Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon Territory, named because the froth of the river rapids looked like white horses manes. Definitely the “big city” of the area, the population is 30,000 and they even have a Walmart (not a super Walmart). The entire province (like a state) of Yukon is only 40,000. Mark has declared the drive here to be his favorite of the trip so far, with views of mountains, rivers, lakes, and trees (and of course bears). The sunshine and clear skies could also have had some impact in his choice. We stayed at the Hi Country RV Park for 4 nights. This has been a good town to restock. We’ve shopped in Canadian Tire (a chain store with both automotive and home goods), Walmart of course, a clothing store called Mark’s (went in because of the name), and groceries at Save On Foods. 2 day Amazon Prime doesn’t apply in remote Canada or Alaska but we don’t mind checking out new stores. One local shop we really enjoyed was Lumel Studios. They made art and wares out of blown glass. You could even make your own paperweight to take home for $45. (We did not.)
After our previously planned hikes getting cancelled for snow or rain, we have driven a lot of miles without much physical movement. I cannot tell you how eager I was to get in a hike, and we were treated to spectacular views of Miles Canyon. The trail featured a suspension bridge, canyon walls, and the blue Yukon River. We hiked the Yukon River Trail which kept us on the edge of the river canyon the entire 5 miles except for a slight detour to an old mining ghost town called Canyon City that didn’t have much left. Molly was happy, I was happy, and Mark is always happy by rivers. Mark is used to hunting so he tends to keep quiet or whisper on trails and is having to adjust. Now we need to speak loud and often to make sure we don’t startle any bears or wildlife. Unfortunately this means we don’t get to see as much wildlife as we are hooting and whooping and talking and singing and whistling and otherwise scaring away every living thing. In fact, our only wildlife of the day was one lone porcupine. I was embarrassed at first to admit that I thought porcupines could shoot their quills, but I’m assured that was a common belief until fairly recently. It turns out they have to come into contact with a victim, like swishing their spiky tail against a dog or other predator to release the quills. Also I read they can regrow their quills. Considered a rodent, they can live up to 27 years. Their walk is more waddle than swagger and I hope we get to see more.
There are quite a few hiking trails in the area so we definitely took advantage! Although the high each day has been in the mid 70s, it’s a pleasant 60 in the morning, perfect hiking weather! We hiked 3 miles on the Hidden Lakes Trail, arriving at 4 different small lakes. Our only wildlife was 2 ground squirrels and squawking seagulls. Another unique Whitehorse feature is the paved 5km path, called the Millennial Trail, that runs around the river and through town.
Unbeknownst to us, the Yukon River Quest Race started from Whitehorse. This is a 444 km race on the Yukon River for canoes, kayakers, and even Stand Up Paddleboards. 115 boats were in the race and we joined in the cheering crowd as they took off. Their journey will take 3 days and end in Dawson City.
Klondike Rib and Salmon is a must eat in Whitehorse. Their house special – you guessed it, an half rack of BBQ pork ribs with BBQ salmon skewers served with mashed potatoes, garlic bread, green beans and carrots. Needless to say, we shared this meal and continued the splurge on bread pudding for dessert. There’s a reason everyone talks about this place! We actually went back for lunch the next day as they are also known for halibut fish and chips. Bring on the seafood! You know you’re in a small town when the steakhouse is also the pizza place. We enjoyed dinner at G&P Steakhouse and Pizza, though neither of us had steak or pizza. Mark had seafood alfredo and I enjoyed lobster penne. The restaurant was a little more upscale than we expected, but the food was good and we left satisfied. We also ate at a local deli that has been serving Yukon meats and sausage since 1950. We know we’ll be heading to more remote areas soon so we are definitely taking advantage of all the restaurants here.
Just like the Mississippi in the US, the Yukon River was used for transportation and commerce. Wood burning river paddleboats made the voyage to and from Whitehorse carrying goods, gold ore, alcohol, and passengers for 5 months of the year (iced over the other 7 months.) We toured the SS Klondike and watched a video to see it in it’s glory days. They had to use 2 rudders because they had to stay shallow in the river. It wasn’t that long ago that life was a lot different than it is today. Can you imagine not being able to get supplies 7 months out of the year?
Another learning opportunity came at the town’s fish ladder. There is a hydro plant and dam on the river, which means the Kokanee salmon cannot get upstream. They built a fish ladder, which is basically a tunnel for the fish past the dam so they can return to their home site to spawn. What’s unique about salmon is they are born in and live in fresh water (rivers) for 2 years and then go to the ocean (specifically here they go to the Bering Sea). When they are about 6 years old, they cross from salty ocean water back to fresh water, where they will not eat at all for the last 3 months of their life. They make their way upstream to their birthing grounds to spawn and then die. The cool thing about the fish ladder is that there is a glass window so you can see (and researchers can count) the fish as they return. This year they are expecting about 600 fish in the ladder, some years they have as many as 1200. Because of the limited numbers, fishing for salmon is illegal in the Yukon River. (Don’t worry, there will be plenty of future opportunities.)
Traveling has it’s challenges and rewards. One continuous challenge is finding decent WiFi or cell service enough to work. All the campgrounds here advertise WiFi but when you check in, they tell you it’s only for 30 minutes per day, and it isn’t fast enough to actually do anything. We’ve frequented the Whitehorse public library each night to get enough WiFi to work and upload both this blog and facebook with stories and pictures, plus download more books for the next segments of driving. We so appreciate this service, and the “entertainment” of interesting patrons bringing local color, somehow common at any public facility. One perk of travel is discovering local flavors. Today I spent a sunny hour at the Whitehorse farmer’s market complete with produce, crafts, and foods. It’s early in the season so not much more than lettuce for local produce. It’s always cool to see what unique crafts people can make, from jewelry to homesewn items. I actually chatted with some trappers who had a booth to educate about what they do, from humane killing to how the furs are sold. We can attest to the stereotype that Canadians really do say “eh?” And they say it a lot! They are also very friendly and happy to chat. Most of the people in Whitehorse are not native, as far as we can tell, coming mostly from other provinces in Canada.