As retired people, we were happy to have an easier day
today. Under blue skies we loaded into our touring van for day: a 12 seater
Ford which may have been 12 years old and had 300,000 miles on the clock but it
looked good, was very comfortable and made good time. Our driver was Dan and he
lives in Fairbanks so he was able to tell us all about the area through which
we were passing. He was a lovely man with years of experience. When we first
met him we were worried about his shaking hands but after spending 500 kms on
the North Klondike Highway with him during which time everything in the car and
the trailer vibrated due to the uneven surface of the road as it breaks up due
to the permafrost, we understand that 25 years of those conditions would make
anyone shake.
The hotel in which we
had spent night was opposite the start/finish line for the Yukon Quest which is
a 1000 mile dog sled race which goes between Whitehorse and Dawson City and
return. Petrol in Whitehorse (Canada) is $1.39 per litre so it is a bit cheaper
than we have to pay.
Our trip began in an area of very rich soil in which canola,
barley, carrots, lettuce, turnips and potatoes were planted. However, as the
rainfall is only about 11 inches per year, irrigation is used to produce the
crops. From there we entered the Tahini Trench which runs for 900 miles from
Dawson City to Watsons Lake. It was formed when a chain of volcanoes blew up
simultaneously. The forces from the explosion led to the huge tectonic movement
which caused the Yukon River to flow backwards and huge deposits of gold to
form. The only volcano which did not explode is now Mt Logan, the highest
mountain in the NW of Canada.
We saw many spruce covered hills but there were some with
different trees and tall, thin trunks of former trees. Apparently, when there
is a fire, spruce trees take more than a generation to regrow because the soil
is not acidic enough for them. Therefore birch and willows have the upper hand.
The Trench (long, long valley) is filled with beautiful, deep, long lakes. Eg
Fox Lake is 26 miles long and 730ft deep; Lake Testa is 800 miles long and Lake
Laberge is 28 miles long. The surface of Lake Fox was so calm that there were
mirror images of the scenery in the water. The Yukon River is 2,300 miles long
Suddenly, Dan stopped in the middle of the highway. Standing
in front of us were 2 elks. The father had already crossed the road and was
waited in the trees at the side of the road but the mother stood fast and eyed
us until her baby had crossed the road before she then joined her family.
Fantastic!!! We were so close to the animals.
We saw B-doubles carrying silver and copper from the mine at
Minto. Each load earns the mine $800,000 and they take 5 loads a day to
Skagway. Gold is hauled in special containers because of the cyanide factor.
Perhaps we will have to organise one tomorrow night after we have been to the
goldmine. I’m sure they will give out samples…lol. The Bogo mine is the second
largest gold mine in the USA. Last month it mined 5,000 pounds of gold …wow!!
Neil asked Dan about some orange boxes we could see beside
the road. They are gifts from Bill Gates. He has run computer cables all
through Alaska and now has started to do it in the Yukon. He has provided optic
fibre cable for all schools (and a computer for each child) and for all medical
centres so remote doctors can link up with those in big hospitals (eg in
Seattle) to keep doctors and nurses up to date with research and techniques.
We saw an interesting sign beside the highway: “Caution:
Watch for Aircraft”. The reason the sign is there is because planes land on the
highway in that area….an interesting prospect!!
We came upon roadworks on a bridge
and there was a set of mobile traffic lights with an interesting twist..there
was a countdown in seconds (142 seconds to 0 and a green light). The next set
we came across was even better…we had to wait up to 10 mins for a pilot car to
take us through to the other side . The pilot car was just going back and forth
all day.
By the end of the drive we
understood the vastness of the land, the pristine wilderness and the power of
the tributaries which join the majestic Yukon River. There were also the
animals: the elks, the squirrels and the grouse who all crossed the road. Moose
and Brown Bears also live here but they were probably hiding from the heat. We
arrived in Dawson City (64* N) and the temperature today was 32*C. We are only
about 200 kms from the Arctic Circle!!
We hope it is a bit cooler
tomorrow for our gold expedition but in the old days up to 30,000 men worked in
the neat so we should be right for 3 hours. I’ll let you know how we get on
with our very own gold rush.
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