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The Dawson City

admin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:09:58 +0000

We’re spending two nights in Dawson City, Yukon Territory Canada. What can I tell you about Dawson? It is the home of the Klondike Gold Rush and gold is still being mined today. The charm is that it looks the same , in most respects, as it did 1898. There is one paved road that goes through town, the rest are still dirt and gravel. In the winter, -40 to -65 degree temperatures are not uncommon. Even though there are sunset and sunrise times designated, there’s 24 hours of sunshine today and 75 degree temperature.
There’s Diamond Tooth Gertie’s, an original casino and saloon with a Can-Can Show that runs three times per day, seven days per week. Our group was set-up by our Tour Director and ended up in the front row not even thinking about what might happen. Well, I, and one other guy from Texas, ended up on stage attempting to dance the can-can with ladies in the show. For my fun and embarrassment, I got to remove the garter from the lady who was training me to dance – I still haven’t figured out if that was worth it, but I kept the garter!
Next, most of the group went to the Sourtoe Saloon where the brave and crazy down a shot of liquor, with a human toe in it (ugh!), just to get a signed certificate. A little over 26,000 people have done this over the years.
Sourdough Joe’s restaurant quickly became a favorite of many in the group. They had excellent Halibut & Chips, Split Pea and Fish Chowder Soups and an Apple Crisp Dessert with whipped cream.
There is an Information Center that you should visit as soon as you get to town. You can find out about Walking Tours given by folks dressed in the attire of that time period.
The Grand Palace is worth a visit. It has been beautifully refurbished by Parks Canada and is still utilized today for special occasions.
There is an opportunity to see a working gold mine and to visit Dredge #4, which was used to separate gold from rocks, sand and dirt.
Dawson City was a nice, peaceful place to spend two nights.

On the Road to Dawson City

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:31:15 +0000

Monday, June 29, 2009
Today we will be traveling 340 miles, paralleling the Yukon River, up to Dawson City on the Klondike Highway. We will go from 2305 feet of elevation down to 1050 feet. Just outside of Whitehorse, we saw a Bald Eagle perched on the mountain on one side of the motor coach and an Eagle nest in a tree on the other side.Our first stop was Breaburn Lodge where six of us enjoyed one of their world famous cinnamon buns – the one we shared was ten inches across and three inches high. It had really, really good flavor – not too sweet. Raisins, cinnamon, lightly iced and dough that was thoroughly baked. The lodge actually has an airstrip called ‘Cinnamon Bun Airstrip.’ It is an official checkpoint on the 1000 Mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race [Mush!]
The second stop was a picture spot called Five Fingers Rapids. This was a tragic point on the Yukon River where many travelers and their vessels were lost crashing into the rocks. Civil Engineering efforts have made it less treacherous over timeThe third stop was Minto Landing, where we had lunch and took a group photo with the Yukon River as a backdrop. On the way back out to the highway, we stopped for a black bear that was crossing the road.
Our fourth stop was Moose Creek Lodge. It was a little different: Strawberry-Rhubarb tarts, among other flavors; hot chocolate; coffee and tea; oatmeal raisin cookies, apple raisin cake; date bread; brownies; and a horseshoe pit. There was enough time to play a couple of games, which some in the group did. Of course, the natural beauty surrounding the lodge, included tree covered mountains for as far as you could see.
Our last stop before reaching Dawson City, Tintina Trench, is a horizontal fault line that is said to run through theYukon Territory as far down into the United States as Montana. The fault activity is said to be caused a new fault horizontally rubbing against an old fault. One fault goes southeast and the other goes northwest.
As we head on into Dawson City, we come past mile zero of the Dempster Highway. Dempster Highway is the only road that goes to the Western Arctic Circle, four hundred fifty miles . The building of this road was thought to be a waste by many people, but many natural resources have since been discovered and are accessible because of this road – which was one man’s vision. I actually had the pleasure to talk to a couple from eastern Canada, who had just returned from driving the highway. The first five to six miles is paved and the rest is gravel! Imagine what that trip is like.

Skagway

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:09:59 +0000

We’re settled into our hotel for the night. Our Tour Director is Juli, a wonderful, energetic college senior from Texas. She has spent the last three summers up here working with Holland America Line Tours. We look forward to spending the next nine days with her. Today we learned about the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush that was launched from Skagway. Skagway never had any gold, it was 600 miles away in Dawson City, Yukon Territory Canada.
Skagway is four blocks wide and twenty-three blocks long. It was home to a notorious character by the name of Soapy Smith – if there was angle to get the gold speculators’ money, Soapy had figured it out. For example, he would offer to send a telegram back home for people who had arrived so their loved ones would know that they arrived safely. There was only one problem, there were not any telegraph lines in Skagway. He died in a gun battle with another man who was working with the people in the town to get rid of Soapy and his gang.