Day 11: Inuvik to Eagle Plains

We spent a very comfortable, but brief, night at the hotel in Inuvik. We dried off, did laundry and waited to see what Mother Nature had in store for us. In the morning, the skies were sunny. After hitting the grocery store and the gas station, Mark and I stopped at the Visitor Center and Adam and Loki went on to another photo shoot opportunity at the famous Catholic Church in town.

At the Visitor Center, the weather forecast was posted. A high wind warning was in effect, with gusts up to 90 kph predicted, with a little rain in the mix, as well. With the roads dry at the time, we went for it. The road to the Mackenzie River ferry was great--it was hard to believe that it was the same road that we had been on the day before. We completed the distance in less that half the time it took us to go north. It did start to get pretty windy, but again, with the road surface dry, we kept going. The views were spectacular, and just as we entered the Richardson Mountains, the northernmost portion of the Rocky Mountains, we were fortunate enough to see an enormous herd of caribou. It was an amazing sight to see.

At the Arctic Circle stop, we regrouped. Adam, who is, among many other things, as you already know, an aspiring meteorologist, commented about the clouds, “this looks like it will all just blow over.” With a plan of camping in about 110 miles at Engineer Creek, we headed to Eagle Plains to refuel. It started to rain. It was socked in. This was not going to blow over. Adam’s hopes of being chief meteorologist on Baffin Island were dashed because of this poor forecast. Not to worry, folks! He has another job opportunity! Noting a helicopter at Eagle Plains, Adam has informed us that he is capable of flying one because he has flown one on a computer once. I am certain that he will be hired.

With the rain coming down in sheets, we filled our tanks with gas. As I went inside to pay, several road workers told me with conviction that we would be fools to go any further. I think one of them said to me, "you aren't going ANYWHERE! Go no further." So, this would be our home for the night.

Total miles for the day: 240 miles Really WISE decisions made for the day: one