The Dempster Deconstructed: Part Three, Back to the Border

We now had a dilemma on our hands.  Rumors were flying that the new rainfall would close the Peel River crossing again.  We also heard there had been a significant snowfall at the Northwest Territory/Yukon border during the night Tuesday.  David and I had been caught in a snowstorm there in 2015.  The pass was slick with black ice under the snow and mud.

We decided it was best to go ahead and move below the river crossings so we wouldn't get caught.  We already had four hard days of hard driving, and we weren't looking forward to another one.  The good news was, however, that it would free up a full day at Rock River.  We could spend two nights at the campground there.  The kiddos could fish, and we could hunt for animals.  The border had been too foggy, rainy, and cold on our way up to even stop.  Now we could really enjoy the area.

With the decision made, we broke camp and went into Inuvik for breakfast at the Mackenzie Grill.  While part of the group went to the post office, Morgan and I dashed across the street to take a photo of  Inuvik's famous Igloo Church.

Igloo Church, Inuvik

On our way back to the ferry crossings, we stopped at the Mackenzie Delta viewpoint.  The three young people and I took a hike while everyone else hobnobbed about more plans.  While on our hike, we went left, while everyone else went right.  It took us a few minutes to hook back up together, but it was great to be out hiking again.

The river crossings were much calmer this time.  I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief as we made it back across the Peel River.  After we crossed the delta, the mountains came back into view, and we could see the snow-dusted tops.  The road was good and solid, so we had no worries at all.

At the border crossing between the Yukon and Northwest Territories, the wind was blowing gale force again.  At least we were in sunshine!  We all jumped out to take the obligatory group photo that we had missed on the way up.  Melanie, Morgan, and I ran across the road to get a photo of them in front of the Yukon sign.  Wow!  Was that wind cold!

We pulled into the viewpoint just south of the border and saw distant caribou through binoculars.  Hunting season was in full force, so the caribou were keeping their distance from the road.  Scott and Eric had a confirmed grizzly bear sighting, although it was so far off in the distance the rest of us could hardly see him.  We planned on returning in the morning to see what other animals might be out and about.

We set up camp at Rock River, one of our favorite campgrounds on the Dempster.  It was late, however, and our favorite spot was taken.  We found another site, ate supper, and soon crashed for the evening.

The next morning, David and I went out early to search for animals.  Before we left, we found our favorite campsite empty, so we quickly paid for it and hung our "this site is occupied" sign out.  Then, with Morgan still snuggled in her sleeping bag in the back seat, we drove up to the viewpoint to see what might be out there.  Morgan dismally said we probably wouldn't see any bears because she was a jinx.  We soon found her fears to be totally false.

We found a big brown bear walking the slope, several hundred yards off the road.  Morgan could only say, "Awesome!"  She named him Buddy.  We went back to the campground to tell the others.  Morgan stayed behind for breakfast with her folks.

Bailey decided to come with us.  We found Buddy again.  Bailey said exactly what her sister had, "Awesome!"  She quickly determined that Buddy was much too gentle a name for this big boy.

Soon the other two rigs joined us.  They began watching Buddy while David and I moved on to scope out other possible sightings.  Not far up the road, we found a blonde bear followed by what was probably her three-year-old cub.  The blonde bear began feasting on the remains of a caribou.  We could see her yank and pull at the bare bones of the leg and knee joint.  The younger bear moved close a few times to share the meal.  The mother must have fussed, because the younger one got no closer than what you see in the photo below.  We watched the two bears for nearly an hour.

That evening was splendid.  The two girls fished... unfortunately without even a bite.  Eric chopped wood... a favorite pastime of his.  We all sat by the fire together that evening.

It was a splendid end to a wonderful day.  We lamented that we only had two nights left on the Dempster before our adventure together would be over.  Time was slipping by so fast!