Day 5

We had plenty of thunder and it had rained slightly over night - the first bit of rain since our trek began.

An early departure from Watson Lake on the Robert Campbell Highway headed towards Ross River. After about 50kms the bitumen was behind us and we were driving on a gravel or "washboard" road as they call them over here. We had to be escorted by a pilot vehicle through about 10km of roadworks. The road was rough and dusty with a lot of loose stone and plenty of grades, some required 2nd gear to be used. The dust hung on the road as there was no wind to blow it away so we had to increase the distance between vehicles. It started to rain which helped keep the dust down but covered the vehicles with mud. George will need a really good clean before we ship him back.

The countryside is made up of mainly spruce trees and small pines and there are lots of lakes and rivers.

We camped in the Ross River Secondary School grounds and had access to their bathroom and kitchen facilities. It was very welcome after a long day of driving. Some of the guys slept in the gymnasium so they didn't have to put up a tent that night.

The settlement at Ross River grew with the building of the Canol pipeline service road in WWII. Completion of the Robert Campbell Highway in 1968, linked Ross River to the rest of the territory by road. Today, Ross River is a supply and communication base for prospectors testing and mining mineral bodies and home of the First Nation, The Ross River Dena Council. Originally, First Nations people used the site as a seasonal camp and gathering place. In the early 1900s, prospecting and mining increased in the area, and a trading post was established nearby in 1903. Today approximately 335 people live in Ross River - most are members of the Dena Council.

A member of the local community came and saw us as his deceased grandfather had owned a Chev CMP. He is now the proud owner of that truck and was asked to restore it and put it in the museum but he prefers the vehicle the way it is as it tells a story with all its bumps and scratches. He said he would go home and take photos of the vehicle and put it on a DVD for us. When we awoke the next morning the DVD was in the cab so he must have returned after we had gone to bed. We look forward to viewing it when we have a moment and are hoping that he has left an address so that we can contact him.