Dawson City

Hmm, Dawson City, there was something to do with the Gold Rush – right? That about sums up ours and many others understanding of Dawson City, Yukon. Luckily, George and I were able to visit. Driving in from the west, you first have to cross the mighty Yukon river. Although the ferry crew have the crossing down pat, it was exciting for us first-timers.

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The first thing that strikes you entering town is what a fantastic job Parks Canada has done there. In the visitors center, some helpful Parks Canada rangers will give the details on the tours to partake in during your stay. For such a little town, there are quite a few. We opted for a town tour complete with a period clad guide that took us through the preserved post office and saloon in town. We also got a chance to visit a dredger that was used in the area around Dawson City before it was closed to the public. Scanning the landscape, it seemed to us that the ground had been permanently scarred by these dredging devices.

The historic preservation in Dawson isn’t all serious though. We swung by the local casino for some drinks and a cabaret show. George quickly got pulled into the mix and embraced his good luck.

We couldn’t miss the annual outhouse race before handing north out of town. Now admittedly, when someone mentioned the ‘race’ to us, I couldn’t quite form a visual. I’m glad we decided to hang around for the festivities because it was one hell of a hootenanny.

To the top of the world!

We had heard through the campground grapevine in Alaska that the Top of the World highway was a must do. The  a 127-kilometre (79 mi) long road would take us from Alaska into Dawson City in the Yukon.

Unlike a lot of other less stirringly named roads, this highway stays high and affords drivers views down into the nooks and crannies below. The road also provided George with the perfect opportunity for another Hero time lapse.

I felt a lot of nationalistic pride as we set eyes on the Canadian border crossing. It didn’t hurt that the post was surrounded by stunning views painted with a fall palette. George and I were quickly realizing that the open roads and more importantly isolated places we thought we would find in Alaska were waiting for us in the northern Canada.

Bus or RV

Yes, you are correct – that is 3 person jacuzzi on the back … The world of RV’s out there is something special. Driving in the middle of summer travel season in Alaska we saw quite a few crazy rigs. My favorite is a 60 foot RV towing a F150 truck, with 2 ATVs in the Ford’s back…

 

A good omen

Working our way through a narrow fjord on the way to Juneau, the captain notifies the ship that they’ve spotted a spirit bear off the port side of the boat. Spirit bears are rare black bears with white coats due to a recessive gene. We heard through the ship grapevine that it took some documentary filmmakers 9 months to spot one spirit bear.  Needless to say, the captain turned the ship around three times to get a good shot. A good start to the trip.

Spirit Bear