Tombstone

Today was a driving day. We drove almost 400 km (250 miles), mostly on the Dempster Highway heading North. At the RV park in Dawson earlier this week, we talked with a group that had just returned from the Dempster. We told them about how the road to Eagle was the worst road that we have driven. They laughed and said that we needed to try the Dempster because it’s worse. We don’t want jinx anything, but so far the Dempster has not been as bad as we were told. That isn’t to say that it’s good. It is about 750 km (500 miles) of unpaved, gravel road. We saw one vehicle flipped over the side of the road. We saw many vehicles struggling. However, we were warned so we were properly prepared, including the modifications we made to R2V2. We left Dawson with a full water tank and fuel tank. We have yet to reach the first fuel station, which is 370 km (230 miles) from the start. Services are very limited.

About two hours into our drive, we stopped at Tombstone Territorial Park for a hike on the Goldensides Trail. This was a 6k (3.8 mile) out and back trail. It was a beautiful alpine hike.

Shortly after leaving Tombstone Territorial Park, we passed the continental divide. Only, this divide isn’t between the Atlantic and Pacific. It divides the Yukon river watershed whose rivers flow to Bering Sea (Pacific) and the Mackenzie river system that flows north to the Beaufort Sea (Arctic).

The Dempster was more beautiful than we expected. It is fall here already. The leaves are turning yellow. There is more vegetation than we expected. There is a mountain pass called Windy Pass. We weren’t sure if it was wind as in a coil, or wind as in a flow of air. It might have been both.

According to the Milepost, this area escaped glaciation during the ice age and gave refuge to unique flora and fauna. As a result, the mountains are more rounded than the mountains we have seen on this trip. The outcropping of rocks on the tops of the mountains are called tors.

The road surface is covered with a layer of Calcium Chloride to reduce dust. This leaves a layer of dirt on all vehicles that travel along the road. R2V2 desperately needs a wash. So do the other vehicles on the Dempster.

Remember to keep following our live map - this part is one of our biggest adventures ever.