July 5 – 12 Our week in Whitehorse

 July 5 – 12 Our week in Whitehorse

 

welllll.......making lemonade out of lemons.  Today, after a 5 hour ($$$) shuttle bus ride from Watson Lake to Whitehorse we are ensconced in a hotel for 5 nights to do sightseeing we had planned, then we will return the Watson Lake via shuttle and hopefully the pickup and new tranny will at least be in the process of being united with each other.  We did very briefly see a cow and calf moose finally (!) as we whizzed by a small lake this morning.  So, the elusive moose is at least in the country.  

We continue to jet down the highway, going way faster than we do when in our pickup and trailer.  We enjoy First Nation’s presentation of dance along our walk to the hotel and we land in the Canadas Best Riverview Hotel.  The hotel shows its age but is relatively comfortable and nicely located, overlooking the Yukon River and close to downtown.  Venturing out for dinner we stumble into “First Friday Art Walk.”  Galleries are on the agenda as Sam is very much into art, ceramics, music and acting.  In addition to a nice variety of art, each gallery has finger food and we munch and enjoy along the route.  I even snag a glass of red wine.  It turns out there is no need to find dinner after all.  

 

We enjoy the Riverfront Town Square, think “Saturday Market” where Pam and Sam each make a silk screened t-shirt at one of the local artists presentations.  We wander the town to get a feel for what else we might want to do.  Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon and in addition, is very cognizant of the First Nations history.  We will have a nice variety of activities to choose from.  We do start a search for a new hotel as our has no hot water today and the room is also sweltering despite two fans going full time. 

 

On July 7 we take an all day excursion to Skagway on the White Pass and Yukon narrow gauge railway.  We took this train years ago with Sam’s dad Zach and Uncle Jacob.  It was fun to return with Sam.  We board a bus for a ride to Fraser where we catch the narrow gauge train for a ride down the White Pass canyon.  

Scenery is breathtaking and the steep, curvy route is an engineering feat.  As such it was designated as an international historic civil engineering landmark by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994.  It was constructed in 1898 as a means for prospectors to more easily journey from Skagway to the gold fields around Dawson City, Yukon.   

 Today we enjoy the “riverwalk” along the Yukon River and go by the S.S. Klondike, one of Canada’s few remaining steam-powered paddle-wheelers currently undergoing lead paint removal.  This is a National Historic Site so there are lots of interesting information panels to read even though we cannot go inside the Klondike.  Up until the 1950’s sternwheelers were one of the primary ways to contact the outside world for people who lived in this area.

We find ice cream along the way home, soft serve with root beer slushy mixed in, it was quite good.  We tour and enjoy the “Old Log Church Museum.”  The guides explain much about the early history and the people who made the church and helped establish the town.  This goes beyond the normal gold fever and First Nations history and it is quite interesting.  Even the layout and presentation of the displays is very nicely done and not what I expected when we walked through the doors.  Housed in the Anglican Church, it is one of the oldest buildings in town.  The rectory, a separate building next door is still in use today.

 When we return to the hotel there is still no hot water and no plumbers have been found to come to repair the boilers so we move down the street.  We also have determined that the pickup will not be ready for at least a few more days so we decide to stay in Whitehorse for three more days.  Today is Carl’s birthday and he has chosen the Klondike Rib and Salmon restaurant, one of great ambience having started its life as in 1900 as a bakery housed inside a tent with the other half of the restaurant originating in 1929 as a mail and freight business.  The ambience is great, as is the food and Carl enjoys halibut for his birthday, “Oven baked Alaskan Halibut Filet topped with Fireweed Honey Butter, a melted slice of double crème Brie cheese, finished with Yukon Haskap & Saskatoon Berry Sauce,” yum!   

Eating way too much in restaurants this week is offset by our walking.  Today we do about 4 miles roundtrip from our hotel to the Whitehorse Fishway.  This is the longest wooden fish ladder in the world and allows fish to pass around the Whitehorse Rapids dam, part of the Yukon Energy power program.  Primarily Chinook salmon but today we only see Arctic grayling.  The Chinook counts are at historical lows in the last couple of years.  We enjoy a sack lunch along the way taking the trail up onside of the Yukon and back down the other.  At the foot bridge we enjoy watching a kayaker play in the rapids.  We hopped on the local trolly briefly at the beginning of our hike and of course stop for ice cream on the way home! 

 

So many museums and heritage centers.  We spend time throughout the week at:

·        McBride Museum of Yukon History – wildlife, Indigenous and gold rush history

·        Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre – First Nations event center and resident artists

·        Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre – how the Bering land bridge affected north America

Sam demonstrating the use of a Paleolitic period atlatl

·        Yukon Transportation Museum – from dogsleds to interpretive EV charging port

            Note the Tesla truck utilizing the "live" outdoor exhibit - charging port

 

Using the local bus system we travel out to the Guild Hall for their “Round Back at the Guild Hall” evening small theatre offering, “WYRD - A Musical UnFairytale: Staged reading of phase 5 of development.  Rock concert. Musical. Unfairytale. WYRD has it all, without even a hint of a handsome prince. Think Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz – just add eviscerating social satire and a lot more mud.”  It was all that and more.  Priceless were the looks of delight on Sam’s face as she watched local small theater in action.  She also learned that one of the authors of the play, who read this evening’s play, is co-author on the Ride the Cyclone play that Sam’s school will be presenting this coming year.  

 

Our last evening in Whitehorse finds us enjoying the sled dogs at Braveheart Adventures.  Paul and Jenna introduce us to their dogs, all semi-retired dog sled working dogs.  They harness 7 of the pack who are very excited to go to work.  We meander through trees along well worn pathways in a side-by-side “4 wheeler” while the dogs strain at their harnesses.  Partway through Paul stops them for a water break and then we head back for a nice evening around the campfire roasting sausages and enjoying lively conversation.  Paul returns us to our motel and it is just starting to get dark around midnight when we turn in for the evening.  Tomorrow, we hop back on the shuttle to Watson Lake to see what progress has been made with the pickup.

Mountain Goats on the hillside!  Tiny specks of white.

Looks so much like Reddy Killowatt of PP&L that we grew up with!

Bit of a hiccup

June 30 – July 4^th 

We travel a longer distance today and find a nice variety of wildlife.  At first, we thought they were deer, but as we got closer Carl called out “cranes.!”  Sandhill Cranes are quite large!  Then we saw a couple black bears, one caribou, and Stone sheep.  We were able to watch the sheep for quite awhile as there was a pullout in one of their key areas.  

My attempt at using our son Zach's spotting scope with my camera.....sheep in there somewhere!

Later that day we find a delightful boondocking spot overlooking the raging Trout River.  It is a one rig spot that we back right into with a small fire ring on the cliff and room for our 3 camp chairs.  

The next morning it is a short hop to Liard River Hot Springs.  We were worried that it might be swamped given that this is Canada Day, much like our 4^th of July.  Refreshingly it was not.  The hot springs, at the end of a short boardwalk through the marsh and trees, was pleasantly nearly empty and very reasonably priced.  A few folks scattered about allowed for a nice soak in different parts of the springs.  We did not try the hottest area. 

 

Today also brought us our first grizzly bear.  She was simply walking along the highway.  We stop for a herd of bison resting on both sides of the highway, turning on our flashers as is the custom, to alert other travelers to wildlife.  

All is well until…..it isn’t.  Sadly, we start to have issues with the drive gear.  We are able to limp into town in 2^nd gear and a local mechanic agrees to come snag the pickup after we get set up at the Downtown RV Park in the thriving metropolis of Watson Lake (population 1,133). 

The Downtown RV Park is clean, with well-spaced sites, free showers and a coin-op laundry.  It is conveniently located by the grocery store and local attractions.  We settle in awaiting the unknown.  That is the tranny sitting beside Carl.

We wander through the Sign Post Forest; this oddity is a collection of signs and is one of the most famous of the landmarks along the Alaska Highway. It was started by a homesick GI in 1942 as he was recuperating after an accident while helping to build the highway.  We find a number of Oregon signs.  

The Northern Lights Space and Science Center is a nicely designed, “small” IMAX type theater.  It provides two short films, one on the solar system and another on the northern lights.  Both are very nicely done and you get a feel for what experiencing the northern lights might be like.  The film also delves into the science behind the aurora borealis and our solar system.  We finish today with a visit to the Visitor’s Center.  They have, like most centers, a nice local history display and a short movie on the making of the Alaska Highway.  As we walk back Sam jokingly asks, “Now that we have done everything in town what will be do tomorrow,” a nod to the size of the town. 

Today includes a 2 mile walk around Wye Lake where Sam gets a good dose of dog petting, something she enjoys as she is missing all the family mutts.  The mosquitos are not too bad except in one stretch where Carl and Sam are eaten alive.  Pam gives a tip of the hat to the vitamin B complex she uses daily as she is often not very bothered by the pesky bugs.  Sam buys bakery treats for us and goes to get more postage for her postcards.

Our (current) last day in Watson Lake finds us getting the trailer ready for James Bailey, our mechanic to tow it to his mechanic’s yard to store while we are gone.  He has determined that the truck needs a new transmission, not what you want to hear in the middle of nowhere.  

An exhaustive search is done for rental car, bus, rideshare, etc. etc. We even consider buying a rundown vehicle so we can continue our travels while the truck awaits its new tranny.  The only option is the Watson Lake Shuttle and Freight LTD.  This small shuttle is owned and operated by a First Nation’s partnership.  The cost seems very high for us but we agree that this once in our lifetime trip justifies the added expense.  With this in mind we book a Friday departure at 0615 headed for Whitehorse for 6 days while the tranny is being delivered from Edmonton.  Meanwhile, two teenage girls show up at our camper door, daughter and niece of the mechanic.  We invite them in and Sam enjoys a nice, yet interesting visit with them as they have a lively discussion and then they go to the house and RV for a while.  James’ wife Amanda offers to drive us the short distance in the morning to catch the shuttle.  Thankful for this offer and a place to store the trailer we pack up our ‘go’ bags and go to bed early.

A distant waterfall

One of many beautiful vistas!

Contemplation at the boondock firepit, raging Trout River.

On To Alaska!

 TerraVia’s Adventures 2024

 

June 22 – 29  This summer we continue to “wander the land” in TerraVia, our 25’ Outdoors RV Blackrock towed by our trusty 2001 Ford F150.  We bought the pickup the week after 911 when all dealerships were in shock and hoping that a customer, any customer, would feel safe enough to walk through their doors.  Turns out its towing package is capable of pulling our chosen home on wheels. 

A real treat for us this year is that our granddaughter Sam (Sophia for some of you who have followed along for years) is with us for about a month.  Recently graduated from high school we snagged her before life catches up and finds her busy again.

 

Her family, Dad Zach, Stepmom Viv and brother Aiden, joined us for dinner, dropped her off and entrusted her to us for the duration.  Aiden spent 2 months with us at about the same age, on our boat, ExTerra, as we ventured from Portland, up the coast, down the Strait and into the south Puget Sound.  Canada was still closed due to covid.  It has been an interesting few years for this world we all call home.

 

On to Alaska!  Our first night out found us boondocking in the backyard of a dear friend, Ronalee, in Washington state, close to the border.  We had an absolutely delightful pork roast dinner with lots of stories, followed up by homemade rhubarb cake and ice-cream.  The setting was on her back deck overlooking her beautiful “planted for wildlife” backyard garden.  She sent us off after a nice breakfast with enough pork roast and cake for our evening meal.  Thank you, Ronalee! 

 

Crossing into Canada was easy and we made our way east towards Jasper Alberta, staying in Provincial Parks along the way, Juniper Beach and Mt. Robson Lucerne.  Driving through Jasper in the summer was quite different than last winter when the train took us through there in the dead of winter.  We managed to find the Bear Paw bakery again however and Sam treated us to some of their wonderful baked goods.  We then turned north and followed the Bighorn Highway, staying at Pierre Grey’s Park for two nights.

 

At Pierre Grey’s we deployed our two rigid kayaks and Sam’s inflatable that she has dubbed “Bubbles.”  We paddled around the lake, enthralled by a family of loons.  Their haunting cry has been a treat for years on the boat and we were very glad to encounter them on a land cruise.  While the fishing was quite slow Carl managed to land a nice brook trout that was large enough to feed us all for dinner.  Sam, with her freshly acquired driving permit gets in some practice when we disconnect from the trailer.  The highway and sideroads are a good place to do this. 

 

We have of course read and heard all kinds of horror stories about driving to Alaska.  So far, the worst we have encountered are numerous steep grades and thick fog from Pierre Grey’s to Dawson Creek.  Spending 2 nights in Dawson Creek at the Mile Zero RV Park allowed time for us to do the iconic photo OP at the beginning of the Alaska Highway.  We enjoyed the small art gallery in a historic granary and the railroad museum in, of course, the historic train station.  The visitor centers are full of good information as well as history of the area and building of the Alaska Highway.  We took on water, enjoyed nice, free showers. 

 

 

We headed out, next stop, mile 217.2, an abandoned Provencial Park ‘boondocking’ spot.  We are surrounded by beautiful aspen, a few fellow travelers, no services, yet very nice.  Our self-containment efforts are paying off.  Tomorrow in Fort Nelson we hopefully find some wifi to get this sent out.

 

 

Bug Shelter Deployed!