Back to the Arctic Circle - Inuvik

I finally started a story about the ride to Inuvik. Part 1 - The ride to Dawson City.

I had been planning an IBA ride in the southwest for 2015. The route was picked and I even had the gas stops planned and then it all changed.

I had completed the UCC (Key West, FL to Prudhoe Bay, AK) ride in 2012 and for some reason I was thinking about that trip in early January and the fact that there are only two highways that cross the Arctic Circle in North America and I had only done one of them!

2012 -

The plan started to change, now I would ride north from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and take the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, NWT, Canada, currently the northernmost point that you can ride to on a permanent road in Canada and I started to plan the route and do some research on the area.

Then I started to think...well, if Inuvik is the northernmost is there an official southernmost point in Canada and (of course) there is!!
On the mainland Point Pelee National Park is the southern point but wait...there's more.... a little more research and I found that there is an island south of Point Pelee N.P. and you can reach it by car ferry, Pelee Island. I decided that I would add both locations to my ride.

Now the ride would be the northernmost to the southernmost points in Canada and it would be an all in Canada ride and would cover about 4500 miles. The full roundtrip ride would be about 8500 miles and I would start it in mid-June.

Crossing the Arctic Circle to Prudhoe Bay on the left and Inuvik on the right. The Dempster Highway is a 457 mile gravel road and there is only one way back. 900+ miles of gravel!

Southernmost points. Point Pelee and Pelee Island.

The route -

The bike would be a 2010 Victory Vision 8-Ball but I would need to make a few changes.

The bike already had a full length lower belt guard, engine skid plate and headlight guard from the ride to Alaska but I would need to make a mounting bracket for the tour box. I have the factory trunk but it weighs 45 pounds and my Happy Trail box is only 15.
Brackets -

Completed. Tires - A Dunlop Winter Sport run flat on the rear and a Shinko 700 Series on the front. I had to raise the front fender 1 1/8".

In the seat bag - Two gallons of spare gasoline, tools, tire repair equipment and a first aid kit.

I had a lot of tire repair equipment!!! Rope style, a Stop & Go Pocket Plugger and recently I had bought a Dynaplug kit. Also have an AreoStich mini-air compressor.

June 12th 4:30 PM. The bike was packed and had been for a few weeks. I had left work, rushed home, changed and after six months of planning and preparing I'm ready to go!!
I didn't want to take the garage remote so I was going to push the bike outside and close the door (first mistake, I never push the bike, I always ride it out).
As I was pushing the bike I decided to get on the bike (mistake number two), my foot got stuck on the drivers backrest and me and the bike went over.
Now I have to lift a loaded bike and I'm hoping there is no damage! I lifted the bike, set it on the kickstand and then rode it out!! There was no damage. The tip-over protection worked but not a good start!

I was freaked out and it took a little while to settle down but now the next destination is Regina, Saskatchewan. This will be an 1112 mile overnight ride. Things are going better.
Riding north -

Some pictures from the ride north. Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaska Highway.

In 1413 km - turn right.

On the Alaska Highway.

Fuel stop. I had to complete an on-line training (left side of this unit) before I could use this pump.

Of course there is construction!

A gas stop on the Alaska Highway, one pump at an old lodge. I needed this stop, on the way back the pump wasn't working. Spare gasoline is a good thing to have.