Starting Our Way Back

Aug 23 - Having reconnected with our Whitehorse friends we were prepared to take up where we left off. The Beringia Museum centered on the history of wildlife and natives of the Yukon. It was fascinating to see evidence (skeletons and tusks) of mammoths and mastadons that were once so prolific and contemporary to the native people. It seems animals were so much larger then including many varieties of cats; lions and tigers and would you believe giant sloths and beavers. Remember how we were taught that "science" knew that North American horses were no bigger than dogs and had 3 toes! The museum now displays evidence of a single-hoofed horse at least the size of a Welsh pony - and it actually looked like a horse! I knew it ---
Another interesting point with the melting of mountain top glaciers many spears and arrows are being found beneath the ice as men once hunted caribou that sought the coolness of the ice during the summer. An item of more recent history was the paddle-wheeler, the Klondike, which plied the Yukon river transporting people and goods to Dawson City. The boat is 240ft long, 49 ft wide and required only four feet of water while carrying 300 tons. Because of the shifting gravel bars the pilots would sometimes have to reverse the paddle wheel, back off the bar and try another channel. Occasionally one of the approximately 600 steamers were run aground so badly they were abandoned where their remains can still be seen.

Aug 24 - Our friends graciously drove us south to Skagway which is 15 miles across the bay from Haines, Alaska. The town is very well preserved and still sports wooden sidewalks. Most of the people in town came off a couple of huge cruise ships though we did see some cowboys from High River who drove up for the fishing. The trip there and back was the highlight as we drove very close and personal to high and rocky crags and over waterfalls rushing down to the Pacific. We marvelled at the train climbing the White Pass along the Chilkoot Trail where prospectors carried their provisions over the 35 mile divide before there were tracks. Every man was required to bring 1 ton of food & supplies to avoid starving. Some tried the trip with horses and mules but most of the animals never completed the trip. Long, wide valleys of ancient lava held many small lakes, then we entered Yukon again to huge lakes and tree covered valleys. Many of the mountain tops are so high they are nost often clothed in clouds. Today was no exception as their proximity to the coast causes a lot of moisture.

On the way down we were very pleased to be entertained by a grizzly sow and her yearling cub eating berries in the ditch beside the highway - they are spectacular animals & we have many pictures of them including one where mom gave the cub a playful cuff. Better him than me.

Our next stop was a small village called Carcross on the head of Bennett Lake which had given many homes water floors because of the high water in the Yukon. We also watched a couple of native fellows wood carving, creating beautiful work, best described as huge masks. Unfortunately, way too big for the motor home.

The effect this part of the world has on many people was exemplified by a dear couple who parked next to us in Haines Junction. They are from Los Angeles where he had an exciting career as a helicopter pilot for the LA fire department. In May they flew to Alaska, went home to move their son into their home and headed back to Alaska to live. A common story is - "we came to work for a year, that was in '74! There's a real sense of community in the north as well as the opportunity to live close to some of the most awesome scenery in the world. I told a park warden if the weather was like this year round I'd move up here and she said 'so would half the country'.

Aug 27 - Leaving Dawson Peaks Yukon it's 10:30 am til next edition.