July 25, 2008. Day 44 - Dempster, YT km 152 - Dempster, YT km 274

It's after midnight before we stop for the night. We awake to a sky blanketed thickly with clouds and drizzling rain. We get on the road at 11:26. 11:30 - Marcelo pull over to wipe collected moisture from the windshield 12:09 - the XOF1's front right tire blows. 12:45 - the rain is limiting visibility so we pull over for an extended break. We take the time to eat lunch, choose photos for the website, write updates, nap . . . Mark & M.J. Pontinen from Maple Ridge park their motorcycles and share their road knowledge with us. Judging by their boots and mudcaked tires, up ahead looks muddy. With the weather cleared, we get back on the road at 3:23. We pass a car missing a few tires. We stop and rest. We stop and rest again at the breathtaking but windy and cold Olgilvie Mountain view point. After leaving at 7:20, Marcelo radios 30 minutes later to pull over again. The windshield is fogging up too much. A fan is set up to expel moisture It's cold so we bundle Marcelo's legs up in his sleeping bag. Not long after setting off again, the thick muck of the road takes hold of the front suspension rod and bends it. A passerby (Ryan Church) helps the crew move the Xof1 out of the path of traffic and where Mo is able to open the hood and release Marcelo. A few hours are spent in the cold remedying the situation. Mo cooked up some well received noodle soup and hot chocolate. It begins to rain so we grab the tarp to cover the temporary work station. It is colder and wetter and getting darker. Somehow the van batteries die (was it the hazard lights flashing? a door open?) Luckily Max locates the generator and the van is soon up and running. Todd runs up the road ahead and locates a flat wide area for us to spend the night. We slowly make our way up the hill and gratefully fall into our sleeping bags.

	It would be a sunny day, if it weren't for all the clouds.
	Crossing Ogilvie River. A bridge too far?? Km
	Spectacular Arctic tundra. The scenery changes frequently between tundra and forest. Km
	A long and windy road. The Dempster Highway offers great views from the hill crests. Km
	Max climbed a hill near by and took this photo of the solar car.
	Flat tire #3
	A close look at the flat tire and the sharp arrow head shape gravel that makes up the Dempster Highway.
	One of the many creeks and stream along the Dempster Highway.
	The Dempster Highway wasn't challenging enough, so we waited until it rained.
	Near the top of the 7 mile hill, a 300 meters climb. A very challenging climb in muddy road.
	Inukshuks look down on Xof1. Hopefully they will help to guide us like they have guided the Inuit for centuries.
	Inukshuk above the valley.
	XOF1 between clouds and beautiful valleys.
	Max and Todd bring Marcelo a sleeping bag to keep him warm in temperatures approaching freezing.
	The long drives can be tiring, should at least be comfortable for naps... (Marcelo, with Max's elbow)
	What do we do now??? (Mo, Todd, and Max)
	XOF1 approaching the 'tors'.
	Carrie, our wonderful videographer, is hard at work setting up for a shot of the car.
	Check out these views...Olgivie Mountains View Point.
	After watching the car shoot into the air we realized that something doesn't look right with the way the car is sitting. Max is shown supervising while Mo get underneath the solar car to look at the font suspension.
	Lets take a look with the help of Ryan, who happened to be driving by. (Ryan, Todd, and Max, with Mo's feet)
	The lower rod-end snapped after a hitting a series of pot holes.
	A sheared rod-end and Mo's hand (attached to unseen body).
	A nice thing about driving on the Dempster is that everyone is quite friendly and willing to help.
	A much welcomed hot soup & chocolate warm up a la Chef Mo.
	While replacing the suspension, it started to rain - again. As a preventive measure we replaced bolts that were bending on the opposite side as well (Carrie and Max).
	The sun has set while the crew is working. We are not quite at the Arctic Circle so the sun dips below the horizon for a few hours each night leaving us in twilight conditions. Max is supervising again. Km