Date: 9 June 2001 (Saturday)

Start: Downtown RV Park, Watson Lake YT

End: Trail of ’98 RV Park, Whitehorse YT (280 miles)

It was 50f with no clouds. A beautiful morning again.

We ate and hooked up and departed Watson Lake in a herd of RV’s headed west and north. Finally the herd sorted itself out into the speedy ones and those like us, and on we went.

This was a longer day than most. The scenery was nice, good mountains and mountain lakes, and rushing rivers.

We crossed the border between BC and Yukon Territory (YT) several more times (the road crosses it seven times).

We wandered along to Teslin Lake (the lake is 86 miles long, straddling the BC/YT border) and followed it for a long time. We fueled in Teslin, along with a dozen or more other RV’s.

Just past Teslin Lake, we spotted a coyote loping along in the ditch and an eagle being driven off by a pair of smaller white birds we couldn’t identify. So we weren’t skunked insofar as animal sightings are concerned.

We crossed the Yukon just south of Whitehorse. When the gold rush of ’98 was on, prospectors would take a ship to Skagway, climb with their tools and food over the pass into Canada and down creeks to Lake Bennett. There, the first wave built rudimentary boats to float down the Yukon from Lake Bennett and Carcross to Whitehorse, and then to Dawson city. A railroad was built in 1901 to Whitehorse, where those bound for Dawson would change to steamboats like those that ran on the Mississippi.

About 1:30 we arrived in Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon Territory. We checked in at the campground, saying we might stay three nights. They told us the Coachmen caravan we left behind in Dawson Creek would be coming in Monday, so we allowed as how we would only stay two nights and stay ahead of them.

We dashed down to the visitor’s center. It’s downtown, very close to the Yukon River. The folks there pointed out several things to do and said that most things are open Sunday from now on for the tourists.

A walking tour of the historic buildings of the town was starting in a few minutes, so we scurried to its starting point. Eric, a student from Nova Scotia whose parents live here now, gave a good tour and in following it we learned where many other things are.

We went back to the center and watched the movie on Whitehorse; it was visually beautiful and not too self-promoting.

We took the waterfront trolley car that runs up and down the old narrow gauge tracks of the White Pass and Yukon RR. The line formerly ran from Skagway and carried goods from there to the interior – now only the part from Skagway to Lake Bennett is in use, but the tracks are still in place the entire length. The trolley was made in 1925 in Portugal.

Then we went to dinner at Panda’s. We both had schnitzel, including a sorbet between courses, all very good. The service was very good. Panda’s is worth coming back to.

The Catholic cathedral is in Whitehorse, so we fulfilled Dolores’ obligation by attending Mass there. Now we can run around all day tomorrow.

We took a side trip to the overview of Miles’ Canyon, a very narrow gorge through which the Yukon flows. I don’t see how they ever got steamboats through that place. Now the dam in Whitehorse backs water up into it and it doesn't look as imposing as it did then.

After that we ran out of energy and returned to the little house in the big parking lot called Trail of '98 RV park.