The Dempster Highway begins around 25 miles outside of Dawson and ends at Inuvik, 456 miles north into the Artic Circle. I had seen pictures of it in the fall and realized that I wanted to be on it during the first of September. Although locals say it is "well traveled in the summer," the exact meaning of that phrase is unclear to me. Actually, I would describe it as somewhat desolate and definitely remote.
There are no services along this unpaved route across the Artic tundra except for a small motel half way to Inuvik called Eagle Plains and a native community further north called Fort MacPherson. Hence planning is a good idea to insure a bed at the Eagle Plains motel since the trip to Inuvik takes two days. Locals also recommend that travelers carry at least two spare tires. I carried one, and it came to good use on the trip back. And when I write about no services, I mean no services!
There are no gas stations, cafes, McDonald's, Burger Kings or 7-!!'s. On this trip, we all became quite adept at finding and using outhouses along the way - and we could rate them in terms of cleanliness, odor and warmth of the toilet lid.
For all of its ruggedness - the Dempster is a wonder to behold - especially in the fall when the snow is beginning to salt the mountaintops. 
The Tombstone Valley/Campground is not far from the beginning of the Dempster, and it was undoubtedly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. A river runs through the valley and caribou come through here on their migration to the south in late September. It is such an awesome sight that travelers just stand and gaze - most of the time in utter silence. 
The colors are so vivid and unusual, I imagined that during the creation of the seasons here, God took His divine palette and threw all of these colors onto the mountains and into the valleys. But there is always more to see . . .
When one goes up one mountain and looks out over a valley, there is always another valley and lake right ahead.
The vastness of this wilderness was breathtaking!
At one point, we stopped and got out of the car to walk along the tundra. It was like walking on a sponge - the ground giving away slightly with each step. Hunters drive their trucks out onto the tundra to search for caribou, bear and moose. Its height and thickness produces a good cover for wildlife. As we drove along the Dempster on the first day, we saw a mother bear and cub cross the road less than a half mile ahead of us. By the time we reached the spot, she and her young one had disappeared into the fauna.
The Dempster Highway is built on the tundra - and it is obvious that the Yukon highway department continually attempts to keep it built up and maintained. We saw maintenance crews along several sections of the highway through the summer. Yet trucks, rain and the hard winters result in the highway being quite a challenge
to drive, especially in the rain which transforms it into a slick highway of mud. On one morning, we saw a couple riding their bike and trying to cycle up the side of a slick mountainside of coal black mud. None of us dreamed that they would make it up that mountain or survive their marriage. (The young wife was at the foot of the mountain and the husband was half way up, motioning and hollering at her to keep pedaling!) A week later, we saw the young couple in Whitehorse, and they continued to appear to be together, at least for the time being.
At one rest stop, we saw an Inushuk. 
This stone formation is seen throughout the North along the highways and the different hiking trails. It was used by Northern peoples as a sign indicating direction as well as a sign for friendship. Locals tell us that it will be the sign for the winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
On the afternoon of our first day of travel on the Dempster, we reached the Eagle Plains motel. This stop has gas and tire service (which we would need on the trip back). The motel has a restaurant and is open year-round. The rooms are not the Hilton but it is a welcome rest stop in this area of the world. Elizabeth met another wild friend and stopped for a picture! We also met a family with two teenage boys and a young daughter. The parents were moving the family from Jacksonville, Florida to Inuvik to set up Baptist churches. I could not imagine being a teenager and moving from the sunny, mild climate of Florida to the cold, dark climate of the North. But the parents were open and friendly and told us to contact them through the Baptist minister in Inuvik if we needed their help at any time.
After breakfast the next morning, we continued our journey. A brisk wind out of the east brought low clouds to the mountains which soon became treeless and a dark gray.
Eventually the clouds turned to rain and we didn't stop for over 3 hours - except to catch a picture when we crossed the Artic Circle.
The morning was cold and the wind made us realize that we were in the far North!
The road became slippery with the rain and driving on the Dempster reminded me of driving over snow slick roads during the winter. But the rain also brought the beautiful northern rainbows! 
Later in the afternoon, we passed over into the Northwest Territory!
And around 4:30, we came to Inuvik.
