It rained most of the night. So things were wet and chilly this morning.
We didn’t linger too long before heading on the road. That will certainly add another layer of mud to the cabin.
We got some fuel, and we were on our way.
I checked the FB page, and sure enough, some snow had hit the higher elevations. So we’ll be ready for that should it still be there when we get to that point. We have no plan for how far we’ll go. It’ll depend on the roads and the driver as to how far he wants to drive.

The roads started out pretty sloppy for a while, but it wasn’t too long before the clouds began to break up.

Another couple who is posting their adventure on the Dempster FB page is in a couple travelling in a big yellow school bus they call Gus. They posted from Dawson City that they ‘decided’ to take Gus to Tuk. The wife said they didn’t have a spare tire, but felt good vibes only for their trip, and that goodness would arrive if needed. Bold. So we had an eye out for Gus.
We made it to the Mackenzie ferry crossing around 12:15pm. The boat was just on it’s way to our side of the river. As it was pulling in, who should we see on the ferry? Gus and his people! So I took a video of Gus coming off the bus, along with a few photos, and sent it to them. What a cool perspective to have of your journey. It was great to be able to offer that to them.

The sky is almost clear (for now), and the roads are much drier. We haven’t dealt with a lot of dust, but you can now see way down the highway if someone is coming, simply by the trail of dust we see from afar.

Fort McPherson. It is the first community we came past on our way up the Dempster, so we went to check it out on our way down. Fort McPherson is a hamlet of about 800 residents. It served as the principal Hudson’s Bay Company trading post in the Mackenzie Delta for over 50 years.

Fort McPherson is also the final resting place of the RCMP’s fabled “Lost Patrol.” In 1911, a four-man team departed Fort McPherson to go to Dawson City by dogsled. They never arrived. Corporal Jack Dempster, the namesake of the Dempster Highway, led the search for the missing men. Their bodies were eventually recovered and buried in Fort McPherson.

It’s a very pretty little place. It’s funny to me to see a high school and ATVs parked out front. It’s clearly a community that takes pride in its appearance.

The ‘sidewalks’ are boardways, but the road is compact dirt. Many people are going about their business on ATVs. It seems to get so muddy; I would likely do the same.

We had an epiphany today about the houses being built several feet off the ground. When I first saw this, I thought it was because of the snow. Then today, I thought it must have something to do with the permafrost. I discovered that permafrost often contains a high percentage of ice. If a house sits directly on the earth, indoor heat conducts into the ground and melts the ice, turning the solid base into unstable mud.
Additionally, elevating the structure creates an open crawl space. Cold winter air circulates freely underneath the building, keeping the frozen ground cold and structurally sound.

After exploring Fort McPherson, we hit the road again. Next up: the Peel ferry crossing. This is the ferry that is out of commission once in a while. A couple of weeks back, when we first started on our trip, it had been out of commission for 3-4 days. It wouldn’t have been fun having to hold your spot in line at the ferry crossing. It’s so muddy. Today is a good day, and we were across the Peel River in no time.

Eric was driving the road like he’d driven it a thousand times. We made really good time, but there’s always something new on this highway, and you still have to have your wits about you.

Yesterday, I said I didn’t think the colours could have gotten brighter in the last few days since being here, but driving the other way on the highway, and different light, indeed things are so colourful.

We started to see the peaks of the Richardson Mountain Range over the rolling hills. Covered in snow, they stood out strong and beautiful with the blue sky backdrop. I didn’t think the word WOW could be used so frequently without being annoying, but when you have no words to describe the beauty, it’s all you can muster.
Here’s where I spam you with a handful of my favourite views.

As we climbed up to the range, you could see little rivers of water running down various parts of the road. Now it’s even clearer how the road damage occurs. As we arrived at the top of the hill, there was a bit of slush on the road for a short while, and then it was all good again.

When we came up through here the other day, it was cloudy. Now, the sun was bright, and the sky was blue. It was also really windy! We stopped for a few photos and carried on.

It was such a spectacular scene today; we felt like we experienced all 4 seasons. Even some photos felt like multiple seasons in one shot.

Driving through the range itself was just as amazing as it was the first time. I took video of that drive each time to relive it later, and I’m sure we will.

These machines hack back all the shrubs and such along the highway, leaving a really wide margin. It’s clear that everyone is prepping for the ‘terminal snow,’ as it’s called – once it arrives, that’s it.

We pulled into Eagle Plains at 4:46pm (we are back on Pacific time now) to get some fuel. So far, today’s price for diesel hits the highest at $3.32/litre.

I mean, what are your other fuel options here? We also realized here that the reason that all the fuel stations/chaches are above ground is because of the permafrost. It’s simply not something we ever have to think about on Vancouver Island.

Now we’re on the lookout for a place to rest for the night. iOverlander found us a great spot off the highway in the mountains.

Again, tomorrow will tell us how far we’ll go. Today we had mud, dust, mud, and then dust again. So it’s making for some fun layers on the cabin. Eric will blast it off in Dawson City once we’re off the Dempster. The stuff is incredibly solid and coating everything underneath the cabin.

Regardless of how awesome he does washing it in Dawson, I’m pretty sure we’ll be finding mud/concrete in little nooks and crannies for years to come.