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Planet Yukon
It’s hard to believe that Yukon is a part of Canada because it feels like another planet – or at least a place that should be somewhere far far away on the other side of the planet. Let’s explore the things and review some numbers from Mission: Yukon. We were on the ground in Yukon for 9 days. During that time we toured 7 “places” and surrounding areas: Whitehorse Haines Junction (+ Kathleen Lake + Silver City) Kluane park (pronounced “clue-a-nee”) Skagway (Alaska) Carcross (Caribou Crossing OMG – though we didn’t see any there) Dawson City (home of the gold rush) Tombstone park We went on 6(ish) hikes: Miles Canyon…
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Yukon: The Dawson Gem
Dawson City has more than just Gold, it is in of and itself a gem. A cross between Clifton Hill Niagara, part Black Creek Pioneer Village, part old west, Dawson City is as authentic as it gets! All the bells and whistles of Clifton Hill. Want to gamble? Whether you’re seeking cheesy penny slots, blackjack or even a poker game, Diamond Toothed Gerties is your destination! It’s also Canada’s oldest gambling hall. Want to take in a show? Check out the show (3 times daily) at said gambling hall, and each performance is different (and saucier) than the last! Looking for a fancy cocktail? Head over to Bombay Peggy’s (or…
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Yukon: Thanks for adventuring!
One of my favourite conversations on this trip was with a server at Klondike Brewing in Skagway, Alaska. She was super friendly and happy to chat about life in Alaska. I love hearing about people who have made deliberate moves to live somewhere they fell in love with, and in my experience, Alaska is a hotbed for these journeys. We heard about her life without internet from April to September, and had a lively discussion about her limited restaurant recommendations in town. When she realized we hadn’t just rolled off the docked cruise ships like most of the other patrons, she became particularly chatty and wanted to know about our…
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Yukon: The gold rush and other old-timey things (no internet required)
I’ve never been that interested in the Wild West or olden timey days. Everything about it seems very dusty, with few vegetarian meal options and limited opportunity for women. Also, gold really isn’t my jewelry of choice. So it came as a real surprise that Dawson City and everything about this area was so darned cool! We had planned to hike in Tombstone, but a brief to stop at their visitor centre confirmed that we were ill-prepared for unmaintained trails and snowy peaks. So instead of an active day, we worked on completing our wildlife bingo cards. This time, with porcupine caribou! Before leaving town we stopped in the Bonanza…
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Yukon: Canada’s shameful present
There’s been a lot of news in recent years about Canada’s treatment of indigenous communities and our shameful past. The continued discovery of children’s remains at former residential schools have brought new attention to this topic, in very recent years. But in the North, none of this is news. Part of my desire to travel through Canada’s more remote and northern areas is to better understand our indigenous communities. I spend my professional life engaging with and trying to understand communities and cultures around the world. And yet, in many ways, my own backyard is a mystery. More than anywhere else in Canada that I’ve travelled, the North feels like…
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Yukon: Larger than Life
We’re making up for lost time here – both in actual Travels, and on this blog. So let’s catch up! Whitehorse was a little sleepier than we’d expected. We imagined a small, hip city and probably should have paid attention to its population which barely tops 30,000. But it’s population was outsized by its charm, and we really enjoyed our weekend there. It was also where we got the first of many wow views. The MacBride Museum was a great stop in Whitehorse. So much great information on Canada’s indigenous peoples, which we don’t know nearly enough about, and great info on the Gold Rush and history of the Yukon.…
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Yukon: Driving Ms Steele
So Miranda and I have driven in many parts of the world. Mostly I drive when we do our road trips. I love driving. That said, I would say there are four main types of road trip driving (some of which I enjoy). Functional drives: You get from A to B, there’s nothing particularly notable about these drives. They are flat, or the same over and over again. They serve a purpose and are mostly not memorable in any sense. I don’t have any pictures to show or demonstrate these, but you’d likely be bored seeing them. Scenic drives: These are functional drives that have lookouts, points of interest or…
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Yukon: On the road, again.
Friends, It’s been too long. After a long lockdown, and longer FOC (fear of COVID) time, we are back on the road. We are excited to see things – and excited to remember what traveling together is like. And as per usj, why not blog about it? As I’ve been remembering how to travel over the past few months for work, I recently made a list of travel musts. Things never to leave home without and tips for making sure that travel disruptions and disappointments have minimal impact on your day. And I know it’s a good list, because when I don’t follow it, I regret it. Every single time.…
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Hideeho from Yukon!
It’s been a long two years of no travel and we’re out in the world again. It’s weird, and freeing, and the pandemic is seemingly over here, and most places, except home. People are friendly in Yukon. Too friendly. Everywhere we go people say hi. They go out of their way to greet us. It’s weird. We were even told to say hi to animals. Specifically bears. And specifically “Hideeho!”. While out in the wild we may choose to have casual conversation. However, at indeterminate intervals we were told to yell “Hideeho!” so as to warn the bears of our presence. So this became our trail (and now our sporadic…
