Trip To Inuvik
Northwest Territories, Canada

Our trip up the Dempster Hwy., starting at the Klondike Hwy., 21 miles south of Dawson City, Yukon. It started on June 8, 2007. Jerry, Pat, Rick,  Paul and Sandy met at the Westside Diner in Grayling, although the ride started there, the planning started months earlier. I am not sure whose idea it was, but Pat did a lot of research for this trip. He e-mailed us often with information about  the Dempster; things like road conditions at various times of the year, temperatures, tires for that road, etc.
 

Finally it was decided that the best time with the least rain (roads are almost impossible in the rain to ride). So we began this trip on the 8th of June
 

For the most part we were on blacktop. The ride was to be about a 62 mph average. Sandy and I were the tail gunners (something that the Gold Wingers call the last rider), as you know the last rider is always on the catch up, so in order to not slow down the other riders we would catch up with them up the road. Now that worked out for a couple of days, but somewhere in Saskatchewan we lost them. Anyway, this is about the Dempster.

We all met up on the 15th to try and conquer this unforgiving road of 472 miles of dirt, sand and pea gravel. Now this is hard to do in a four wheeled vehicle, even harder on 2 wheels, and Sandy and I are going to try it riding two up on a heavily loaded 650cc.The other riders left us in a cloud of dust only for us to catch up with them a little farther down the road. Pat and Jerry took lots of great pictures. Just before Eagle Plaines we ran into heavy sand, they were grading the road. We hit the sand sooner then I had anticipated. We hit it going too fast and it took all my strength to keep it upright.  Meanwhile, Sandy was bouncing all over, I didn't  know that her legs could go that high, but she is a trooper and stayed on.  She did give me a few choose words though. At Eagle Plaines it was time for gas (it was 239 miles) and some minor repairs, and lunch. The next stop was at Ft. McPherson for gas before we crossed the Peel River by ferry. A few miles further there was the Mackenzie river crossing, again by ferry. The next stop was Inuvik ( pronounced Newvik) the Top of the World. Oh yes, the natives are called Inuvialuit (Inuvalet), Eskimo to  us.

We camped there for two days, toured the city and talked to the natives, many who are teens. We were told that the older people were mostly in their camps where they could make a living,  leaving the kids to fend for themselves. There is a lot of drug and alcohol abuse among the kids. They would come by our camp and talk to us for hours only to try and get some cigarettes. We were told to keep everything put up as they might come up missing, I know that at times they would come through our camp area during the wee hours of the morning, keep in mind it is light all night.

The way back was about the same only the wind had picked up and I had a hard time riding through the pea gravel. Finding a riding groove was hard with the wind keeping the motorcycle at a 60 degree angle and a mountain drop-off a possibility ( we were at about 4000 ft). Somehow we made it.

Sandy and I stopped off at Ft McPherson to look over this little village. In the nineteenth century, this was a RCMP post and the Hudson Bay fur company traded fur there. We looked over  the old cemetery at some of the past residents.

Once again we met up with the others just as they were getting ready to leave. Then came the sand, nothing up here is just a couple of miles it is more like 40 are more miles. On the way down, we stopped to talk to  4 riders, 3 on Gold Wings and one on a BMW  LT. We warned them about the sand, I later heard that one got hurt after he hit the sand. Sandy and I spent one last night on the Dempster before meeting with the others the next morning for breakfast and the use of their shower.

Would I try the Dempster again? Yes, but I would also go up the Haul road, also called the Dalton Hwy, the next time. I will need to do it soon as they are taking the fun out of riding as black top seems to be the road that the RV's want. Sandy and I took the long way home going to Yellowstone, Cody, and the Battlefield of Custer, plus the Big Horn Mountains, before going to our cabin for a night. By the way, we never fell off the motorcycle all those miles until the trail back to the cabin.

Paul and Sandy Murray