This is the 14th in a continuing series about our trip through Canada to Alaska
THE SPELL OF THE YUKON
I wanted the gold, and I sought it;
I scrabbled and mucked like a slave.
Was it famine or scurry – I fought it;
I hurled my youth into a grave.
I wanted the gold and I got it –
Came out with a fortune last fall. –
Yet somehow life’s not what I thought it.
And somehow the gold isn’t all.
— Robert Service (the poet of the Yukon)
I came to the Yukon hoping to be on the brink of deprivation, of hard-scrabble conditions, of history surrounding me. Dawson City is the Yukon I sought, but with some appreciated conveniences. In the Broadway play, “Oklahoma,” the song “Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City” mentions, “You can walk to the privy in the rain and never wet your feet.” I harkened back to those days while here, with two changes: the privies are in the quaint stores and you can’t cross the wet streets without getting a line of mud up the back of your legs.
The Boardwalks
Front Street, Dawson City, Hasn't Changed Much from the Early Days
There’s lots to experience here; too much to see to get it all done in a day. Our group paused here for two-and-a-half days, and we are leaving with things that we still wanted to see.
The history and historic sights in town are truly interesting, from the dredge to the “kissing” buildings. From 1897-99, mining flourished. Since then, as the price of gold fluctuated and mining technology improved, there have been several revivals of the industry, and over the past 113 years, the population has gone from as few as 50 residents up to 60,000. The street along the foothills is 8th Avenue, but at its height (literally), it went to 19th, up and over the hill. In the summer of 1898, Dawson City became the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco. That’s despite the fact that 100,000 sourdoughs left their homes in hopes of striking it rich, but only 30,000 made it to the Klondike. Some 88 percent of the gold in the Yukon comes from the Dawson area, and the Klondike became the fourth largest gold producer in the world.
Tailings -- Rocks Left Behind by the Gold Dredges
Big-time gold prospecting was done with dredges that inched their way along creeks of the Klondike plying their course until the early 1960s, leaving mounds of “tailings,” piles of rocks churned up by the behemoth machines looking for precious gold.
More of a glimpse of the story of today’s Dawson City, Yukon Territory.
Kissing Buildings, The Effect of Permafrost & TastyByte --Technology at the Frontier
Dredge #4 -- A Monster in Dawson History
This warehouse is one of Dawson’s numerous storehouses in 1898, which “provided the life blood” for the city. For four months a year, the Yukon was open for shipping “and in the ensuing flurry of activity, the warehouses were loaded with every conceivable item … Over the next eight months, virtually cut off from the rest of the world, Dawson City drew on these supplies to satisfy the needs and wants of a modern metropolis.” Nowadays, when the cold comes, about 2,000 people or half of the town’s population, head south for the winter. The others brave temperatures as low as 60 below. Don’t even think about RVing in the winter, unless you have eight huskies along.
More thoughts about visiting and RVing in the area. We’ve been caravanning for 20 days, awaiting the onslaught of bad roads and mosquitoes. I’ve written about the roads often – there have been bad spots, but not as bad as we expected. And from the comments to Part XIII, we know that what’s coming up promises to be far worse. Yesterday on a not-very-bad portion of the road, a rock hit a back side window in RV #11 shattering the glass. Strange, but those things happen.
Tailgunner Spence advised me on the road ahead not to move onto the side of the road for an on-coming vehicle. Just stop! He also said that if it’s dry, the dust is terrible; if it’s wet, you’ve driving over mud. Hope that it rains Tuesday and clears up Wednesday.
The worst invasion of mosquitoes was at the Ancient Cedar Forest in British Columbia Other than that, not much of a problem, and I can’t say we’re disappointed.
Responding to a question about travelers with disabilities. Group member Jenks has used his scooter only twice, once in Prince George and once at Liard Springs. Since we are only in most places one or two nights, he said it’s not worth unloading it. He uses braces with a painkiller instead, which, in his opinion, is not a good solution, but it’s the best alternative. Using the motorized disability scooter rocks him on the bad surfaces.
We’ve been learning to live with the long days, which sounds like a plus. It is, except, of course, adjusting our sleeping times to the clock. We look at the clock and it’s 11:30 and still daytime. And we don’t want to go to sleep now anyway because when we sat down to eat and looked at the clock, it was 9:45. Where did the day go? Answer: It didn’t. It’s still here.
Finally, Monique and I are not qualified to judge restaurants, campgrounds or caravans. We eat most of our meals onboard, leaving the dining out to our fellow travelers. We only know the campgrounds we stay in, most of which are full-hook-up places. We don’t know what else is out there. We know our caravan and the people who comprise it. This is our first time going with others, so we can’t give a knowledgeable opinion, and besides, each of us has our own criteria for judging.
This is most important. These articles are letting you know our impressions of some of what we see and experience, and, incidentally, we play tourist much more than these blogs indicate. For instance, we’ve been to two shows and several museums, etc. As for the decision of how to RV to Alaska, it’s your decision about caravanning, going alone, or making the trip with a few compatible friends.
From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.
Pingback: url
Ralph Delgado
Excellent blog, my wife and I enjoy reading it. It’s been a few days since your last post, probably difficult to get internet service from time to time. I hope your ride to Chicken was uneventful.
Don & Irene Ritchey
Great pictures Lynne, we travel almost yearly to Yukon/Alaska and live in the North (Terrace BC) we are so thankful that we chose our home up north and away from the hustle and bustle. We actually have time to “smell the roses”
Anyone reading this go to Lynne`s viewing!
Dale Kincaid
If you haven’t left Dawson City yet, you might consider leaving a day early and playing the golf course on the other side of the river and spend the night there. That way you will reduce or eliminate the long wait you will have getting on the little ferry and you can play golf until about 10:30. We did this in 2003 and left early the next morning. The route to Tok was mostly gravel in Canada, but just plain dirt on the Alaska section. Good luck.
Ron
First, great travelogue! We spent 4 days in Dawson in early June last year. The place was almost deserted. We were about 2 weeks ahead of the tourist season, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. It is one of our favorite places on our Alaska trip. Hope you got to spend an evening at Diamond Tooth Gerties.
Every day when we’d go into town, I would spend some time looking at the little ferry crossing the Yukon River and couldn’t quite convince myself we would fit on it and actually get to the other side without a problem. Of course, we did and it was quite an adventure. Thanks for the travelogue.
Lynne schlumpf
Yes, when you get to the gravel and dirt washboard roads just outside Chicken and just past Boundry, please be very careful when other RVs try to pass you on those curved roads. They will shove you onto the shoulder, which is almost nonexistent. Couple of hold your breath moments everytime we go that way. You will LOVE the Wrangell-St Elias National Park along the Taylor Highway. Be sure to look behind you when you leave Glenallen to drive towards Anchorage (if you’re not going to Fairbanks first) so you can get a look and a gasp at the jaw-dropping Mount Drum. If you are going to Fairbanks first, you’ll get to see her when you leave Anchorage and go up the Glenn Highway past Matanuska.
You’re going to love what you see after Chicken!
I have a lot of pics, too on my website in a flash movie format, if anyone wants to see them.
Lynne
Mike A
THANK YOU so VERY much for your thoughts and comments. I am dying (not literally) to get to AK. Travelling vicariously with you this trip.
George
The photo with the Downtown Hotel is taken with Front Street (which parallels and is next to the Yukon River) behind the photographer. This shot is looking towards 8th Ave. For more fantastic Yukon scenes, and songs, go to http://www.youtube.com and query Hank Karr who’s a wonderful singer who lives in Whitehorse. His CDs are available on line too.
susan
Still here…reading your posts and enjoying them. Love the pictures too!
We were in Alaska 10 years ago, not RVing, but on cruise/land package…so some of it is bring back memories. Thanks for sharing.
Sue
Margaret
Two years ago husband/I travel basically this same route by rental ban (thinking we’d save bucks sleeping in the back). Love your pictures, brings back memories. We drove from NH to Fairbanks and I’d do it again in a heart beat. Enjoy your visit. I anticipate every evening reading your blogs. Bets it the most popular.
Peggy of Texas
Beautiful pictures and wonderful story… Thank you for passing it on…