We have returned from 9 weeks and 9000 miles composing travel through British Columbia and the Canadian territories of Yukon and Northwest. The experience exceeded our expectations and taught us a great deal. We have 1500 photographs taken during the trip and have posted a selected few for your enjoyment.
We departed in early May and returned in July. It rained a bit on most days, but the mosquito population was minimal. There were few visitors on the road in May...especially in the backroads areas of the territories. Our route was North along Highway 97 in the United States.....up to Prince George in British Columbia and on up to Yellowknife by way of Alberta. The Great Slave Lake was still covered with ice in May and the ferry crossing of the MacKenzie River was a unique experience for us. We travelled throughout the Northwest Territory and then West into the Yukon..seeking the remote areas. Ultimately we reached Inuvik at the Northern end of the Dempster Highway. The wildlife and geography of the Arctic regions is quite spectacular. Subsequently we crossed into Alaska on the "Top of the World" highway and then re-entered Canada on the Alaska highway by way of Haines.
Our return route South in British Columbia was by way of the Cassiar Highway. This is now reasonably good road, most of which is paved...and the scenery is gorgeous.
We found DAF was an ideal vehicle for the gravel and dirt roads of the Territories. We sought out the back roads, even the "closed" roads and were rewarded with miles and miles and miles of beautiful country with no folks...or a few folks. The in-cab view gave an eye level of ten feet..so we could see a lot from the road..especially when combined with a low speed of 15-30 mph on unmaintained back roads. We saw lots of wildlife...Moose, bear, raptors, fox, porcupines and so forth...without any problems. The very long days allowed us to drive for extended hours or short hours depending on our objectives...and made remote "camping" pretty easy as lighting was never an issue.
We were surprised to find that the gravel and dirt roads that were in "maintained" status were very good: well-kept, relatively devoid of significant hazards, and smooth. The gravel in some areas was sharp and did contribute to tire punctures for travelers using standard road tires. We had no difficulties although we tried hard to be respectful of hazards on gravel roads. For example, it was our practice to stop and allow any commercial vehicles to pass us...thus facilitating their passage and reducing rock hazards to us and our vehicle. Slower speeds are appropriate to extend the life of one's hardware. It is also true that the dirt roads tend to conform to the lay of the land...and steep uphill and downhill slopes were the rule throughout our travels. Low range was sometimes needed. We were surprised to find that a very, very difficult stretch of highway lay along the asphalt pavement of Alaska highway running just to the East of the Alaskan-Canadian border. Here we found stretches of paved highway with significant frost heaves and broken pavement rendering travel pretty difficult. When you are within 100 miles of the Alaska border traveling on the Alaska highway..expect difficulty.
Fuel, lodging, dining, and grocery costs are high and rise as one travels North. We paid as much as the equivalent of $6 US per gallon of fuel. Simple bed and breakfast lodging was $100 and up a night...although we only used overnight lodging on one occasion. A simple sandwich in a restaurant is generally $10 and up and so forth. It's easy to understand these higher costs as transport costs add up as one moves North.
We wanted to reach Inuvik in the North..gateway to the Arctic Ocean...as a landmark point analogous to Ushuaia in the South. DAF was utilized by former owners to reach this "southernmost" point in South America; it was natural to aim for Inuvik as a "northernmost" point in North America. Daf has now been..."End to End...North to South!" This trip, while demanding, can certainly be achieved by most anyone willing to devote some time and resources to prepare. We felt the time we spent preparing paid off in a trip that was relatively free of problems. If a trip along these lines is your dream, we surely encourage you to take the steps to make it a reality. You can do it!!
We learned a number of lessons at multiple levels. We don't need complicated or luxurious equipment. A small living area with reliable heating, water, light, and food storage was more than adequate. Ours was less than 150 feet. Simple solutions tend to be more reliable than complex solutions; for example, a hand pump is often more reliable than an electric pump. Gravity is even more reliable. Sharon and I also found that the trip revealed the extent to which our day to day existence in Oregon can be governed by external demands..from paying bills to maintaining cars. These tasks are important, but they can expand to fill one's time at the expense of not making time for your own personal priorities or dreams. We had a period of weeks when we were relatively free of these tasks and found it liberating and stimulating. Sharon and I also found the experience strengthened our relationship as we relied on one another to successfully complete our individual responsibilities in provisioning and maintaining DAF during the trip. We also found that in general a trouble-shooting plan than included backups for likely problems was appropriate. In one instance we had three backups for a possible electric problem..and needed them all. Take the time to consider how you will resolve predictable problems...and some that one cannot predict.
Other significant, but less overarching lessons include the following:
1. Useful personal tools: flashlight, pocket knife, muck boots (easy on and off, warm feet, waterproof/mudproof), latex gloves to keep hands warm and clean during maintenance, small shop brush to remove mud from driving area, water key to operate water spigots lacking a handle.
2. Maintain a significant reserve of fuel...shorthand recommendation would be to keep twice as much fuel as you believe you will need. We found multiple locations where pumps were not working and fuel was not available as expected.
3. Road Conditions: suggest talk with local RCMP (Mounties). Ask about how roads will hold up in wet weather. Secure phone numbers for "help" if needed. Drive slowly and expect the occasional surprise when on unmaintained roads. These surprises may include mud slides of sinkholes that will swallow some significant part of your vehicle. Be respectful of blind turns. Be respectful of wildlife. Collision with a Moose may end your trip.
4. Credit Cards and Cash: Mastercard and Visa widely accepted. However, it was not uncommon to find an entire town unable to process credit cards if communications links were down....and then cash was the only means of purchase. Maintain a reasonable level of cash. Do not count on ATMs for this purpose. Be sure to have a second credit card...in event of theft or other unexpected problem. I actually had a credit card begin to crack into pieces.
5. Communications: Cellphones may be expensive in Canada if you have a US based carrier. Be sure to check. Cellphone coverage in remote areas is spotty at best. Consider a Satellite phone. Globalstar offers hardware in the range of $400 plus installation fees for an in-cab system and monthly service plans of $40 per month for unlimited use. However, the Globalstar system is also subject to intermittent periods when one cannot put through a call due to degradation of their satellite system. We found Globalstar more than met our needs...the phone was used for family communications and emergencies. The interruptions would preclude its suitability for business use, in my opinion.
6. Emergency Services: these are very limited in remote areas as you would imagine. Overall, suggest adapting one's objectives and plans to a format that is basically self-supporting. Be careful. Stay healthy. There will not be helicopters and EMTS arriving on short notice to help. Folks will do all they can to be helpful in this difficult environment but the options are often very limited. An ounce of prevention in driving safety and personal safety is surely worth a pound of cure.
7. Firearms: these have a role in providing safety from wildlife. However, one must be thoroughly familiar with use of a firearm in self-defense. It is also essential to be familiar with Canadian firearms laws and comply fully. We found compliance was straightforward and had no difficulty entering and exiting Canada repeatedly. The information and forms are readily available on the internet.
8. Tires: we highly suggest commercial or off-road grade tires with thick tread and heavy sidewalls. One or more mounted spares makes sense. Know how to change a tire. Low profile street tires are an invitation to difficulties. Check lug nuts regularly. If you are accumulating mud in the wheels...be sure to wash it out when you have an opportunity to avoid an unbalanced wheel. Kits to repair tires are avialable; consider purchasing one and learning how to use it.
9. Brakes: an exhaust brake is really helpful is you are towing or have a heavy vehicle. grades are often quite steep.
10. Bugs: bring DEET. It does work. Apply it. Consider clothing with mosquito repellent embedded in it...the bugs up North easily penetrate a t-shirt or jeans. Clothing with embedded repellent seemed quite effective. Bugs are less of a problem in May and early June..go early.
11. Spare parts and back up lubricants: consider what is likely to need to be replaced and take additional parts and lubricants with you.
The final take home lesson we learned: Think about life and actively define your dreams. Dreams can become reality and change your life.
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