August 22, 2018

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Wednesday Aug 22

Skagway is a really neat town. Wooden sidewalks, old buildings, whore houses converted to museums or with period-dressed good looking ladies with their legs hanging out of second story buildings pretending to drum up business (we think that at least) and commenting on Ferdy’s “nice piece of equipment”, presumably referring to the long lens on his Nikon. The only thing not reflecting the town’s past are the seventeen jewelry stores, luring in tourists just like the ladies used to.

Today, we headed back into Canada. Having departed from the Yukon Heath’s Popcorn Emporium, the Alaskan Highway, or the Alcan (Alaska-Canada) as some people still call it, took us east from Skagway into northern BC and the Yukon. This was one of two trails (Chilkoot) followed by stampeders during the Gold Rush. Gorgeous scenery, emerald green rivers, earthquake crevasses, waterfalls and fog. Captain Moore’s Suspension Bridge is supported only from one side, to prevent it breaking during one of about 13,000 Alaska earthquakes every year.

While following the very narrow (maybe 200 meters across) Tutshi Lake for about 30 km, we saw a significant forest fire on the other shore, about 10 km long and who knows how far in, since it had already jumped over the mountains. If it ever jumped across the lake, it would force closure of the highway. This fire, as we were told, is the first in more than 100 years in this area of the Yukon.

Out of character for most of the Canada Custom officers we’ve met before, the one checking our passports actually said to us “welcome home Canadians”. We certainly have never heard that before! Should be an example for all our border officers.

We had barbecued chicken at Carcross
(Caribou Crossing). We’ve had better, but the Yukon Gold pale ale made up for it. This place was a nice pit stop though and we met several dog teams and mushers training for the Iditerod Race. The Museum had more stuffed animals than we’ve ever seen, including bears, bison, moose, elk, muskox, cougars, and even a wooly mammoth. We never saw any live wild animals today though, a bit disappointing.

Emerald Lake is a very picturesque place.

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Comments

[toni]

This must be the "promised land"

[FerdyandMarioninOz]

Promised
Sure looks like it right?