Yukon Quest

by

Kluane Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, with the Colorado Traveling Ducks

We are leaving the beautful Lake Kluane.

Leaving Kluane Lake

About an hour later we arrived at Haines Junction.

Passing through Haines Junction. With mandatory stop for gas

We stayed here on the way north.   This is really is a Junction.   You can drive to Haines, Alaska, a port city, or continue south on the Alaska Highway.  A rule of travel in the far north.   Never pass a gas station.   The next one may be closed or out of fuel.   So we stopped in Haines Junction for gas and fresh sodas.

Alaska highway heading to Whitehorse, Canadian Yukon

We are continuing south towards Whitehorse.   Arriving in Whitehorse, we walked along the Yukon River.

Evening on bench along Yukon River in Whitehorse

We appreciate the many benches along the river.

Totem Pole. Downtown Whitehorse

This totem pole downtown by the river, is such a wonderful reminder of the native Athabascan history.

Stools near Yukon River. Whitehorse

These nearby stools are dediated to the Whitehorse Mission School, 1947-1960.

White Pass & Yukon Route Train station in Whitehorse

The White Pass and Yukon Route train station was the end of the train between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse during the gold rush of the late 1890’s.  The narrow gauge train stopped running in 1982.   When my mom was younger, she and Soapy’s mom, her daughter, flew from Fairbanks to Whitehorse and took that train to Skagway.   They say it was beautiful!

Whitehorse train station also start and finish line for Yukon Quest dog race

This Whitehorse train station is also the Official Start/Finish line for the Yukon Quest.   That is a 1,000 mile dog sled race between Whitehorse and Fairbanks.   The race takes place in February and alternates starting and finish destinations each year.

Honoring firefighters

We liked this firefighter statue here in Whitehorse.

Firefighter’s Prayer. Whitehorse

And the firefighter’s prayer plaque.   We certainly appreciate firefighters everywhere.

Klondike Rib and Salmon restaurant. A favorite!

We enjoyed dinner at the Klondike Rib and Salmon restaurant.   This restaurant closes for the winter and just opened a couple days before we arrived.   Our moms ordered salmon and halibut.   Everything is delicious here.   Of course, desserts were ordered.

Huge brownie desserts

They each ordered brownie a la mode with caramel sauce.   These brownies are huge!  And so good.

Yukon Information Center Whitehorse

In the morning we visited the Yukon Information Center.   We got information on a tour that is operating in May.   We will show you where we went next time.

Advertisement
by

Fairbanks, Alaska for a Day with the Colorado Traveling Ducks

Finally we have a day to explore Fairbanks.   We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, have spent too much time doing business with the humans.   But now, they say we have a day to explore a little of Fairbanks.   Originally the Alaska Highway, or Alcan (Alaska Canadian) Highway ended in Fairbanks.   This milepost marks the former end of the highway.

Alaska Highway Milepost, Fairbanks

The highway was built after Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii was bombed on December 7, 1941, by Japan.   That action brought the United States into World War II.   Hawaii was a territory then, as was Alaska.   We realized that Alaska was also vulnerable to attack, with no means to get military help to Alaska.   Canada and the United States decided to build a road for military access.   This helped the US and also Canada.   They also needed a road to their Yukon Territory.   As you know, now the official end of the road is in Delta Junction, with a choice of continuing to either Fairbanks or Anchorage.   Near this milepost is the Yukon Quest museum and shop.

Yukon Quest museum and store

The Yukon Quest is a winter dog sled race between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Canadian Yukon Territory.     This was an interesting place to visit.   The humans each bought shirts and other small souvenirs.   Also nearby is Golden Heart Plaza.

Golden Heart Plaza, Fairbanks

This is a great place to learn about some Alaskan people and also to rest and relax.   Fairbanks is called the Golden Heart of Alaska.   This statue is surrounded by informational plaques.

In Golden Heart Plaza

We enjoyed stopping here.   Everything is on the banks of the Chena River, which runs through Fairbanks.   Here we see the Interior Alaska Antler Arch.

Antler Arch, Fairbanks

This is the world’s farthest north Antler Arch. The arch has 2 concrete columns and a steel beam to hold the antlers.   There are over 100 moose and caribou antlers from all over the interior of Alaska.   Next we visited the Great Alaskan Bowl Company.

Let’s go inside

They specialize is bowls made of Alaskan birch.

Birch bowls

But there are many other Alaskan souvenirs here also.

Big variety

Visitors can look through a huge glass wall and craftsmen at work.   The Great Alaskan Bowl Company should be a stop during your time in Fairbanks.   We bought one bowl, made from Alaskan birch.

Our bowl

We love it.   Also the humans purchasesd Alaskan jams, oils and other small gifts and souvenirs.  The photos of the Great Alaskan Bowl Company are their photos.  We took them from their website.   We then met our Alaskan relatives at Brewster’s downtown restaurant, and had a great dinner and excellent conversation.   Mom loves Brewster’s.

Inside Brewster’s Restaurant in Fairbanks, Alaska

She always orders halibut.   And it is delicious.   We had a wonderful day in Fairbanks.   Remember we were there in early May, so many attractions were not yet open.   The Riverboat Discovery was opening the weekend after we left.

Our boat, Discovery III, waiting for us

We did ride on this paddleboat last year.   Another great thing to do in Fairbanks.   Pioneer Park has a large salmon bake during the summer, but they had not yet opened.  They have nice stores with local products there, also.   Another place to visit in Fairbanks is the Ice Museum.   Mom was there years ago.   There are incredible ice sclptures inside.  A really cold place, but worth a visit.   Also not yet opened.  When you visit Fairbanks, we hope you see many of these attractions.   Enjoy some truly Alaskan experiences.

by

Yukon Transportation Museum with Colorado Traveling Ducks

A short walk and here we are at the Yukon Transportation Museum.

Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse

After paying our admission fee, we wandered through the gift shop.   Soon you will see what we bought.   Focusing on transportation here, we immediately were attracted to this canoe.

A canoe. Introducing Yukon Duck

Yes, there are now 4 Colorado Traveling Ducks.   Our newest addition is an engineer for the train, but we call him Yukon Duck.  During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, the train connected Whitehorse on the Yukon River with Skagway, Alaska.

Train between Whitehorse, YT and Skagway, Alaska

Skagway is a little over 100 miles away and is a seaport.   Miners needed to get supplies and gold was often shipped out of Alaska.   Here is an early car for the Yukon Territory.

Early car

Most of the year it is winter here, so travel was done by sled.

Sled for traveling

Conditions were not safe for travel if the temperature was -40 (the same temperature for F and C).   How to know if it was too cold?  A bottle of Perry Davis Pain Killer was placed outside by the window.   If the bottle became frozen, it was “too damn cold for man or beast.”  We ducks don’t want to be out when it is -40.   There is more than one famous dog sled race in the area.   This sled is from the Yukon Quest.

Sled for Yukon Quest

The race is between Whitehorse, YT and Fairbanks, Alaska.  The starting point alternates between Whitehorse and Fairbanks each year.   Spectators can see the beginning one year and the finish the next.   This exhibit was something new to us.

Lost in the Yukon

Lost in the Yukon was about a plane crash in 1963 and a great survival story of two people.  These two, Ralph Flores and Helen Klaben survive for 49 days.   They endured painful injuries, starvation, weeks of -40 or colder, and the long dark Yukon winter.  In March, Ralph stomped SOS on a frozen snow covered swamp.   The SOS was seen and they were rescued March 26, 1963.   In 1975 Helen wrote a book about the survival titled, “Hey, I’m Alive”  A movie was also made in 1975.   Maybe we will watch it this winter??  In the airplane hanger, we admired many airplanes.

Planes in Yukon Transportation Museum

Flying is often the only way to travel in the far north.   We liked this helicopter, also.

Helicopter. Yukon Transportation Museum

The Yukon Transportation Museum is next to Whitehorse International Airport.

Whitehorse International Airport

We we impressed by the Plane Vane.

Plane weather vane

This sign explains it best.   A real plane with a long history and now a weather vane.   We want to show you that it really does move.   It was not very windy the day we visited, but you can see from these 2 photos that the plane did move.

Side view of plane

 

Wind moved plane

According to http://www.RoadsideAmerica.com   this is the world’s largest weather vane.  We are getting hungry.   After a great day in Whitehorse, it is time for dinner.   Klondike Rib and Salmon restaurant is next to our hotel.

Klondike Rib and Salmon

The reviews were great and the food was fantastic.   The humans ordered salmon and also halibut.   Both were very fresh and cooked to perfection.  Humans and ducks loved it.   The restaurant is housed in the 2 oldest operating buildings in the Yukon Capital.   The menu had a history of the building.  The dining room was originally opened as a tent frame bakery called, MacMillian’s Bakery around 1900.   The main building was Klondike Airways, a mail and flight business.   In the 1930’s the building was used as a carpentry shop and coffins were constructed for a mortuary in downtown Whitehorse.   Today we have this Quaint Little “Northern Klondike Theme Restaurant.”  With winters of -40, this little wall tent buttons up in the fall and goes into hibernation each year until Mother’s Day.  We ducks like menus that tell us about the restaurant, so this is a favorite with us.

Klondike Rib and Salmon tent area

There really is a tent area of this restaurant.   Great in the summer, but too cold in the winter.  This was a great day in Whitehorse, and we welcome Yukon Duck to our duck family.