June 19, 2018
“Different looking.” This stretch of the Klondike Highway,
that is, in Yukon Territory (YT) driving north to Carmacs. The trees are
shorter, stubbier. The hills are tree
and grass covered with rocky outcroppings.
Some of the rocks are called conglomerate or puddingstone, small pebbles
cemented together by natural cement. At Whitehorse we veered off the Alaska
Highway to go north on Highway 2 to Dawson City and then south into Alaska. We
just can’t get enough of this far out remoteness of YT.
The night after
Whitehorse we stayed at Moose Creek Yukon Government Campground. (Not a
Provincial Park because Yukon is a Territory, not a Province.) The campground
was just up the road from Moose Creek Lodge. “Lodge” is a word that took on a
new meaning in this part of the world.
We might call these “lodges,” cabins, but I guess the word “lodge” denotes
function more than size. A lodge in the
Yukon serves food and sometimes has a few rooms to rent and sometimes has
gas/diesel. Moose Creek Lodge was busy serving food to 3 sets of customers when
we stopped. The add-on back room displayed souvenirs and gifts – furs and
beaded moccasins as well as coffee mugs and postcards. We bought a few bottles
of water since there was no drinking water available at the campground and I
thought our water pump in the Siesta sounded like the tank was getting low.
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| Carving in White Horse |
Yes, the mosquitoes still hounded us at this campground when
we were outside trying to walk, although, with our zappers, the slide-out
sealed and the smelly repellents, they were not as bad inside. We slept well.
Sunset at 11:31pm. Sunrise at 4:30am.
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| Wild Roses by an historic Roadhouse |
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| Moose Creek Lodge |
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| Kitsch in front of Moose Creek Lodge |
Before veering we spent part of a morning in Whitehorse. We
parked downtown by the depot and walked the river trail to the Le Dun Cultural
Center where I went inside and learned a little about the generations of First
Nations trappers tending their traplines. Michael and Nina stayed outside
enjoying the blue sky and warm sunshine. Whitehorse is a lovely town with its
cutesy storefronts, food trucks and friendly hiking/biking river trail. We
could imagine living there! A local man walking his dog on the riverfront told
me he lives there year-round and loves it, that in the winter it gets dark
about 4pm and light about 8:30-9:00am. Well, not THAT much different from
northern Michigan in December!!
The night after
Whitehorse we stayed at Moose Creek Yukon Government Campground. (Not a
Provincial Park because Yukon is a Territory, not a Province.) The campground
was just up the road from Moose Creek Lodge. “Lodge” is a word that took on a
new meaning in this part of the world.
We might call these “lodges,” cabins, but I guess the word “lodge” denotes
function more than size. A lodge in the
Yukon serves food and sometimes has a few rooms to rent and sometimes has
gas/diesel. Moose Creek Lodge was busy serving food to 3 sets of customers when
we stopped. The add-on back room displayed souvenirs and gifts – furs and
beaded moccasins as well as coffee mugs and postcards. We bought a few bottles
of water since there was no drinking water available at the campground and I
thought our water pump in the Siesta sounded like the tank was getting low.
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