ALASKA TRIP, PART 5

On Monday, June 11, we drove 102 miles to the Hi Country RV Park in Whitehorse, Yukon. After being on the go for several days, we decided to spend a couple of days here. Gisela, Bill, and I went into town for haircuts shortly after we arrived.

On Tuesday, Earl and I went to the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. The center traces the Ice Age in Yukon, which, unlike the rest of Canada, was ice-free. Displays at the center trace the science and myth of the Ice Age subcontinent of Beringia, formed when the sea levels dropped during the Ice Age. Artifacts include a cast of the largest woolly mammoth skeleton ever recovered.

We also went to the Yukon Transportation Museum which features exhibits on all forms of transportation in the North. Displays include a full-size replica of the Queen of the Yukon Ryan monoplane (sister ship to Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis), Alaska Highway vintage vehicles, dogsleds, and stagecoaches. Also featured are the bush pilots of the North.

On Wednesday, June 13, we drove only 21 miles to Takhini Hot Springs to soak in the springs. It felt really good to soak in the hot water!

Thursday morning we left Takhini Hot Springs and moved 151 miles up the road to Minto Resorts RV Park in Minto, Yukon. Along the way, we stopped at the Boreal Fire Interpretive Site. There was a major forest fire in this area in the summer of 1998 and we drove through mile after mile of burn area.

Burned area:











We also stopped at the remains of the Montague House, a typical early-day roadhouse on the stagecoach route between Whitehorse and Dawson City.

Remains of the Montague House:

Wild rose:











We stopped in Carmacks to have lunch and went by the bank to exchange some more U.S. money to Canadian money. The current exchange rate really makes traveling in Canada a boon to Americans...it's currently running about $1.51 to $1.54, which means for every U.S. dollar, you get $1.51 to $1.54 in Canadian money. The place where we exchanged the money is a bank on Tuesday and Thursday...on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, it's a post office!

Yukon River:











Big River Enterprises in Minto offers river trips to historic Fort Selkirk which we decided to do on Friday.

Fort Selkirk, 25 river miles from Minto, was established in 1848 for the Hudson's Bay Company and was occupied sporadically by traders, missionaries and the RCMP until the 1950's. It was quite cold in the morning, so we were bundled up for the trip. We saw some Dall Sheep high up on the rocky ledges of the mountains and a bald eagle nest with an eagle sitting on the nest. By the time we made the boat trip back to the RV park, the sun had come out and the weather had warmed up, so the return trip wasn't as uncomfortable as the trip there.

Our boat:

Dall Sheep
(white spot, lower center)











Fort Selkirk:

Catholic church:











Indian Graveyard:

Anglican church:











Earl in front of one of Selkirk's buildings:











After the boat trip, Bill barbecued brats, but didn't get them quite done before a torrential rain storm was upon us. He finished barbecuing the brats under the front of the fifth wheel and we all had dinner inside Bill and Gisela's RV.

The mosquitoes have been pretty thick on this trip and they were especially so at the Minto RV park. Poor Maxx had to pretty much stay inside except to go potty, otherwise the mosquitoes would have eaten him alive. We spray ourselves down with Off! and build a fire to try to keep them at bay when we're outside. I have found a great remedy once we do get a bite -- meat tenderizer (plain, not flavored). Just make a paste, put it on the bite, and let it set until the paste dries. You have to do this soon after being bitten, but there will be no more itching!