Day 10

Began the trip by wrapping up the legal stuff in Ft. McPherson and doing a final check of the truck. Rover is attracting as much attention now (if not more) as it did when we had the rack. Roof is rather battered, have duct-taped the opera windows in the back (and yes, Rover fans, they are *real* glass, contrary to what others may think), and other assorted "battle scars." Still, the car wears them proudly. Safest car I've been in for a while, and we've got the dents to prove it.

A few words about Ft. McPherson, named, presumably after one of my long lost Scottish cousins. It's mainly an Indian village, with a handful of buildings and hourses in varying states of disrepair lining the dirt streets. The local tribes appear to be doing their best to present a good image, but it's hard to hide the poverty. (After the events of yesterday, this is one of the prettiest towns I've ever seen.) Nevertheless, the town is interesting in its own way. Kids and dogs scurry through the streets, and most folks greet you with a smile and a wave. But given its location down wind from the mountains, I'm sure winters can be pretty bleak here. As Fred, the roadway assistance guy who helped us yesterday said, "We're used to it because we've grown up with it. We can deal with winter because we always have the spring and summer to make up for it." (It must be true, last night, well after 11:00, mothers and their real little kids still roamed the street.)

With the kind help of Ken and Kathy Davidson, the managers of the co-op hotel in Ft. McP, we stashed the non-essential items for pick-up on our way back. Piling in four people, their personal belongings, camping gear, emergency road gear, 2nd spare tire, etc., would be quite a trick without the roof rack. Just before we left, two bicyclists who had been plowing their way through yesterday's snowstorm rode in. They too have heard of our mishap and were amazed that the Rover works so well. (Earlier yesterday, we'd jumped out to photograph them in their moment of glory...or madness, depending on your point of view.) They plan to arrive in Inuvik tomorrow, and we've scheduled a get-together over caribou steak and beer.

Our apprehensions about the truck melted away as we headed up the Dempster. No mysterious rattles or wheels falling off or anything. The scenery is becoming very arctic-like: rises here and there along the plateau; thin, stubby trees; and the occasional small lake. Closer to the delta, the road gradually dips down toward the river.

We made the 3:30 ferry crossing at the McKenzie River and made good time the last 70 miles. 10k out of Inuvik, we rejoiced at the sight (and feel) of pavement for the first time in 3 days. We stopped for photos at the "Welcome to..." sign (yours truly planted a relived smooch on the Inuvik terra firma), and made our way into town.

Well, it took over 4,000 miles hundreds of gallons of gas, and a little too much excitment but...

WE MADE IT!

Guided by a rainbow, we rolled into Inuvik at about 5:30 MST today. Weatherwise, it was one of the best days of the trip. Only had a few showers, which tested our duct-tape repairs, but we couldn't have asked for anything better. I'll give y'all more details later, but in the interest of battery life and getting something to eat, I'll keep this short. But thank heaven, perseverence, and Land Rover engineering, we're here!

Still later.