July 27, 2008. Day 46 - Dempster Highway km 324 - Eagle Plains - Artic Circle - Continental Divide - Km 50 Dempster, NT.

When the crew woke bright eyed and bushy tailed, it finally looked like the weather was on our side. The sun began to break through the clouds more frequently and by the time we set off, it was shining strong and the temperature had climbed above 20 degrees celsius.(~72 F). Not long out on to the freshly poured gravel road, the Xof1 sanks into a soft shoulder. Mo & Todd got out of the van and helped it out of the rut. Marcelo moved the solar car to the more compacted section of the road and s few hundred meters on, the front right tire is flat. After a quick tire change (which the crew's is quite practised at by now) we are back on the road. A driver passing by tells us that we're over the worst of the highway - as long as it doesn't rain again. And indeed, the road improves and the drive to Eagle Plain continues without incident. i The hot burgers and cold sodas at the Eagle Plains lodge were manna from heaven (thank you again for treating, Todd!) The hot showers- 3 days due - did much to soothe our soles. Free wifi and coffee refills made the dining hall a pleasant place to linger so while the car charged up, we lhovered over our keyboards - filing updates, checking emails, contacting contacts etc. Marcelo buys the crew all ice cream which is consumed with piggish delight. Marcelo interviews Henry & Jennifer Clark, a lovely British couple who now call France home. They had their French licensed vehicle shipped to Halifax and have driven across the country without question. We realize with thrill that we are only ~40km from the arctic circle and with that carrot within reach, we set forth again. At 9:30, iwe are there. 55.5 km later, we enter the Northwest Territories and cross the continental divide for the third time. "Three world records broke in a matter of hours - all in a day's work for the XOF1 & crew." says team member Todd. (paraphrased from hypothetical conversation.) With still lots of juice in the tank, we trundle merrily on until the wee hour of 1:48 (2:48 NT time) when at km 0, the battery threw in the towel and called it a day.

	Km 324 (Yukon Territory) and the array is charging, charging, charging.
	Many sections of the Dempster are under repair or reconstruction, with the unusual deluge of rain having wreaking havoc on the gravel surface.
	A construction worker snaps a photo of the solar car.
	The solar car got momentarily bogged down in the freshly poured uncompacted gravel / clay mix.
	Lovely wildflowers on both sides of the road made this particular stretch of the Dempster memorable.
	Carrie, Mo, Todd and Marcelo enjoy ice-cream in Eagle Plains - 40km south of the artic circle.
	The artic circle marker on the horizon. ("It doesn't look like a circle" - team member Todd.)
	Almost there...
	And there you have it, folks! The XOF1 becomes the first solar car in the world to drive completely by solar power to the artic circle and beyond.
	Men at work.
	Todd takes his XOF1 for a jog.
	Rollercoaster terrain - upon close inspection, you can see a truck that went kaput halfway up the hill.
	At the windy Yukon / Northwest Territory border, the fog rolls in and the Xof1 rolls on.