Best Western Gold Rush Inn Whitehorse

... of the road! A couple of big males (we think) actually crossed the road behind us and the herd of 25+ included some calves, so that was very cool to see.

Next stop was Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park. We walked across the boardwalk over the marsh to the lovely springs surrounded by forest. The springs are quite unique as they aren't commercial at all and the area is also a wildlife hotspot as apparently moose, bears and other creatures are drawn to the warm waters for its ...

... oldest surviving store in the Yukon and certainly has its share of vintage advertising and packaging on display, probably enough to decorate every Cracker Barrel restaurant east of the Mississippi. I'm fascinated. The goods for sale, however, are nothing extraordinary, and a few postcards later, we're on the road again.
Finally we arrive in Whitehorse (pop. 25,000+) and cruise the Downtown area for parking. Our hiking ...

... around in a tiny little parking lot) to a street leading back to highway 1. This was the beginning of the cell phone/computer blackout and the road to Banff National Park. Breathtaking views at every turn and lots and lots of other travelers. We dry camped at Lake Louise. There were three bears hanging out in the neighborhood, so we were instructed to stay close to camp with the dogs. Tent area has an electric fence ...

... in one place. It's amazing how much **** you can accumulate. We are in the midst of spring now with the snow disappearing at an amazing rate. It is hard to know what activity to get ready for each day. We have boots for skiing, cycling, hiking, and paddling at the front door. The temps in the last week have been in the low 20s and high teens with no clouds. We were only skiing two weeks ago now the canoe is on the roof and the bikes have been tuned. We went ...

Nov 2/08 Well October has gone by quickly. Not sure where, but we did start into our winter routine. At the end of September, we decided that we needed to go back to MB to make sure we had another good visit with Cheryl's Dad. Back in the spring, Alex had been diagnosed with cancer, (multiple Myeloma, cancer of the plasma), and the first round of Chemo was ineffective. Our timing was right. We got home and Alex was in the hospital with pneumonia. He ...

... easy route to the top then you can walk along the ridges for miles. We spent a night in Haines Junction and like Haines everything has closed up. The Bakery, which we had promised Burke treats at, had closed August 29th!!! The Alaska Hwy going through here is the only reason there is any type of service at all unless you count the odd tourist or mountain climber type. We managed to find only one bar/restaurant open on a Tuesday night. The next morning ...

... these things when we get back. We've spent a lot of time watching Beijing 2008 and really enjoying the CBC coverage. In the past week Fall has struck. Aug 9 was our first frost -5 in the AM. The fireweed is changing and if you look up onto the mountains around town there is a riot of reds and oranges. We are losing 5m 30s/day of sunlight. Got to get firewood in and start thinking about what to do this winter. We've got skis, curling stuff and all our winter clothes. We ...