We woke up to blue sky and sunshine and it's supposed to be that way for the next couple of days.
Oh... and good news! Remember when we entered Yukon, we began to have problems with our Telcel Mexico SIM card working in the phone? Well, as soon as we crossed into Northwest Territories and got ourselves close to the Fort McPherson cell tower... we connected again!
So the problem is not with the phone or the SIM card... it is somehow related to the towers in the Yukon not accepting the Mexico roaming agreement, or something like that. Anyhow, at least we have our internet back for the Northwest Territories. It is working fine here in Inuvik as I write this.
We drove into Fort McPherson (pop 700) to get some fuel and have a walk around. We wouldn't be staying long because we still wanted to make it to Inuvik for Canada Day celebrations.
This sign was put up in 1970 before the Dempster Highway opened.
I pulled into the Co-op gas station in Fort McPherson and was surprised to see the pump price at $1.45 CAD per liter ($4.20 USD per gallon), cheaper than it had been in either Dawson City or Eagle Plains! I filled up, and will do so again on the way back south. (It is $1.67 here in Inuvik!).
I went in to pay the bill, and a younger woman with a backpack asked which way we were headed. Turns out that she and her husband are from Germany, and have a rental RV with a flat tire about 20 kms north of Fort McPherson and she was looking for a ride back after having called for service.
So we went for a walk around town, and then she hopped in Sherman with us for a ride back to their rental rig.
Andrea going for a ride with us in Sherman!
We got to their rig sitting at the side of the road, and Markus was so happy to have his wife back. But, the service truck would have been coming from Inuvik and they might be stuck here at the side of the road for five hours or more. So I got out our little pump to see if the tire was repairable.
I found the leak quickly, but it was a cut through the tread so a plug was not about to fix that. Kind of a shame but these rental rigs get driven too fast on this road, and so the tires get chewed up pretty quickly. The front tires on this rig were pretty much new, but the back ones were just about done even before this couple set out.
Me, checking for the leak.
The mosquitoes were horrible! Pretty much the worst we've ever seen. Ruth and I ended up putting our bug jackets on, and then I suggested to Markus that we might as well change their spare otherwise they would be sitting for hours. The gravel was a bit soft, but I had some blocks of wood to use to support their jack.
Mosquitoes on Ruth's pant leg!
Markus, working on the tire.
There! Back on the road again!
Ruth, Markus, and Andrea with their little rental rig.
Nice to be able to help some fellow travelers in need and get them back on the road. We exchanged contact info, and hopefully we will see them again some day. They invited us to visit them in Germany, and we would be quite happy to take them up on that!
And then we got back on the road as well. By this time, it was about 1:30pm.
The scenery between Fort McPherson and Inuvik is nothing special, so not many photos to share. We had to take one more ferry, this time over the Mackenzie River.
Coming into the village of Tsiigettchic (pronounced see-ge-chick)
You have to take the ferry to Tsiigetchic as well, but we will stop in there on our way back south.
Here comes the ferry for us.
They took some time to wash the deck first. Sherman says thanks!
We were the only ones on the ferry.
Not much in the way of scenery.
We stopped at a little roadway that dead ended at a lake just off the highway and decided to spend the night there. It was only about 40 kms (24 miles) south of Inuvik. Again, the mosquitoes are so bad, we didn't want to go outside... so we never got a picture of Sherman parked there. Lots of moose tracks in the mud, and some paw prints as well, but didn't see any animals.
Well, except for this fellow...
Snowshoe hare.
Didn't sleep well because of a few mosquitoes that got inside the rig and eventually I got up and killed them off. Slept in until almost 8:30am as a result, and now off to Inuvik for the Canada Day parade starting at 11:30am!
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The popular Zinus Memory Foam RV Mattress is back on sale again...
And in Canada...
The snow shoe hare is adorable. So glad you helped out to get the couple back on the road. My cousin had Swedish folks for Xmas dinner one year. They broke down on rez Xmas eve just as businesses were closing down for the holiday. Cousin stopped to help but vehicle needed parts...so he invited them to stay the night and have dinner. Next day cousin called around folks he knew and got the part to get the people back on the road.
ReplyDeleteWe never experience mosquitoes biting in Alaska. But in spring I heard they are bad.
The snowshoe hare was cute. It would have been nice to have seen it earlier in the season as it's fur changed from white to brown.
DeleteWe didn't really do much to help, Markus did most of the hard work. We were happy to give Andrea the ride back and to be there for moral support, I think they appreciated that the most.
I think the mosquitoes are bad any time in the spring and summer up here. There are lots of wet areas all throughout the tundra and most of the water is standing water which is prime breeding ground for mosquitoes. They also have lots of horseflies which are the size of helicopters and when they bite they take a chunk out of you.
That's the great thing about a motorhome, you don't have to go outside if you don't want to because of bugs. :) Love the hare!
ReplyDeleteYep, we totally agree about that and even mentioned it to each other with smiles on our faces!
DeleteSo kind of you to help out the young couple from far away. It's something they'll remember for the rest of their days.
ReplyDeleteWe were happy to help, I think the main thing was giving Andrea a ride back to their motorhome and just being there with them for moral support while Markus changed the tire. We think most people up this way help out any stranded motorists on the Dempster.
DeleteThe one photo reminded me to tell you that your new table sure is a thing of great beauty. It is simply gorgeous! It's nice when RV'ers help each other. We always do. One time we lent this couple our jumper cables because their brand new Rolls Royce was having electrical problems. He promised to mail them back to us -- nope...never saw those cables again and they were good ones too. Oh well. You can't always buy class.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for noticing and admiring our table, we just love it! We also sent our daughter a note telling her to let Justin know that his work has been noticed and complimented on. :-)
DeleteNice that you too were able to help someone out, it's too bad that they never bothered to return the cables though. :-(
How nice of you to help! Crazy big ass mosquitos!
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbie, it felt good to help them out and hopefully if we are ever in a similar situation someone will do the same for us.
DeleteYep, the mosquitoes are big and hungry up here. I can see us having to wear our bug shirts up here if we want to do any hiking!
Good deal helping the young couple! It’s funny and sometimes unexpected how we meet people and can possibly become friends for life. Love Andrea’s smile! A feel good moment for sure. Cute Snowshoe hare and Beaver Lodge!! Well, yesterday I googled Tsiigehtchic and found a lot of articles to read about that area.
ReplyDeleteWe were happy to help them out and hopefully the same will be done for us should be ever be in a similar situation. It is very true how you can just quickly meet someone and then you keep in touch well after that and even become good friends, that has happened to us numerous times over the years. :-)
DeleteWe are looking forward to stopping in at Tsiigehtchic on our way back down the Dempster, it does look like an interesting place.
To treat people the way you want to be treated is the golden rule. Good on you guys.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree with that! :-)
DeleteThe smile on Andrea’s face and your new table say it all! You guys are making unforgettable memories with meeting and helping out people in your travels...good on you! Thanks for the great blog again....the mosquitoes and horseflies are giving me the jitters! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteYes, she does have a big beautiful smile. She was very happy that we were able to drive her back and give a helping hand, even though Markus really did all the work but it was comforting to have us there with them until they got back on the road again.
DeleteJustin did a great job on that table, we really love it and it is Sherman's pride and joy. :-)
Yeh, the mosquitoes and horseflies or "bull dogs" as they call them here in Tuktoyaktuk are miserable when they are out. Luckily here in Tuk they aren't too bad probably because it has been pretty windy.
Dear Ruth, dear Kevin,
ReplyDeleteNow it is nearly two months ago we appreciated your help and one month since we returned home to Germany. It's really a shame that we didn't write to you earlier but please believe us when we tell you that we are talking about you as persons and your kind help very, very often! We are still very thankful that you helped us out in this situation and yes, your moral assistance was as important as your physical help!
The Dempster was really an adventure was for us, when we came to Fort McPherson we looked for a replacement for the other rear tire which - as you know - also wasn't in the best condition. We only managed to get a used tire which anyway looked better than the original one. So we had it changed and used the original tire as spare tire. Unfortunately, our luck was not permanent... We made it to Eagle Plains that day where we started early to drive slowly back to Dawson in order not to risk any further tire failure. Around 100 km from Eagle Plains our "new used" tire went flat... (as we learned afterwards, it was not made for the weight of our RV.) So we changed back on the original tire and so we had no spare anymore. So for the rest of the drive back to Dawson we were quite nervous - and more than happy when after 10 hours we arrived in Dawson City with all tires still filled with air :-)!
Anyway, we had a fantastic time in Yukon and Alaska and didn't have any really unpleasant encounters or experiences. We only met nice, warm-hearted and helpful people (okay, the lady at the fuel station in Fort McPherson was quite "brittle" ;-)) and our whole vacation was an unforgettable experience. We are thinking back to that time several times a day. And meeting people like you gave us also a new understanding of "drama" - uncomfortable things do happen, especially on a road like the Dempster. But there is another side of the story - the people you meet, who offer and give their help and who make you see the light in this experience. Thank you for being there at the right time and giving us your support!
As we can read from your blog, your travel is still going on. We hope you are well and are having a great time in this beautiful country. If you ever travel through Europe and visit Germany, let us know so that we can meet again (we cannot give you a ride in an RV, but we can manage to help you to find a tire fitter ;-)))). We will also send you a private message with our contact details - just in case!
So long we will be reading your posts and hopefully return to Canada soon!
Take care you two and enjoy life, light, nature and everything what makes you happy.
All the best,
Andrea and Markus
It is so good to hear from you both. We wondered several times as we continued to drive along the Dempster Highway how you both made out. We are so happy that you didn't have any further "major" problems. It is a shame that the used tire you bought in Fort McPherson didn't work out well for you but at least you got back to Dawson City without having to wait for the rental company to come and replace another bad tire.
DeleteWe are so happy that you loved your trip, Canada is definitely a beautiful country. We also had a wonderful time up in the Yukon and look forward to heading up north again sometime in the future.
From our travels to so many countries we have found that the majority of people everywhere are good people who are friendly and helpful we are glad that you meet lots of them through your travels in the Yukon and Alaska. We definitely will make our way to Germany. Not sure when we will but when we do we will definitely try and contact you both.
Take care and if you ever notice that we are close to each other in either of our travels, just send us a message we would love to meet up with you both again. :-)