E34 in the Arctic (56k no way)

**moroza** · 07-03-2010, 03:14 AM

Long story short, I got a wild hair and drove my 16-year old Franken-BMW 5200km from Norcal to Inuvik, Northwest Territories - one of two roads in North America that crosses the arctic circle, and the only one in Canada. The last 740km are a stretch of mud and gravel known as the Dempster Highway, notorious for flat tires and broken windshields, neither of which I experienced on the trip. I attribute the latter to my lucky bottle of Captain Morgan's, that I've kept unopened in my car emergency kit for 5 years and 3 cars.

The extent of the damage to the car was hitting a ptarmigan, cleverly disguised as a rock, and losing one of my brakeducts. Its remains (the bird, not the duct) were dinner that night.

Update: actually, the car has suffered a bit. My thrust arms are completely shot, tires are mostly down to the bars (<10k since installed), and I have at least one cracked headlight.

I was calling the adventure "chasing the midnight sun", but besides arriving a week after the solstice, the sun was nowhere to be found - all I got was the same shade of grey, 24 hours a day, for the three days I spent in Inuvik. The trip included some pretty nice scenery, some surprisingly good paved roads, and numerous firsts for me personally. The destination was rather underwhelming - flat, dirty, mosquitos, really expensive, and not photoworthy - but I'm glad I made the trip and might even do it again.

So to anyone wringing their palms over taking an old E34 on a roadtrip out to the boonies (what, a state park?)... b-tch please

arctic roadtrip.JPG

Obligatory tourist shot

Typical scene on the Dempster

Wagons sure are useful. That's my rideshare passenger, who had a tent (I slept in the car). I brought a spare spare tire based on numerous horror stories of shale on the road taking out two or more at a time.

Still in Whitehorse, drove to a local shooting range - basically a field full of trash and spent brass. That's a local acquaintance with my rifle (1942 Mosin).

Somewhere in the Yukon; notice how (relatively) clean the car is.

Dome road hill near Dawson. Not a bad camping spot, eh?

More Dome rd.

The Dempster crosses two big rivers - the Peel and the MacKenzie. The permafrost prevents bridgebuilding, so the NWT government provides free ferries across. Mine was the only vehicle other than trucks and bigger trucks.

Like I said, mud and gravel.

A few km north of Inuvik, this little loop is literally the end of the road - as far north as you can drive in Canada.

North Fork Pass, facing east...

...and west.

Stewart-Cassiar Highway, aka BC-37, somewhere south of Dease Lake.

Another random camping spot.

**E34play** · 07-03-2010, 04:25 AM

Very very cool! I have a huge desire to do long adventurous road trips like this. It's tough to budget and spare time for though. I'd imagine the touring is an outstanding road trip car, I'd fold the back seat down, throw a pad in there and sleep away.

If only we had a 525ixT over here, that would be the ultimate road trip BMW.

**bimmernub** · 07-03-2010, 06:16 AM

-LOVE- the photos!

I constantly poke fun at my friends newer cars saying I keep my car in maintenance to take a trip to Alaska and back with only an oil change in between. I stand by my previous statement. Honestly can't wait to make the trip.

Again, love the photos!

**KBHumphrey** · 07-03-2010, 08:22 AM

Fantastic. It's almost like you drove to the end of the earth, where all roads stop. That's really cool and the scenery looked incredible.

But you said mosquitoes. Was it that damp and warm up there? To me, arctic circle and mosquitoes don't go together, but obviously I could be way wrong.

**AquilaBMW** · 07-03-2010, 08:46 AM

Hey Man! That is incredible... I am living vicariously through you. That seems like an amazing adventure! Very well done sir!

**ShapeShifter** · 07-03-2010, 10:26 AM

I'm full of envy!
Very cool man...

This is the E34 post of the year! Using the touring for what is was meant.
Pic number one should be in the E34 calander with out a doubt.

**Grim Reaper** · 07-03-2010, 10:52 AM

Man that is awesome!

Exactly why you buy/build the car you want. You get to go out, drive and enjoy it.

**Sam Son** · 07-03-2010, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by moroza

.

I must have this in hi-res....MUST

absolutely fantastic story always makes me happy to see people using their E34s to their fullest and I always enjoy road trip posts

**T444E** · 07-03-2010, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by Sam Son

I must have this in hi-res....MUST

absolutely fantastic story always makes me happy to see people using their E34s to their fullest and I always enjoy road trip posts

THIS. I need a new background!

**e34Croak** · 07-03-2010, 12:38 PM

Nice Geva! Glad you made it safely. The touring looks great! Damn that thing is quick. I have a couple pictures from your trip through Oregon I will post when I get home.

**ShapeShifter** · 07-03-2010, 12:43 PM

Does anyone even run 56k dial up anymore ???

**Uber 525i** · 07-03-2010, 12:53 PM

very cool dude!!! I wanna go on a road trip like that someday

**Sneezy** · 07-03-2010, 12:59 PM

Now I'm sad.

**E34play** · 07-03-2010, 01:03 PM

Did the car clean up fine? Any paint damage with all those rocks/mud?

**bfp9** · 07-03-2010, 02:04 PM

Should post some of those pictures in the dirty e34 thread. Those im thinking would be the winner.

**shragon** · 07-03-2010, 04:12 PM

awesome thread!

**SmurfeN** · 07-03-2010, 05:22 PM

holy shit.. i suddenly got the urge to take a road trip like this myself in my e34 O.O

**javi415** · 07-03-2010, 05:34 PM

u are a savage beast. I commend you and your touring

**janders211** · 07-03-2010, 06:36 PM

Sounds like a really fun trip, and you definitely got some really nice pics.
that area with the rocks looks like Grendel should be there
I love voyages. It's hard to find that kind of isolation down here

**Spiller** · 07-03-2010, 06:45 PM

Awesome photos! Must have been a cool trip.

**strad** · 07-03-2010, 06:49 PM

Friggin awesome. Old car makes good.

**moroza** · 07-03-2010, 07:33 PM

Updated with some hi-res.

Originally Posted by E34play

I'd imagine the touring is an outstanding road trip car, I'd fold the back seat down, throw a pad in there and sleep away.

That's exactly what I've been doing for 4 months now. And yeah, it's pretty much ideal for road trips - fits enough stuff to function like a mini-RV when you get somewhere worth staying, goes fast enough to be a car for the drives in between.

Originally Posted by KBHumphrey

Fantastic. It's almost like you drove to the end of the earth, where all roads stop. That's really cool and the scenery looked incredible.

But you said mosquitoes. Was it that damp and warm up there? To me, arctic circle and mosquitoes don't go together, but obviously I could be way wrong.

It was quite damp and reasonably warm. The arctic is known for horrendous mosquitos during the brief summer. Quite nightmarish, really. You're thinking of how it is the other 9 months of the year, when there are indeed no mosquitos, or much of anything else alive.

Originally Posted by PorscheDude

I'm full of envy!
Very cool man...

This is the E34 post of the year! Using the touring for what is was meant.
Pic number one should be in the E34 calander with out a doubt.

Originally Posted by Grim Reaper

Exactly why you buy/build the car you want. You get to go out, drive and enjoy it.

Word

Originally Posted by SmurfeN

holy shit.. i suddenly got the urge to take a road trip like this myself in my e34 O.O

Drive to Nordkappa and take pictures! Norway's far more developed at similar latitudes - Tromsø, Hammerfest, Bodø, to name a few. There is no town above the arctic circle in North America bigger than 3500 people, and that's the depressing outpost known as Inuvik.

I will say this - your lip would not have survived more than the first few hours on the Dempster. If I had lowered my car before driving, I'd've had to remove the bumper for some of those ferry crossings; even as it was, I scooped up some mud into the brakeducts.