

Since we do not get dark up here, I can probably get away with it for now, but will need to try getting it fixed when I get down south again where darkness will come upon me.

I reached the junction for the Top of the World highway, and turned off onto it.

Road was again decent, and then suddenly turned into the most wonderfully smooth asphalt!  The last 8 miles to the border were like this.

I stopped along here at the Top of The World roadhouse.  Just a small collection of buildings, but a gift shop and small bit of food and drink.

Lady came up from behind the area, was cleaning the RV.  But was able to buy a Coke and something to snack on.

Had good conversation and then went out and got back on the road.

Pulled up to the Canada border post, the guys came out (2 this time) and while one asked me the usual odd questions, the other reviewed my passport, recorded bike plate and looked over things, I guess.

When done, that guy who seemed a bit more human (other had zero personality and was borderline rude), told me to stop in at the visitor center in Dawson City to get the latest info on the Dempster Highway (I had mentioned that was my first plans in Canada).

I then rolled into Canada and started the last 50 miles to reach Dawson City.

Road was again gravel, but mostly thin gravel on a hard packed base.  Kept decent speed up, though had to be careful with the winds.  There were not many trees up here and when you hit the open spaces the winds would hammer you and push you around.

Finally came down a bit into the trees and things were better.

We then reached the steeper downhill sections that brough you down to the edge of the Yukon River.

Here was the ferry loading zone.

Pulled up into the lane for smaller vehicles.  I could see the ferry on the other side was still unloading, so figured I had a few minutes.

I had noticed a few miles back that the cell service has resumed, so I activated the international data roaming again and was able to get online.

I checked and found a few options for hotels, none of them cheap, so finally booked on and felt a bit more relieved.

Ferry arrived soon after.

The person directing traffic onto the ferry was standing about 100 feet away with a small sign, was difficult to know who she was pointing at.  I started to follow the two cars that she seems to have called forth, but then she got really animated and I finally could see she wanted me to stop.

Then she had a large truck pull into the middle of the ferry, then called me and some bikes farther back in the queue to come up.

We all filled in on the sides of the truck, and then some cars in behind.  The 2 large camper RVs waiting would have to wait till the next ferry.

Pulled out and cross the river in about 3 minutes.

Once on the other side, we all pulled off the ferry and up the hill into town.

I turned off the main highway and went a block over to find the hotel.

Parked in front on the dirt road and went inside. 

Checked in and then found out they really did not have parking like indicated online.

The main parking was just on the streets, but there was a parking lot a block behind that was theirs.

I then found out I was in the annex building across the road as well.

Went out to the bike, saw the building and also noticed it was flatter on that side, and another bike was already in front, so I was able to pull in behind it and park right in front of the doors.

Still had to carry the gear onto the boardwalk, up the stairs, into the entrance foyer, into the main hall, up the stairs and into the room.

So, several trips later I was done and started to cover the bike up.

During that time, the owner of the other bike came out and we talked a bit.  Turns out they had been a group of 3 and things had not been going well.  One of the group members had a death in the family and had to depart sooner. 

This guy and his friend had managed to complete the Dempster, but at a huge cost.

The friend’s bike had broken the frame around the engine, and his bike had blown a fork seal and made a mess of his brake disc and caliper.

He was planning to get his bike fixed down the highway in Whitehorse, but friends’ bike was still a huge unknown.

He asked if I was going to hit the town that night, guess there are quite a few bars and people make the rounds and try to hit the one with the Toe drink challenge. (You have to drink a small glass of whiskey with the mummified toe from ages ago in it and let it touch your lips to get a certificate and belong to the Toe club!) 

I said I might be out tonight, at least would go find food somewhere.

Finished putting the bike away and then went up to change and figure out what I was going to do tonight.

Decided to try a Greek place down the street and also stop at the market to buy some stuff for the room.

Greek place was closed for a private party, but did manage to get my drinks.

Also stopped at the bank to use ATM, as I need to get more Canadian cash. 

But something is preventing my use, keeps telling me my bank declined the transaction.

I will have to deal with it tomorrow since I am staying 2 nights to rest and work on stuff.

Went back to the room, then found that the saloon in the hotel has food, so walked over to that one.  Turns out this is the Toe place as well.

Sat at the bar, tried to order the Nachos, but they were out of them??  Odd thing to be out of since most of the ingredients were used in same foods they were still serving.

Had a chicken sandwich instead and listened to all the people being called up to kiss the toe.  I am thinking I will pass on this, mainly as I do not drink, and not sure I want to alter that just for this odd ritual.

Once done eating, I went back to the room and worked on a few things, but was very tired, so decided to turn in early.

See you tomorrow.

Todays Route: