Dick re your VFR v IFR.
Track the VFR north bound remaining east of the Great Northern Hwy til north of the BRM - DBY road then direct remaining north of the BRM-DBY road til 5-6nm when tower will see him. Keep the IFR coming straight to the VOR/NDB with a clearance limit of the xx DME/RNAV/or til visual (Lat sep chart displayed at tower to depict where lat sep exists/breaks down). Level assignment in accordance with LSALT/CTA steps.
That's called procedural separation and we did it in Hedland for 25 years. And I worked that out from Frankfurt with no maps. I am sure if some of the current procedural tower people had the time or inclination to answer your spurious, non events their solution would be even less restrictive than this one.