Whitehorse

June 23rd
We are spending the last couple of days in the Yukon at Whitehorse. Last evening we went out to dinner with Penny and Tom; it will be the last time we see them for a while as we head to Edmonton tomorrow and home to Ontario on Sunday. Although we look forward to seeing Nick and Lindsey we will miss Penny and Tom, they are great friends and hosts. Last evening after a caribou steak we walked it off by going on the Millenium Trail Hike. This morning we finally caught up with Ross Findlater, a nephew of Russ Srs best friend. Ross is active man in the community of Whitehorse and an advocate for social change as it pertains to homelessness and poverty. He told some interesting stories about my father in law in his youth. Today we to traveled into Whitehorse to see the SS Klondike and the Frantic Follies. The Frantic Follies was a scream and an appropriate way to end our Yukon Vacation with there vaudeville show circa the gold rush era.

Skagway to Whitehorse-Summer Solstice

June 21st- Summer Solstice
Today is Summer Solstice and we left Skagway, heading towards Whitehorse. Yesterday evening we went, one last time, for a stroll along Broadway Street where we took in the atmosphere of the Red Onion. It was the 'real deal' in that all the cruise ships were gone and only the locals were at the saloon, while a 7 piece local 'hippy' folk group entertained the patrons. On our way to Carcross we saw a large black bear eating leaves. When we arrived at Carcross we were surprised to find that the large native community in Carcross was celebrating the solstice by dedicating a totem pole to the community. We arrived just when they started to parade the totem from the carving studio. The people were dressed in traditional dress and included drummers and dancers. It was emotional to participate in. We then toured Carcross more extensively and what could be a 2 hour drive from Skagway took all day-it's about the journey. 0n our way to Wolf Creek campground we saw a fox, it was larger then the fox we see in Ontario. We arrived at Whitehorse by dinner time and in the evening we went on a hike. Typical of our hikes we got lost- I felt like Gilligan; we were well on our way to Dawson once again. We turned back and once again became confused; thank God we had daylight (and bear spray, although ugh we didn't need it). On this trip with the RV we covered 4600 km. It was our plan to stay up to experience the midnight sun on this longest day of the year and we did, although we were both tired.

Skagway

June 19-20
we have spent the last 2 days exploring Skagway Alaska. We have our RV parked at the docks, which is convenient to getting to the action of Skagway. We shopped yesterday and returned to the Red Onion Saloon, thanks to Tom we are getting to be regulars there. Yesterday we also hiked over to the Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls. The cemetery has some interesting history with gunslingers, con man an tragedy. This was a hard existence 100 years ago. Today we took the White Pass and Yukon Railroad train to Fraser BC and back, It was amazing and we took lots of pictures. Again it has a great history. Rebecca and I are now getting a little fatigued from the constant travel so we think we may head back to Whitehorse via Carcross versus taking the ferry to Haines and travel through Haines Junction. We will have to save that leg of the journey for another trip.

Carmacks to Skagway Alaska

June 18th
We got an early start and headed from Carmacks to meet up with Tom who is going to join up with us on our trip to Skagway Alaska. We traveled 367 km, passing through Carcross, formerly Caribou Crossing. Carcross has a a dessert and a beautiful beach. Our trip into Alaska took us through some desolate terrain, referred to as the Tormented Valley. We camped up in an area called Dyea, which we had to drive 8 miles up a twisty, narrow dirt road on the edge of a fiord to get to. For dinner we dined at a fish restaurant by the ship docks and later went to The Red Onion, formerly a brothel, for a couple of pints. 

Tombstone to Carmacks

June 17th
Today we were heading back to Whitehorse to reconnect with Tom, who is going to join us on our trip to Skagway Alaska tomorrow. We made it as far as Carmacks Yukon where we will stay the night and tomorrow we will be on the road early in the day to cover those 100 miles to Whitehorse. Today we covered the same route we took to get to Dawson. Our trip is planned such that this seldom happens and generally we are exploring new areas each day. Today we saw a couple of moose and a bear by the road as we travelled. The bear was a fair bit larger then what we have normally see, perhaps a grizzly but we were not close enough to tell for sure.

Dawson City to Tombstone

June 16th 
Spent another day in DC. We visited the museum,  Pierre Berton's home, Robert Services Cabin and Jack London's Cabin. We revisited some of the shops in DC and then headed off to the Dempster Highway, towards Tombstone, Yukon for the evening. Today we have been dealing with a fair bit of rain but the last few days have been warm and sunny. We arrived at Tombstone around 6:30. It is 72 km along Dempster Highway towards the NWT, it is a dirt road but in pretty good condition, although it has been raining and it looks as if we are in for a storm this evening. This park is just north of the tree line less then 200 km from the arctic circle. Tonight we to dined on some moose that Dave Robinson gave us at the trading post in DC. It was delicious. After dinner we did a hike on Grizzly Trail along the North Fork Klondike River, we took along our bear spray and a bell just in case We built campfire in the evening and watched as the rain which was falling on us was putting a thin layer of snow on the high mountains around us.

Dawson City

June 15th
We spent the evening in a Yukon Government Campground, outside DC, and in the morning headed into Dawson City. On the way to DC we went up on the dome where we enjoyed the vista that the metamorphic mountain provided for us. we then went up Bonanza Creek Road where the discovery of gold was made over 100 years ago. There we saw a tour of a former gold dredging operation. We then went into town and after visiting the information office and the Danoja Zho Cultural Centre. The town is the real deal-no paved streets and the sidewalks are boardwalks! I met up with a patient of mine who, when he travels home to see his family, pays me a visit. His name is Dave Robinson and he operates trading post and outfitting business. He was kind enough to give us a piece of mastodon tusk, found in the vicinity by gold prospectors, and a small gold nugget and promised us 2 moose steaks if we returned in the morning. We then shopped and ate and later watched the Stanley Cup final in a local saloon where none of the floors were any where near level. These buildings were built on permafrost over 100 years ago and it is surprising they still exist. At the Sourdough Saloon both Rebecca and myself proved that we capable of almost anything by each consuming a SourToe Cocktail. It was a shot of Yukon Jack with a amputated/frostbitten toe in it. Google it! it's the real deal! Tonight at midnight we are going to Diamond Gerties-a sassy Klondike show and casino.  

Whitehorse to Dawson City

June 14th
We left Whitehorse by at 8:30, heading to Dawson City along the Klondike Loop, which roughly parallels the Yukon River. The roads are bordered by beautiful wild flowers and many lookout points that were worthwhile to stop at. We stopped for lunch at Five Finger Rapids above Carmacks. We made it to Dawson in 1 day-525 km.That is a lot of driving on these roads, they are a lot narrower than what we are used to in the Yukon so far, as well they have potholes and frost heave issues. This is the day for wild flowers, they are spectacular. We saw no  big game wildlife on our journey, which surprised me. When we arrived at Dawson we set up camp at a Yukon Territory Campground-Klondike River. These sites are very economical at $12/night.  We then went for a hike to the Yukon River. I was very lush and dense; Lord of the Rings could be filmed here. Tomorrow will be a tourist day- museums, shopping etc. Being 500 km north of Whitehorse, and a little over 200 km from the Arctic Circle, we are getting almost 23 hours of daylight now and 2 hours of twilight-no night, we are definitely in the land of the midnight sun. 

June 13
Today we spent another day in Whitehorse. We stayed on Tom and Penny's property over night last night and headed out after breakfast to visit a museum after which we had lunch with Tom, we then went to the Transportation Museum and the Beringa. Museum. After dinner we went for a hike at Wolf Creek which flows into the Yukon River. Tomorrow we hope to make an early start to Dawson City.

Whitehorse Yukon

June 12
We left Teslin after visit at the Tlinkit Heritage Centre. It was very worthwhile with carved masks and information about their culture. We then drove to Whitehorse to visit with Tom and Penny. There home is a little piece of heaven on the outskirts of Whitehorse. We set camp here on their property. The afternoon Tom took us for a power boat ride on the Yukon River. This river was a major 'highway' during the Gold-rush era in Dawson City. We stopped to view a Bald Eagle nest along the river. Tom barbecued a beef roast and we kept them too late 'catching up'. Tom and Penny were helpful helping us sort out what direction to head next as we do not have enough time to do all we hoped to do. We will surely have to come back to explore more of Alaska and the Yukon in the future.

Teslin

June 11th
We had breakfast and headed to the Watson Lake Information Centre, where we enjoyed a short film about the Yukon and the Alaska Highway Project. We then headed off to Teslin. On our way we made several stops. Rancheria Falls Recreation area offered up a short hike and a great view of the falls, we then drove towards the Cassiar Mountains. We saw less wildlife on this trip, however we did see what has to be the biggest Black Bear we have encountered yet. We ended up at Teslin late in the afternoon and went to the George Johnston museum. George was a fascinating Tlingit man who was a photographer in the 1920-1940s. He recorded a great deal about life as it was for his community and he had a great sense of composition and character. We were hoping to get as far a Whitehorse today however we ran out of time to do all what we wished to do so we need to stay over this evening and complete the Heritage Centre in the morning and head off to Whitehorse in morning.

June 11th
On our journey we are meeting interesting people doing interesting things, the gentleman cyclist in my blog today is an Austrian named Hugo, who is a retired phys-ed and geography teacher who is cycling on his own from Whitehore to Florida! He practices what he teaches! ....back to blog...We had breakfast and headed to the Watson Lake Information Centre, where we enjoyed a short film about the Yukon and the Alaska Highway Project. We then headed off to Teslin. On our way we made several stops. Rancheria Falls Recreation area offered up a short hike and a great view of the falls, we then drove towards the Cassiar Mountains. We saw less wildlife on this trip, however we did see what has to be the biggest Black Bear we have encountered yet. We ended up at Teslin late in the afternoon and went to the George Johnston museum. George was a fascinating Tlingit man who was a photographer in the 1920-1940s. He recorded a great deal about life as it was for his community and he had a great sense of composition and character. We were hoping to get as far a Whitehorse today however we ran out of time to do all what we wished to do so we need to stay over this evening and complete the Heritage Centre in the morning and head off to Whitehorse in morning.

June 10thWe awoke about 7 am and headed of for an early morning dip in the hot springs. On our way to the hot springs we saw several moose grazing in the marsh. We enjoyed the hot springs as very few people were there at this time of day. On our way back to our camp we crossed paths with our friend Tom Elliott who tracked us down on his way back from Calgary. We had breakfast with Tom before he set off to Whitehorse. We will catch up with Tom and his wife Penny in a few days for a visit in Whitehorse. Today we head to Watson Lake, Yukon. On our route we stopped at Coal River for Bison burgers. Again we saw a great deal of wildlife- a brown bear, several lack bears and several bisons. We arrived in Watson Lake about 3:00 pm, setup our sight and watched the hockey gammon satellite in the comfort of our RV. We travelled 210 km today. This evening we are going to see a movie about the Northern Lights at the Centre. Tomorrow we are seeing a film at the Tourist Information office about the Alaska Highway construction and then we are off to Teslin and the Tlingit heritage centre.

How to get along in the Yukon
 Be northern. Build your house out of town. Wear moosehide and sealskin. Park your car in your yard. Pee by the highway. Take your dog to work. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em. Say "the Yukon" (what gutless bureaucrat dropped the ""the"?). Jaywalk. Commute on your quad. Look people in the eye. Don't shave- and ladies that goes for you. Curse. Spit. Enter without knocking. Eat bannock, dry meat and tea. Build campfires in your yard. Shop at the dump. Call the rest of the world "Outside". Kill your cellphone. Kill your dinner. And stop acting like a goddamn southerner.

June 9
Today we headed out from Strawberry Flats at 5:30 am. Yesterday we traveled 221 km., today we traveled only 66 km. We first stopped a short distance from our camp to go on a short hike, hoping to see some Caribou, Moose and Stone Sheep. We saw only Stone Sheep on the side of the road but none on our hike. Further along our journey, to Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park, we saw a couple of Black Bears grazing on the side of the road as well as several Wood Bison grazing. We arrived at Liard Hot Springs shortly before 9:00 am.  We had our breakfast along Trout River earlier in the morning journey, after our hike. We got a premium site and set off for a dip in the hot springs- a natural hot spring creek with water temperatures of 52 degrees C! We then went on a few hikes in the park and back to the hot springs after dinner. I think if we discovered BC in our 20s we would have abandoned southern Ontario. It is truly spectacular and undiscovered.                   

June 8th continued
We left Fort Nelson at 10:00 after collecting some supplies. We then started heading towards Strawberry Flats in Muncho Provincial Park. The stretch of highway   
from here to Watson Lake Yukon takes us through the Rockies of Northern BC-some of the most spectacular scenery and abundance of large wildlife. We saw numerous Stone Mountain sheep before we "set up camp" at Muncho Lake around 4:00. We poured ourselves some wine and sat down at the beach as we watched a bear makes his way around the lake from the far side. This is truly a wilderness.

June 8th
Yesterday we made it as far as Fort Nelson, 370 km. We made it in good time, leaving Charlie Lake (the Junction) at 9:30 and arrived in Fort Nelson at 3:00. FN is a bustling little town of about 5000, 50 years ago it was a fur trading community with no electricity or town water. The trip was through gentle rolling foothills with plenty of carnage- big game roadkill and rolled cars. The weather was very pleasant with sunny skies by the afternoon and into the evening. On our trip we saw a Grey Timber Wolf walking along the side of the road, he was a bit skittish and we were not able to get a picture of hime. We toured the local museum in the afternoon and had a pub supper at the campground where we are staying the night. We are far enough north now that we are getting very long days, the sun doesn't set until about 11 and is up before 4 and in between it is twillight, never dark. Today we hope to stay at Muncho Lake a provincial campground.

June 7th
Yesterday was a long day of driving although we only did 320 km. The day started sunny, however by mid day we were in overcast and rainy weather conditions. We traveled back to the town of Chetwynd and headed north on the Hudson's Loop to rejoin the John Hart highway and back onto the Alaskan Highway at Charlie Lake, where we stayed for the evening at Charlie Lake provincial park. Highlights of our trip was experiencing the vistas of the Peace River and the Town of Hudson's Hope with there pioneer buildings and the old Hudson Bay post that has been converted to a museum. Today we hope to make it to this side of Fort Nelson.