Whitehorse, Yukon

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Wednesday, 27th July
We had a late start from Watson Lake & I was a little worried about the 450km drive ahead. But we seemed to catch up when it was raining & managed to stop at many interesting places before reaching Whitehorse, YT.

We entered YT for the first time. Four yrs ago, we had a view of the Yukon river on our way to the Arctic Circle(in Alaska).That was all we had known about Yukon.

Our first stop was at the Contintental Divide. This divide separates the rivers that flow W(all rivers join Yukon river) to the Bering Sea from those that flow N into the Arctic Ocean(joins Mackenzie river).

Our next major stop was at Teslin. A small town by the Nitsulin Bay. Our first huge/wide river. We stopped by the viewpoint before entering the town. A short stop turned into a major stopover. We all had fun running around rocks & boardwalks & read about salmons.
S was blissed out blowing the Dandellions. 😊

We ended up picking some souvenirs in town. There seemed to be a one-stop-place. It had a gas station, cafe, lodging & a souvenir shop.

G made some good reading with the Milepost & stopped at Marsh Lake. The birthplace of the Yukon river. It is just outside the city of Whitehorse, the capital of YT. Marsh Lake seemed like any other lake but is of huge significance. I am yet to look up the details of the source of this lake. Yukon is a MAJOR river in NW Canada.

Our final stop was at Miles Canyon a short distance before entering the city.
Yukon river flows into a Canyon here & the beautiful green color of the water seemed so refreshing.

We took the almost 2 km hike to Canyon city(a town that thrived during the Klondike Gold Rush days) & back. S had her moments but thankfully, we had our backpack with us. Due thanks to all those motor boats that cruised downstream waving at everyone on land.😊
Night halt: Lead Dog Backpackers Hostel, Whitehorse, YT

I would highly recommend this place. The owner & staff went out of their way to make us at home. S found a friend M…4 years older than herself, but still managed to boss her around. M is originally from Haiti but these kids were behaving as though they knew each other for so long. They shared toys, food & games.
M & her mom M felt like family in just 2 days.



Thursday, 28th July
We were grateful for a private room today. But we managed to leave early to be in the city. First, we went to the visitor center. Picked up a 3 day parking pass(free) & took the trolley along the Yukon river. A mere $2 got us a round trip ticket. S had fun at the other end. Basically throwing rocks & talking to flowers, nothing major. Still!!!

She was tired & while she took a nap, we headed out to do our shopping. Quite an interesting place, I should say. We took turns to check out Souvenir shops. Once she was up, we drove up Grey mountain, took a drive to the salmon hatchery & headed back to town for some interesting eats. The Salmon hatchery was pretty neat. Though no salmons were there yet, I got quite some information in general. S got to feed the fish in their aquarium. She was one happy kid.😊 We gathered some grocery for our trip ahead. I should say, I was extremely grateful to see a Superstore there.

We still had time. So, before the hatchery, we visited the S.S. Klondike- The first major sternwheeler that sailed the Yukon(in times of the Gold Rush). There was a tour & we took the last one in. Pretty interesting read about the history; the Gold rush et al.
For the interested or uninitiated, here is a read about the Klondike Gold Rush
Back at home, M was waiting when S would come. They watched a movie together(while we did some packing & much needed laundry). Either of them did not seem to miss anyone. S was happily sitting on M's lap as they watched Lilo & Stitch. It was quite a site to see them together. M would always carry S around. And S enjoyed the royal treatment & attention.
Packed a big deal & seemed ready to face the US authorities.😊
Tomorrow, we will enter Alaska, USA.

Friday, 29th July
M seemed to get a sign that S was leaving. For every bag we packed into the car, her face lost a coat of shine. 😞
We spent time taking pictures with them. S included the wooden Pinocchio too.
It was so heart-breaking to see M bidding goodbye. Both S & M were looking back to each other as the car went by. Until we left the city, S wanted to go back & see M. Once we crossed the city, she seemed to forget everything. This girl sure has selective amnesia(or complete, who knows!)😞
We left Whitehorse(& Alaska Highway) fairly early to hit the Klondike highwaygoing West. We passed the famous Emerald Lake. It was partly cloudy & so we missed seeing the vibrant color of the Lake.

Right about here was our first view of a tour bus from Alaska. You know, the Gray Lines, Princess Tours & Holland America. Between here & Skagway, we would have seen at least 15 of them(a 2.5 hr drive). Et some smaller tourist vans as well. No wonder, people in Whitehorse complain that Americans visit only Yukon as it is on their way to/from Alaska. I seriously have no comments on it as I'd have done the same had I lived in the lower 48 & visited Alaska.

We crossed the Carcross Desert(World's smallest desert) on the way. It is actually not a desert, but a dry lake bed, which makes so much sense, though I'd have enjoyed some desert weather right then. It was cloudy, windy with showers.

Shortly, we climbed up to reach White pass. And climbed down into Skagway, Alaska. 😊

~travelbuffs

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Photos

The rock outcropping
Yukon River, Miles Canyon

Canyon city
Now pretty much nothing.