Paused in Dawson City

July 2, Dawson City

Yes, still Dawson City!  The saga of the truck goes on and on….although, the end may be in sight at last.  And it’s not a bad place to be stranded for a week, I have to admit.  Nothing is ever instant way up here, and when the Ford dealer in Whitehorse has to order some obscure part from Edmonton, then ship it here, and a long weekend intervenes, things slow way down.  While we are waiting for a wheel part, which is part of the damage from the Dempster, we have had lots to do, and a great place to stay. 

Dawson City is just full of history and hiking, two fabulous rivers, and sufficient amenities to be a great town to visit.  We have also been lucky to connect with an old friend who has given us a luxurious camping spot just outside of town near his place, so life hasn’t been too tough!  I was worried about filling our time for a week, but we’ve had a ball.  The annual Yukon River Quest took place over the weekend, a 714 km paddle race from Whitehorse to Dawson on the Yukon, so we volunteered and saw plenty of exciting moments.  The boats range from 8 person Voyageur canoes to single kayaks, the racers from all over the world, and the grueling race takes them upwards of 50 hrs of paddling with only 2 mandatory rest stops along the route.  At the finish line they are knackered!  We dragged exhausted racers out of their boats, pulled canoes out of the way of others arriving in a cluster, sorted garbage (yes, the recycling queen is working overtime here!), and then celebrated at a steak BBQ on Sunday.  Met a lot of really nice people – paratroopers from the UK, Japanese adventurers, wild women, and as usual, lots of local characters.  Now I’m convinced I’d like to come up in the winter to volunteer for the Yukon Quest – the dog sled race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse.  Wouldn’t that be fun? 

When I look at our schedule I’m amazed at how much we’ve packed in to the past week.  There’s lots of good local trails – some more arduous and buggy than others – and we’ve done most of them.  We swam in the Klondike (icy but refreshing), paddled on both the Klondike and Yukon (a lifelong dream of mine), explored gold claims old and new, searched through graveyards, both human and paddlewheeler, and drunk martinis on the lawn of the Commissioner’s House.  Dawson really does Canada Day too – pancakes made from the same sourdough starter that was brought over the Chilkoot Trail, gold panning, parades, cakes, costumes and music.  I think there were fireworks, but we had collapsed into bed by then, and besides, it’s not dark here at night! 

We’ve had a bear encounter too this week, in the camp where we’ve been staying.  We had just arrived back yesterday when we heard the kitchen screen door slam.  We both assumed it was one of the guys who live here, but when we turned around to say hi, a little black bear was hightailing it out of the kitchen across the driveway.  ‘Oh no’ I thought – just imagine what a mess he’s made inside.  We circled round to the back, came through the cabin shouting, in case he had a partner in crime, and found he had torn open the screen door, swiped all the baking, fruit, bread and butter that was laid out on the side table, but hadn’t gotten much farther.  Luckily he hadn’t done any damage in the kitchen itself, and the only mess was an overturned garbage pail and some sticky foot prints covered in mashed banana.  Very funny!  But he was back throughout the evening, and we slept with our door closed for a change.  Today he’s been taken away to bear rehab – trapped by the Conservation Officer who says there’s several other charges pending against this miscreant.  I’m sorry to think that may mean he won’t be amenable to retraining. 

Tomorrow we will tidy up, fill up and then with any luck, giddy-up on Thursday after our truck repair.  We’re bound for Alaska, via the Top of the World highway, and we might be in beautiful downtown Chicken for July 4!  Cross your fingers for us – or at least for this sorry old truck we’re driving – and we’ll keep you posted!

 

Posted July 3, Goldrush Campground, Dawson City

Sluice box for sorting the gold from the rocks the old fashioned way.  Gold is 19 times heavier than water, so falls into the matting on the bottom of the box.  The water and gravel is sluiced back down and out into the river.

Dredging with huge machinery followed the hand mining, and whole valleys were torn up, rivers rerouted.  The giant machines worked 24 hrs per day and collected tons more gold in the early 1900's.

 
 

Paddle wheeler still plying the Yukon, but only for tourists now.  Prior to the roads and the rail lines there were dozens of these, and only a few are preserved. 

Grave of an early miner, with his gold pan, and a car jack????

 

First finisher in the Yukon River Quest - two hardy Aussie rugby guys who said this race nearly killed them!!!

 
 

Canada Day in Dawson City!  Mounties, fire trucks, antique vehicles, and balloons - fabulous!

 

Paddling into Dawson on the Yukon.  The Moosehide Slide on the mountain has been marking the destination for hundreds of years.  As soon as it was spotted as the paddlewheelers arrived from Whitehorse they would give a blast on their horns to announce their arrival.  We just whistled!