We finished taping Tramper and got on the road at 10:45 this morning. We’re hoping this helps keep the dust and dirt level down. I found a hole in the wheel well inside caused by the rocks flying on the gravel roads. There is no telling what other holes we have that we haven’t found yet. Ugh.

Paul and Tucker visited with us for a little while. It was so nice to see them before leaving.

Paul doesn’t know it (well, he will when he sees this), but I have dubbed them “the bright spots of Inuvik”. We cannot thank this dynamic duo enough.

We wish you well. Remember, if you are ever in the Atlanta area, you’ve got a place to stay, and you know how to find us!

Paul talked to us about the many problems the people of Inuvik have but also told us about some of the joys of living here. I can now see some redeeming qualities to Inuvik from listening to him, but overall, I have to be honest — I found it to be pretty desolate and depressing.

The picture of Tucker on the Ski-Doo was taken by Paul and shared with us. It’s one of the joys of life for Paul and Tucker in Inuvik.

Hope you don’t mind me “stealing” your picture, Paul. I’ll remove it if you would prefer.

Paul also told us that there are plans to begin using beet juice on the roads instead of calcium chloride to keep dust levels down as much as possible  He said they have a lot of calcium chloride to use up first, though  I found this fascinating.

I will say that I will forever admire the fortitude and resilience of the people who call Inuvik home.  They really do have a lot they contend with on a daily basis. They are strong in many ways.  Indeed, I have seen hoodies with the words “Inuvik Strong” on them.  I kind of get it.

That being said, we were more than ready to hit the road and head south.

The Dempster was a myriad of experiences today. The highway conditions changed frequently! It went from being dry and dusty to feeling like you were on a bucking bronco (frost heaves) to feeling as though you were driving on an oil slick.

It wasn’t long after the first picture was taken that we saw three bicyclists riding their bikes. Uh, excuse me?! Nope with a capital “N” for me. And then not much further from them, we saw three older motorcyclists stopped on the side of the road, each looking as though they were wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

I didn’t have the presence of mind to get pictures of any of them because I was completely shocked to see the bicycles, and I kind of felt badly for the motorcyclists.

I will say that this is absolutely breathakingly beautiful land out here. Here are a couple of iPhone images.

We stopped at the Arctic Circle for a quick break and to get some pictures of the outside of the truck and Tramper. What an absolute mess! Some of it is like concrete. It reminds me a little bit of the consistency of Rhinoliner. Some of it is a slimey, slurry-type consistency. Fun! We’ll get it all cleaned up on the other side of the Dempster.

We won’t even attempt to look inside until we are on the other side of the Dempster, either!

Here’s a fun little video showing exactly what this stuff is like on the truck.

We got to Eagle Plains, which is the halfway point of the Dempster Highway. After gassing up the truck, we decided to get something to eat besides Cheetos and chocolate. Their food was actually pretty good.

After we filled our bellies, we decided to stop for the day and do the other half of the Dempster tomorrow. There’s a little hotel here, and that’s were we are parked for the night.