Arizona Desert Rats

Hello from Whitehorse Yukon April 28, 2013

We arrived Whitehorse around noon after a morning of mixed road conditions and weather.

Upon awakening in Watson Lake to a snow covered vehicle, we emptied the hotel room of all our stuff, then stopped in the restaurant for breakfast. The forecast didn't look good for the upcoming drive and we were both a bit apprehensive, so after we had sat down and received the menu, we decided we couldn't eat. Pulled out of Watson Lake at 6:35 am.

Andreas Hotel, Watson Lake

Not far down the road Gordon said that the road condition was better today than yesterday. About 20 miles east of Teslin we ran into about 8" of snow on the road with just the centre as a driving lane. Upon meeting another vehicle we had to move into the heavy snow. Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive! Those conditions lasted until we arrived at Teslin.

Leaving Watson Lake

The Teslin River is one big river, but there are several very large rivers in the north. I took pictures of them, but everything was snow covered, so they all look like a great white field. The bridge that spans the river is impresive. Stopped in Teslin for fuel for the vehicle and for the passengers, and for a much needed break.

Looking out windshield at road

After Teslin the driving conditions changed dramatically. Imagine a totally clear road and even though we didn't get clear skies, it lightened up considerably and we thought that maybe spring was coming to the land of the midnight sun.

More Alaska Highway Scenery

Arriving in Whitehorse we went directly to the Westmark where Saralee, our boss, had us booked in for tomorrow and Tuesday. She came and booked us in for tonight at no expense to us. We had some down time, much needed by Gordon, then walked down to Tim Horton's for a bowl of soup. There is a cold wind blowing so we didn't take any sightseeing walks.

The pictures are mostly taken looking straight onto the road.

Teslin, Yukon

Just a bit of history: "On August 16, 1896, gold was found in the Klondike and the Yukon changed forever.

Though the goldfields were more than 500 kilometres from, the city exists because of gold fever. Stampeders hoping to strike it rich first had to navigate the treacherous waters of Miles Canyon and the White Horse Rapids, south of the present day city. In 1897, two entrepreneurs built a tramway to carry goods and small boats around the rapids - for a fee. At the head of the tramway on the east bank a tent town grew out of the forest: Canyon City.

Bridge over Teslin River

In 1900, construction of the White Pass & Yukon Route railway from Skagway was completed and Canyon City was abandoned as a new settlement called Whitehorse came into being at its railhead.

For years, the city continued to be the Yukon's transportation hub, connecting the railway and riverboat traffic. In 1920 the first plane landed. In 1942 thousands of US Army personnel arrived to build the Alaska Highway. In a record-breaking eight months and 23 days, 1,534 miles of highway were laid down.

Statues in Teslin

Whitehorse was incorporated as a city in 1950 and in 1953 became the territorial capital, replacing Dawson City. Whitehorse is on the banks of the Yukon River."

The only four legged wildlife we saw today was a fox running across the highway shortly after leaving Watson. Other than that, three little birds were sitting on the snow covered road and flew away before I could get a picture. So, when we saw these moose we thought it was a must to get their picture!