Today we set off on the second major drive of our return trip south.

We talked with our nemesis as we set out in the morning, catching up with our travel plans. We learned that they took their canoe out and paddled out in the Arctic ocean when they were in Tuk. This was on their own bucket-list!

Heading south we were instantly into the rough-stuff. The road is hard-packed dirt with pads of smoothed out flat stones, akin to cobblestone. This makes for uneven driving, and in the Mokes you tend to feel this road a lot more than in a large SUV.

The pot holes out here are actually not that bad. Occasionally, you do find dips and holes, but currently, it’s the cobblestone and deep gravel that appears to be the worst offenders. The number of pot holes feels like it was overstated by previous travellers, or maybe the roads have been improved.

At Ogilvie Ridge most of us pulled over while dad and Phil whizzed by unknowingly. There we had a quick bio break and came across some motorcyclists who were broken down with a detonated rear axel bearing. They had a two day wait ahead of them for a group of bikers coming south to drop them a spare bike and load theirs up for its own trip South. They were grateful for this very convenient option. Mokers have no such option.

Further down the road we hit one of our favourite spots on the Dempster: the Tombstone Mountains. These are definitely a highlight of the Dempster Highway. In fact, if you want to say you have driven on the Dempster, come up at least as far as the Tombstone Mountains and check out the view or go for a hike. It’s spectacular. You won’t regret it.

Near the end of the drive we finally hit mile 0 of the Dempster and rolled out onto asphalt again. What a relief! We took a few victory photos and posed our dirty Mokes by the highway sign again.

Thirty minutes later we rolled up to The Downtown Hotel where we are staying two nights. We unloaded quickly and then trundled down the street to Sourdough Joe’s for dinner. Locally famous for their fish & chips and fried chicken.

The restaurant, and everywhere else in town, was awfully busy due to the Dawson City Music Festival happening this weekend. Indeed, there were no rooms available at any hotel. It’s a good thing we booked a year in advance!

Dinner was slow to arrive as there was only one cook in the kitchen. He’s apparently 72 years old and the restaurant owner. He’s got some commitment to the business to still be the cook! Hopefully it’s all going well because the food was good! (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Tomorrow we are staying in town and checking out the local area. There’s plenty of options in this historic town!

Starting Location & Time	Eagle Plains, Yukon Territory – 9:47 am
Ending Location & Time	Dawson City, Yukon Territory – 5:57 pm
Total Kilometers	409 km
Total Time	8h 10m