Touring Whitehorse

June 19, 2009
Whitehorse, YT

The tourists are back! We basically spent the day checking out some of the tourist sites in Whitehorse. We could have spent another day if we wanted to, but we're anxious to keep moving forward to Alaska at this point. We're already starting to meet people who have "been there and done that" and are headed back south!

We started the day with a coach move (to Wal-Mart, where else) and then a trip "downtown". Whitehorse has a small central business district, and we poked around there for a bit before stopping for lunch at a "BBQ and Salmon" place. We decided to split the Halibut Fish & Chips, which was a very good call (good eats, and a good idea to share one order). We picked up our "free visitor parking pass" (no paying meters here) as well.

Our next stop was Miles Canyon, a narrow gorge on the Yukon River upstream from downtown. This section of the river was the most difficult to navigate during the gold rush days, although it's relatively tame now since there's a dam and lake downstream, providing hydroelectric power to the area. There's an old suspension bridge there that provides a walkway across the gorge, so I went across for some pictures. Other than a short slide down a gravel slope that left me with a bruised knee, it was a nice walk.

Heading back to town, we stopped at the seaplane base (not much happening there) and then at several local landmarks. First was the "world's largest Mountie", a wooden statue in front of a hotel (whatever). Next was the world's largest weathervane. This was much more clever: a complete DC-3 airplane mounted on a pole in front of the airport. It actually works as a weathervane, spinning around as the wind direction changes.

We decided to make a quick stop at the Beringia Centre because there were statues of Wooly Mammoths out front, but decided to go in when we met a couple(Ed and Penny) coming out who recommended it. We met Ed while we were in Yuma at the start of the trip, at the place that installed our solar panels. We ran into them again a week or so ago in Dawson Creek. They were a day ahead of us, but are now a bit behind as they're staying in Whitehorse until early next week. Anyway, we found that the Beringia Centre wasn't about fossils as we thought (and after the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, we didn't think anyplace else would shine). It turns out that the focus here was on the way the last Ice Age impacted the local area. Because the ice fields froze up so much of the world's water, sea levels dropped by 125 metres and the whole area between Alaska and Siberia was a broad grassy plain with wildlife from Mammoths and bears to lions. Who'd have expected to hear about lions in Alaska? Go figure.

Right next door (and included in the "combo ticket price") is the Whitehorse Transportation Museum. It focused on three distinct topics: early methods getting from the coast inland (sternwheelers, narrow gauge railroads), bush pilots from the 1920s to the 1960s, and the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942 (which changed everything). It was a small museum, but nicely done.

We didn't get to the history museum downtown, and we didn't get to visit (and sample at) the local brewery (D'oh), so we'll save those for next time. This Wal-Mart is a popular stopping point for RVs; I counted over 40 rigs of all shapes and sizes before bedtime. Just before midnight (which is just after sunset but still light out), a couple in a pick-up with a bed topper pulled in, grabbed everything from the back and shoved it in the front seat, hopped in the back, and pulled the window closed for the night. It takes all kinds...

Click here for today's pictures.