|
Crossing the Arctic Circle and into Northwest TerritoriesJul 12, 2009
|
|
Any planes around?
Tony and Jenny at the Arctic Circle
Heather and Jenny(again!) at the Arctic Circle
After a not so restful night (the neighbouring room had their television on loud till two in the morning!) at Eagle Plains we headed out again on the Dempster Highway. Fortunately the weather was brighter and dry. We had on the road found several areas where the road also acted as an emergency airstrip. Just passed Eagle Plains we found this again. The road ahead seemed to continue for miles. It did!
At mile point 252 miles we crossed the Arctic Circle Latitude 66º 33’N. Here we got out and took our respective photographs so we could prove we had been to the Arctic Circle. Jenny had to get into the act twice!
We then continued our journey north, now in the Arctic Circle. The road wind its way towards the Richardson Mountains crossing them at George Gap before we crossed from Yukon into the Northwest Territories. The road improved again and was almost a broad highway
After the Wright Pass Summit the highway descended to the Peel River Crossing, the first of two ferry crossing on the highway. The ferries only operate in the summer, in the winter the river is an ice bridge. After Perry River Crossing the road became even more of a broad highway although we did have to watch for road works.
At the Mackenzie River Crossing the ferry travels between landings on either side of the Mackenzie River and also provides access to Tshigehtchic, a small Gwichya Gwich’in community located at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Arctic Red Rivers.
The rest of the journey to Inuvik was easy and on a very good gravel road except for some dust. We arrived at Inuvik in good shape but tired only to find it was Sunday and only one restaurant and a small corner store open to get something to eat! Never mind.