Exploring the Yukon

Dawson City

Welcome to Mile Zero! Dawson Creek is the point of origin of the Historic Alaska Highway, which stretches 2,400 km north to Fairbanks in Alaska. This is a great little town with colorful houses, a nice main street, a casino and a bar famous for its Toe Cocktail. This cocktail has a long history and involves guests drinking a shot of Yukon Jack with a real severed human toe in it. Only those with the heartiest of souls can accomplish this task. Yes, believe it or not I was the first woman in the group to successfully become a new club member. When you get out of town and into the hills the views are spectacular. Crocus Bluff overlooks the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers on one side and the town on the other. Bears had been sighted on the trail before we hiked and it was no wonder; berries, shrubs and grasses were abundant. Remember, the way to tell the difference between a Brown Bear and a Black Bear is that the Brown Bear’s scat is full of bear bells and it smells like pepper. :)

Haines Junction and Beaver Creek

Our first major stop today was Haines Junction. This is a beautiful town that boasts “The Gateway to the Kluane (Clue on ee). The area is lush with wildlife and tall snow covered peaks giving us our first good bear and moose sightings. Trumpeter Swans were on the lakes and the bird species and numbers increased. The black spruce, called pipe cleaners by the locals, dominated the landscape and many had burls the size of basketballs formed when invaded by insects. In places the terrain looked like the surface of the moon. There were large gray areas of fine sand created by Glacier Silt flowing from high above, filling in the valley floor. Just when I thought I was in a remote area of the Yukon, we arrived in Beaver Creek. As the locals say “301 miles from nowhere” and it’s true. We spent the night in rustic rooms of pine furniture and twin beds, no TV or internet and hardly any residents. In the winter the population is 80 folks and it doubles in the summer for tourism. The hotel, the gas station/store and visitor center are all within walking distance. Tomorrow we leave Canada and the Yukon Territory and head back into the USA…Fairbanks or Bust.

North to the Yukon

We had a fabulous day in Skagway today. This town was built to supply the miners with goods who were headed for the Klondike Goldfields over the White Pass. It is one of only a few towns that have their original boardwalks and buildings; most other small towns have had at least one fire that destroyed everything. In the afternoon we went over the White Pass to the Yukon Suspension Bridge; located high above the Tutshi River (TOO-shy), what a rush. That evening we went to Liarsville for an open grill Salmon Bake and Miner’s Camp (I wish they catered the lower 48!).

The tour directors are moving north today to explore the Yukon Territory further. We boarded the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad in Skagway and took the train to Fraser, B.C. From there we boarded our motor coach and headed to White Horse, Yukon Territory. The views are incredible, I adore Canada. We took a field trip to the #1 Micro Brewery in the Yukon where Yukon Gold is made to learn about the process and logistics for tours…and a little tasting. Tomorrow we head to Dawson City.

The Milk Run

After a meet and greet with other Tour Directors and Land Operation employees we were off to Juneau, the capital city of Alaska. We boarded an Alaska Airlines plane and went on "The Milk Run" flight, called this because you land at every town with an airport to drop supplies. We stopped at Cordova, Yukatat and then Juneau reaching altitude and then beginning the descent....what a kick! We don't actually do tours to Juneau (it only has 30 miles of road around the bay and can only be accessed by air or water) but this is how we will get to Skagway tomorrow via the Day Boat.

Anchorage Alaska

Flew in to Anchorage last night and it was beautiful; the mountains and glaciers are fantastic. It was 66F when I landed and I was overdressed; so much for cold in AK! I just went to Glacier Brewing Company and got take out: a wonderful seafood chowder, sourdough bread and a fantastic spinach and pear salad with fresh figs, candied walnuts and goat cheese. What a great way to start my new job here. The sun set around 10 pm and was incredible; it's amazing how much energy you have when the days are longer. I will start my training tour today and be heading to Juneau this evening. No bears or moose yet but stay posted.