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June 28. We had to fill up with water in downtown Yellowknife and got underway about 10. We were sorry to leave this pleasant town and decided it could be a great experience to come back in the winter. The Aurora Borealis alone would be worth it. The first 100 km on the way back (to Rae) is the worst of the road and I hit a few bumps the hard way and managed to dislodge one of the drawer rails in the kitchen (repaired the next day in Fort Simpson) – and cracked the beer shelf in the refrigerator door! Several other items moved around as well.
After we re-crossed the Mackenzie River we turned on to the “short cut” to Fort Nelson BC. This is 500+ km of gravel road – and the trailer has never been dirtier. We had to wash both vehicles and it cost $50 in Fort Simpson. Our alternative would have been to drive south to near Peace River and then northwest. Probably two days of hard driving, along a route we had already seen. We stayed overnight in Sambaa Deh Falls Park (means Trout River) about half way to Fort Simpson. The falls were spectacular.
Even though lakes and rivers are everywhere in NWT, water here is probably the most expensive in Canada. As the population lives scattered or in small communities, most houses have tanks and buy water that is trucked in when needed, only in the centre of the largest cities are there water mains.
Fort Simpson lies 63 km off the direct route on the gravel road – the only place to buy gasoline. Here we have another beautiful view of the Mackenzie River (1.2 km wide) and the friendliest hardware store (for the stuff needed to fix the drawer). But the ferry ride across the Liard River was treacherous. Steep gravel road down to and up from the river (between 15 and 20% grade we were told by the local transportation superintendent. We needed extra blocks under the wheels to prevent the back of the trailer digging in as we boarded and left the ferry (see pictures). The river can change 13 metres from low to high flow depending on season and weather (snow or rain up-river, south of here.)
The Mackenzie River is Canada’s longest river system, about 2,800 km, and Great Bear Lake (about 1000 km northwest of Great Slave Lake) is the largest lake entirely within Canada’s boundaries.
June 29. We stayed overnight in Fort Simpson and met Dene cousins on two different occasions whose last name is Norwegian! Yes “Norwegian’. One lady and her brother manages the campground and their cousin is involved with a power project using the Mackenzie River flow to generate electricity. He said his great, great grandfather had red hair and blue eyes. His father (name unknown) had travelled with the explorer Franklin in the early 1800s, and on his third visit, he decided to stay and marry a native girl. Later when the Jesuits began to take census, they asked about the light-haired, blue-eyed children and were told the father was Norwegian. That became the name for the family.
June 30. The ferry ride back across the Liard River was a bit easier, but the drive south on the Liard Trail was not. A gravel road being beat up by 20-30 large trucks a day does not stay in good shape and constantly needs repair. This is done by adding 6 inches of new sand/gravel mix and when you meet this topping before it is compacted, near the top of a steep hill, you are VERY glad the car has all wheel drive! We had several close calls and were told by one engineer we met that 3-4 weeks earlier we would not have made it through.
Canada Day! – and it rained all day. We had stopped in Fort Liard, 38 km north of the
BC border. An early start got us to the Alaska Highway in 3 hours. Thrilling but slow drive for another 4 hours with mountains (tops not visible), step hills and wildlife. We stopped at the Liard (yes same long river) Hot Springs and had a wonderful bath in 45 deg. C water with high concentration of Calcium Sulphate. It still rained when we walked back to the trailer, and we were ooh so relaxed.
July 2. The drive today was only 210 km because we wanted to stop in Watson Lake, Yukon Territories (YT) and see several museums and exhibits. We encountered a large caravan of 32 motor homes and trailers in Liard Hot Springs and they stopped here in Watson Lake as well (see picture). A sudden downpour coming home from the visitors centre meant our jeans and socks had to be hung in a variety of places in the trailer to dry. Optimistically, we purchased our Yukon fishing licenses. There has to be a fish waiting for our new baits somewhere in the next 2+ weeks!
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| 10 Three days to Liard |
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| 11 To Watson Lake |
