Midnight

Tsiigehtchic, NWT

I tried to get a hotel at Fort McPherson, but they were booked up.   I tried again at Tsiigehtchic with the same results.  There were no further opportunities until Inuvik. .    I drove on through the dusk, the flat, uninteresting terrain, and a steady drizzle.  I arrived in Inuvik at 2:30 AM and booked a room.  The Canadian weather channel said an Arctic Low was dropping south across the area, with rain forecast over the next 2 days.  When I woke up at 6:30 AM the same morning, it was darker and the rain had strengthened to a steady downpour.  I couldn't get back to sleep, so I checked out and headed south. I ran out of the rain at the Yukon border.  When I again stopped at the Arctic circle, my shoulder muscles spasmed from gripping the handlebars.  At Eagle Plains, I booked a room and slept for 11.5 hours.      During the night, the Arctic Low caught up.  I would start each day over the next few days in rain, drive out of it in about a half day, only to have the rain overrun me during the night.

Dempster Highway, heading south.