Today begins the final, and most difficult section of the entire project — the Dempster Highway.

I’ve heard so many stories about the fickle nature of this legendary road. I’ve pretty much already got myself psyched out.

The first 140 kms or so off the road, up and into Tombstone Provincial Park is easy unsealed pavement and light gravel.
The views are spectacular and dramatic.

As I approach Tombstone Mountain itself, dark clouds start massing over its sister peaks. Not for the last time, I feel I may be riding trough Middle Earth.

The treachery of the Dempster is not due to any single factor.

The road itself is a raised gravel bed sitting on top of permafrost. So it’s never going to be a perfect surface.

Add the often inclement weather. It’s the middle of August but it’s clear the warmest part of the riding season has already passed. When we woke this morning it was a crisp 8° C. The projected high is 14°. At those temperatures riding at 50 KPH means you must have electric heated gear or you will freeze.

The worst of the road though comes from construction. While repairing the road, they essentially destroy it first, lay down new marble-like gravel and coat it all with, I think, liquid calcium chloride. I’m not sure what the point is, but until it dries, that stuff makes the road as slippery as snot.

And then we get to the Eagle Plains Hotel.

Midway between the start of the Dempster and its end in Inuvik lies a single service station. I’m fact it’s an absolutely critical facility. It’s the only place to stop for gas, food and lodging along the road. All travellers on the Dempster pull in at Eagle Plains, if not to spend the night, then at least get some fuel, and take a well deserved rest for hours of hyper-alert driving.

The lounge looks caught in the 1950s (though it was only built in 1984) is currently decked out in full hunting lodge decor.

Between the look of the place, the remoteness of our location, and the interesting assortment of characters milling about the place day or night, I get a vibe like someone’s about to burst in and breathlessly announce, “The cook’s been murdered — and the killer is still in the hotel!”