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Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:20 am
by pidgey
Well it was quite a trip, 6315KM in just under three weeks. The rig performed admirably, the only issue I had was a broken gas can bracket at the end of the Dempster. I did two oil changes on the road and cleaned the air filter three times. When the weather is dry on the Dempster (which it was) the dust is incredible, when it rains, it's a sea of mud particularly on the mountain passes.
But overall, it's not a bad drive and there were a few guys doing it on two wheels. I saw a KTM, a few GS's and a KLR. I allowed myself two days to do the distance of 740KM, and had an overnight stop at Eagle Plains, the halfway point.

The Beginning: The giant Beaver, Beaverlodge Alberta
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Mile '0' of the Alaska Highway, Dawson Creek B.C.
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Our camping setup, Ft. Nelson B.C. just before the thunderstorm :roll:
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More rain in northern B.C.
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Rest stop, Toad River B.C. after a 50km's of road construction
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Some of the locals
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Crossing into Yukon and finally some sunshine :thumbsup:
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More to come

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:43 am
by Tud
Fantastic!!! Looking forward to more pics. :thumbsup: :cheers:

(hehe, giant beaver, giggity giggity)

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:51 am
by berger
Tud wrote:(hehe, giant beaver, giggity giggity)


I knew it!!

No comment about the gas can bracket Tud??

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:54 am
by palica
Waiting for some more... (Mike, we need the pop corn eater smily).

Thank you for sharing.

Fred

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:57 am
by bikerdruid
hey man. sorry i missed meeting up with you. i was not in the house the other day and missed your calls. bummer.
sounds like a fantastic trip.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:10 pm
by Tud
berger wrote:
Tud wrote:(hehe, giant beaver, giggity giggity)


I knew it!!

No comment about the gas can bracket Tud??


I would have said something, but I was absolutely floored that one would fail. I am just now picking myself up off the ground after reading that someone had a problem with one of the brackets. He must have abused it terribly. :dunno:

OK, so I'm not busy enough with work, and now school is starting up again and I've already got assignments due for the first day, which is three weeks away, but I've also started looking for sponsors for my next adventure. No, I'm not going to head up another run north, or anywhere else for that matter. What I am planning to do however, is enter the 2011 Budapest to Bamako rally and I'm starting to get some material together that. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes, still not sure if it'll be on the bike or not.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:40 pm
by cubituscubitus
Tud wrote:What I am planning to do however, is enter the 2011 Budapest to Bamako rally and I'm starting to get some material together that.

Hi Tud,
On your way to Budapest, I hope you'll make a stop in Belgium, the wife and I would be glad to have you spend some time in our home, you'll be welcome !
(Needless to say that this applies to any fellow Curdite who makes it to Europe !)
:cheers:

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:44 pm
by cubituscubitus
Hi Pidgey,
Sorry for my hijacking your post, I apologize - thanks for sharing your ride !

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:10 pm
by pidgey
bikerdruid wrote:hey man. sorry i missed meeting up with you. i was not in the house the other day and missed your calls. bummer.
sounds like a fantastic trip.

Yeah, sorry it didn't work out, I was looking forward to seeing your Dnepr........Wife wanted to push on to her mom's in G.P. so we did over 700km in the heat on Tuesday.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:24 pm
by pidgey
Sign post forest, Watson Lake YT. Kind of cool to wander thru, signs from all over the world. It was started by a U.S. serviceman during the construction of the Alaska hwy.
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Teslin Lake YT
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Arriving in Whitehorse
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A C.J. that I spotted in downtown Whitehorse. Owner had it shipped from Alberta.
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The S.S. Klondike, once a lifeline for communities upriver, now a tourist attraction in Whitehorse
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Arriving in Dawson City
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Historic hotel, downtown Dawson
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Gassing up prior to starting the Dempster. No gas for 350km :eek:
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Unusual menu items
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The Dempster begins
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Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:46 pm
by pidgey
Easy going at first. Can't be like this the whole way, can it? Not a chance..... :wink:
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The Ogilvie mountain pass. some rough road around here...
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Going gets tougher, very soft, dry gravelly dirt material, front wheel sinks into it big time.
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Eagle Plains, the halfway point. The place is a dive, but the showers are hot and the beer is cold. :thumbsup:
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The Arctic circle marker, about 30km north of the motel
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Snow
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A pic of the mountains near Wright pass.
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The ferry across the Peel river
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Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:40 pm
by palica
Oh Jeeezzzz, it starts again.... How far is Alaska from Quebec? :banghead:

Thank you again. I miss it.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:37 pm
by mastercylinder
Looking good, pidgey. :thumbsup: Some of those places look familiar. :grin: Hopefully you weren't the only one having fun. :wink:
:cheers:

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:17 pm
by berger
palica wrote:Oh Jeeezzzz, it starts again.... How far is Alaska from Quebec? :banghead:

Thank you again. I miss it.



I was thinking the same thing. I am getting very fed up with work right now, and I am seriously contemplating leave income averaging....

Great pics Pidgey.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 10:39 am
by Tud
cubituscubitus wrote:
Tud wrote:What I am planning to do however, is enter the 2011 Budapest to Bamako rally and I'm starting to get some material together that.

Hi Tud,
On your way to Budapest, I hope you'll make a stop in Belgium, the wife and I would be glad to have you spend some time in our home, you'll be welcome !
(Needless to say that this applies to any fellow Curdite who makes it to Europe !)
:cheers:

I'll be sure to keep this in mind, and if I'm nearby I will definately take you up on it.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 10:42 am
by Tud
Those are great pictures, and I think the trip is all the more better for having your family along. Kudos to your wife for putting up with the kids in the car by herself. :thumbsup: It's great to see people including their young children in their adventures, I think I would have been hard pressed to convince my wife to follow us up to Goose Bay with the boys in the car.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:01 pm
by pidgey
Thanks, guys. Yeah, the wife did great driving and having the kids all day, I owe her big time........ :cool:

Waiting for the MacKenzie river ferry
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Graves of the NWMP lost patrol at Ft. McPherson
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MacKenzie river
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Arriving at our final destination, Inuvik NWT
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The 'igloo' church in Inuvik
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Crossing back into Yukon at the NWT 'border'
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I need a bath
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Fireweed in bloom on the Dempster
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Dempster on the way back to Dawson
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Just descended the Ogilvie range
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Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 1:17 pm
by pidgey
Our hotel in Dawson city :lol: This subsidence is caused by building directly on top of the permafrost, nowadays they sink pilings and raise the building up so that heat from the building vents away from the ground.
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Lyle from Calgary on his modded Beemer. That's a 42 Liter tank he has on it :eek:
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Gassing up on the road
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Cadets on parade in Whitehorse. We met up with our son here.
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Sign at the sign forest. Kinda applicable to Urals... :wink:
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My busted fuel tank bracket. I'm gonna have the damn thing reinforced for the next big trip
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Not surprisingly, the Dempster (and the Alcan in places) were hard on the rubber. I had installed a brand new Heidenau on the pusher prior to leaving. 2500km later in Dawson City is still looked more or less new. By the time I reached Inuvik it was 2/3 worn and I needed to change it out when I got back to Whitehorse. Total kms on it was 4700. I can still use it as a spare, but there's not much tread left.

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:33 pm
by Spicy McHaggis
Awesome! Glad to see someone else with a Ural is willing to go even farther North on the Dempster than I did! Bravo! :prost:

Re: Edmonton to Inuvik

PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:58 pm
by URAL CT
Hi Pidgey,
Great ride report....enjoyed it a lot..
I noticed the med cannister you have on the back. I have one just like it, I think. Would you mind getting a close-up picture of how you mounted it on the rear of the bike. I like the way you mounted it. Where did you get the bracket? Please let me know. Thanks!
Charlie T... :cool: