Whitehorse: Around town, and moving on

For the past few days I have been sightseeing, doing some minimal shopping, and working around town: at the visitor center, the library and in my car.

Working at any of these is far better than the rather miserable experience I had at the B&B, where I got a backache for the first time in my life from working on a stool at the side of the bed since it was the only place that had a plug.

So this post is probably going to be the last one from Whitehorse for now, and will be somewhat editorial and combine several days of experiences.

Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, has come to feel like home, much like Fairbanks did last summer. It takes awhile to get to know a community: where to buy food and sundries and other goodies, restaurants, the patterns of traffic, of people and activities. Even the rhythm of the weather and animals. When you come and only spend a weekend, or a even just a week, it's really not enough time to absorb a place (especially when pounding a keyboard most of the time)!

You can probably walk from one end of downtown Whitehorse to the other in about half an hour. It's a little like San Rafael, but a bit rough around the edges. There are still dirt streets downtown, and sidewalks seem to be something of an afterthought. To me, it's part of it's charm.

(*Just now overhearing a phone call of someone reporting a bear sighting in town, right across the river from the Cultural Center... Only in the Yukon or Alaska.)

Yukon Visitor Information Center (credit: YVIC)

Places to work

The Yukon Visitor Information Center is open from 8am to 8pm during the summer and offers free wifi, but you have to log on fairly frequently, maybe once every half hour. There is free parking, but it can get busy, and there are warning signs "FOR VISITORS ONLY" because it is right next door to the territorial administrative offices, and the admin workers apparently try to take advantage of the free parking during working hours. The Visitor Center is the hub for all tourists who come through on the Alaska Highway, so it's a busy place. There are lots of bicyclists who come and visit here, too, especially to charge up devices and check email messages.

Bead selection at the Great Canadian Dollar Store in Whitehorse

The building is right on the Yukon River, and it's a pleasant place to sit outside (in good weather). There are picnic tables, and I've prepared a few meals here after the 8pm closing. Highly recommended as a stop.

The staff here is universally helpful. When I asked about where to get beads, they hit the nail on the head with suggesting I go to the Indian Craft Shop on Main Street or the Great Canadian Dollar Store. It took me awhile to find the latter, but it was OMG so worth it.

The Whitehorse Library is right next to the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Center and is another place that is great to work. It's a beautiful facility right on the Yukon River. It's open 7 days a week, until 9pm Monday-Thursday and until 6pm the other days. There is an outdoor balcony space that is perfectly lovely. There are even outdoor outlets, so you can plug your laptop and watch the birds soaring above and the white cliffs across the river while working. There are flowers and vegetables growing in planters and nice picnic tables.

Outdoor balcony space at the Whitehorse Library; Yukon River in the background

I would never have known about this unless a friendly librarian saw me working out on the table and said, "You know, there is a really nice space outside of the library on the second floor."

Wifi here is MUCH better than it was last year. It's fast, and there are no more time limits. You just log on and that's it. It's wonderful.

Plus, BONUS! Wifi is always on, and you can access it in the parking lot. So after hours, there's a steady stream of people coming to check email or whatever. I confess that the past couple of nights I've plugged my phone into the car battery and watched some movie episodes through Amazon Prime, streaming through the library web server, while working on sewing/beading projects! It seems like forever since I've watched ANYthing!

What to do at night

Which brings me to another subject. When traveling abroad (and Canada IS a different country!), you cannot log on to Netflix or Hulu and watch films using your American account. There are rules about broadcasting in different countries, just like there are about DVDs (unless you have an "unlocked" player). However, apparently Amazon Prime does make some shows available to watch when one is abroad.

Of course, I can't do this very often. I only get 500MB of data through my phone, and I have reached that occasionally just in web browsing. Watching movies really eats up data. So I can only do it when plugged into wifi, so it was an "Aha!" moment when I realized I could entertain myself by watching The Man in the High Castle episodes while beading, if I was outside the library (the wifi in the Visitor Center shuts off automatically at 7:45pm).

Watching movies is one of the things I do miss when traveling. It's almost enough to make me stay here in Whitehorse for a few more days!

Up until this point, I have checked out and downloaded audiobooks from the Marin Co Library, and listened to them at night. Or I read books on my Kindle. Reading anything really makes me feel like I'm on vacation!

In wandering around town, I actually have found that there are TWO movie theaters in town. Haven't been to either of them (they get pretty poor reviews in general), but it's nice to know they are there. On Tuesday all movies are just $4.50 at all shows, so that's something to keep in mind!

There are restaurants here, but I'm content with buying food and cooking or snacking. It feels kind of weird to be in a restaurant alone, so I've done this only rarely. I do, however, really enjoy going to stores and shopping.

Shopping

One of the things I like to do in a new place is shop — especially in grocery stores. Here in town there are a variety of "quick stop" convenience stores, but the best food store is a Wykes Independent. Yes, Vera, there is a Walmart in Whitehorse, but it doesn't carry produce. There is a Canadian Superstore, but I've heard (from a variety of people including Adaka attendees) that it is really crowded and they often run out of merchandise; it seems to be a department store kind of like Fred Meyer. There is another grocery store up in the airport area that I haven't investigated yet.

Selection of CHEAP Indian spices

The Wykes Independent has a great selection, and I'm getting inured to higher prices. When you realize that the Canadian dollar is weak ($1= $.75CA), it's a little easier to stomach. The dozen large eggs I bought this morning were $2.98CA, 1 pt fresh strawberries was $3.99CA, 1 litre of milk is $2.79CA.

Meats in general are VERY expensive. I have mostly done without, using eggs, cheese, yogurt or nuts as protein sources instead. If something's on sale, I'll pounce on it: for instance I got a l-lb chub of thuringer sausage (one of my grandmother's favorite) for $5.99 at the grocery store in Dawson, and it lasted me almost two weeks!

One can tell this is a multicultural community, just by shopping. There are sections in the stores for Indian, Japanese, and Chinese foods, and a smaller selection of Mexican groceries. The Indian selection is particularly robust, and includes huge bags of spices like cinnamon bark ($1.99CA), fennel seed, cumin (both ground and whole seed), cardamom pods, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ground nutmeg, dried garlic, tea masala, garam masala, and a big bag of whole cloves for $3.50CA. Of course it makes no sense to buy all this, but I wish I could buy it and send it home! There are also packages of mixes, and in reading them today, I was curious that a number of cakes and desserts are mixed and then steam-baked. Tempted to try them, too!

"Jazzy's" food truck at Rotary Park

Walking

There are quite a number of hiking trails very close to town.

There is another section of the Trans Canada Trail —  a wonderful 5k loop trail called the "Millenium Trail" that goes up one side of the river and back down the other, crossing at two bridges.

I started near the Rotary Park, where a gentleman had set up his food truck. We got talking, and he said he'd had a fish store downtown, but retired. But he didn't want to retire, as all his friends just retired and then died. He wanted to keep doing something. So he bought the food truck.

He prepares the food at home, then loads up the truck for the day's sales. As far as I could tell, he was there almost every day. It costs him $400 for the summer for the permit, plus $40/month to plug into street power.

Magpie eyeing a fish head along the Yukon

When I asked him, "So, how's business?" he shrugged and said, "Well, the truck is paid off, so all I really need to do is clear the permit and groceries." He said that popsicles and ice cream go well, especially with the kids (there is a playground and water park here). He also sells cornbread and chili, hot dogs and sausage, and he's trying a new dish of chicken wings stuffed with Spanish rice ($10/plate) that he saw on a TV show and says are "going like hotcakes." He also sells carvings (hiking sticks and spoons) out of the truck, which is named "Jazzy's Eats" after his dog, who was in constant attendance.

I think he's just enjoying being out and being with people.

The trail upriver has a number of interpretive signs, and one always learns something new.

Eagle near nest

In the heyday of the paddlewheelers, one of them sank. It became a low water landmark, poking above the water. When the new road was built, they needed to remove the old ruined boat, but at the same time wanted to preserve it's memory. So an outline of the boat prow and stern have been marked, and life-sized metal sculptures of the paddlewheel and captain's wheel are placed where they would have been. There's also a (real) piston and boiler from the boat in place.

Beyond the series of signs, there were some more signs about the Millenium Trail (because you can access it at a number of different points), and an explanation about the eagle nest. WHAT??

I would have completely gone by this if I had not read the sign. RIGHT ON THE TRAIL was an electric pole with a big metal contraption holding an eagle nest.

Yukon River, above Whitehorse

Apparently, some years ago, there was a tree in which the eagles had a nest and eaglets. The tree fell down, and the eaglets tumbled out. The eaglets were saved, and the community got together to replace the "tree" and build the parents a new nest. Donations flowed in, the electric company offered the use of a new pole, and various businesses helped with fabricating the supports for the nest (it looks kind of like a big metal spiderweb), and sticks were added to entice the eagles back.

It apparently took some tweaking, but the eagles returned in successive years and did successfully raise several clutches of eggs. From what I can determine from an online search, eaglets were raised in 2014, 2015 and 2016. And an eagle DID fly in while I was watching, but, being directly under the nest, I really couldn't see anything going on. There were a lot of magpies squawking and carrying on and flying around the nest. With all that racket, I can't think that there would have been any live babies in the nest. The eagle in attendance didn't seem perturbed, rather it was just calmly watching the ruckus; it didn't seem at all defensive.

Fish ladder

I hate to think that maybe there were babies, but they were dead. I can't find anything online, and the webcam seems to be defunct.

That's life — and death — in the wild.

Continuing on, there were campgrounds and an island park that was reputed to have 18 varieties of berries. It was pleasant to have dirt under one's feet again, amidst the blooming fireweed, labrador tea, strawberries, bunchberry and newly formed raspberries.

This trail crosses the Yukon just below the dam that forms Schwatka Lake.

There is a fish ladder — the longest wooden fish ladder in the world — here, that enables fish to swim up the Yukon past the dam.

I keep trying to get here when the salmon are running, but so far I have always been too early. Maybe when I get back from Faro, I'll be able to see them.

Columbines in a riverside garden

The ladder is well fenced, as one can imagine that this place would be a magnet for fishing bears...

This trail connects with a variety of other trails up Miles Canyon and nearby lakes and mountains beyond. Miles Canyon is a narrow waterway where the fearsome "White Horse Rapids" of historic fame were. These rapids are no longer, since the rising water of Schwatka Lake reservoir has buried them.

These rapids were so dangerous, that tow paths were established along the canyon walls so that boats could be guided through the rapids attached to ropes. You are supposed to still be able to see these paths, but I haven't been able to spot them.

There are so many indications of animals near here. At one place there was a beaver lodge, and the busy residents had been denuding the banks of the river, gnawing aspens down and leaving wood chips beside the river trail.

Riverside monument

There are reminders that the river can be dangerous. There are lots of signs about the peril of the current, and at one place there was a monument to "Nicholas." In researching that story, it appears it was a 19-year-old man who jumped into the river to rescue his dog. He died, the dog survived.
—Read the story here

I walked back over the bridge to where I started. It's the kind of trail you could walk on every day and still see something new, or take off in a different direction.

Hidden spots & serendipity

Whitehorse has a community garden. I came across it somewhat unexpectedly when searching for a place to hide out for the evening. There are "public" raspberry plants, with a sign that says, "Take a handful, but leave enough for others."

Whitehorse Community Garden

There is also a dog park, and a set of interconnected trails along the cliffs that are waiting to be explored.

I happened across Lumel Studios during one of my walks around town. This is a glassblowing workshop, and it's pretty fantastic. Not only do they have pieces for sale, but you can actually participate and MAKE YOUR OWN ornament, flower or paperweight. It's not that expensive... I might even consider doing this on my way back through here. (Ahh, if only it weren't breakable glass that needs to travel, like, 10,000miles!!!) The people who were doing this looked like they were having a blast!

Glass ornaments at Lumel Studios, glassblowers

I haven't seen everything yet, and I'd like to get back to Yukon College and the exhibits there. So much to see!

One final mention was that one evening there was a bit of a commotion: singing, chanting and drumming. I idly wondered what it was, but did not investigate until the noise started getting closer. It was a parade! Led by a party of drummers, about 75 youth clad in red were marching down the river path towards the outdoor gathering place at Kwanlin Dun.

Turns out that it was a ceremony and send off for the Yukon First Nations Athletic Team that was headed to Toronto to compete in the national competitions. There were teams for archery, athletics, canoe/kayaking/swimming, rifle shooting, soccer, volleyball and more.

It was a heartwarming ceremony: part pep-talk, part prayer, part mindfulness of remembering your ancestors and what they had been through in the cold of the north. It started with the lighting of a sacred fire, to which was added offerings of the four ceremonial gifts: sweetgrass, tobacco, sage and cedar. It was attended by parents and relatives, and a number of dignitaries: brothers from other nations, the minister of the Yukon, and honored elders. They concluded the ceremony with a "Competition Dance" and if I can figure out how to put up a video of that, I will. It started out with the students' teams participating, but then coaches, dignitaries and parents all participated. Dance is part of the culture here; everyone has their own style.

The Yukon delegation of First Nation Youth Athletics

Sleeping arrangements

I know people are interested in this topic, so I'll touch on it lightly. There are some places that are better than others to stealth camp, but some can backfire.

Arctic poppy

Near the Pioneer Cemetery is a good place to park overnight. After all, the dead don't mind if you park near them. It's quiet and I don't bother anyone since I'm not parking in front of a house. Unfortunately, the cemetery is having work done, and the workmen got there before 8am, so I had a bunch of neon-coated construction workers talking about the day's business right outside my car. I'm not sure if they knew I was there or not. There was also a backhoe digging up bushes.

I beat a hasty retreat and did not stay there again on a weekday, but it worked on a Saturday night.

I did stay once at the Walmart lot, just because I was tired of moving around.

I've found an empty lot near the edge of town, and have stayed there a couple of nights. Quiet, not much traffic, and private off the street.

I stayed at a rest stop out of town one night.

So far, I've not been hassled. There are quite a number of other people in the same boat. I've seen them. They are the people cooking in the park, bringing water bottles into the visitor center, and driving up to the library at night. I recognize their cars, but we try to be ghosts.

Arctic blue moth
(regrettably, good camera was not on this walk,
so a bit out of focus)

I do my best to be neat and clean as possible, to keep my hair combed and wear some jewelry so that I don't LOOK like a vagrant.

As I may have mentioned before, there is a VERY fine line between being homeless and being on vacation.

So... it's time to wrap up here and head out of town. I'll be going up to Faro and Ross River, and maybe get some kayaking in on the way. I'm hoping that the weather will at least hold. I'll need to come back to Whitehorse to get the car serviced (35,000miles), and then on to Yellowknife and Hay River and points east.

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I couldn't figure out where to put this story, but wanted to keep it for my own memory, so read or not as you wish.

One sunny day I was out charging up my phone with the solar panel while working on my beading on a table outside the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Center and the Whitehorse Library (which is at one end of the Cultural Center building). I had a very interesting conversation with a local First Nations man who plopped himself down, admired my work, and proceeded to talk about drugs, drinking and life. He had just come out of the library, where he had been listening to Mozart's Requiem. "I really like Bach, but Mozart's Requiem just gets to me," he said. "Joe" was at a crossroads. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with life. He got a government check, but for the past seven years had turned it all over to his landlord, who he kind of used like a bank. "In fact," he said, "Let me see if I can get $20." He was confused, had gone through his teen years trying lots of drugs. He attributed his father with getting him clean the first time. "At 17, I was so strung out on LSD, I didn't know where I was, and I was afraid." His dad kept him home while he was coming down from his trip, and got him to a rehab facility where he was able remain drug free for about three years. It has been a continuing battle ever since. While he doesn't do drugs anymore, he does drink. I asked him what he liked about alcohol, and he replied, "I'm more outgoing, people like me and think I'm funny." It's entirely possibly that he was drunk at the moment!
He said he was thinking about going back to school. He wanted to do something with his life and thought that social work could be something he'd really like. "I'd like to help people," he said. I asked how he could manage to go to school, and he laughed and said, "Yukon College. There's assistance for native people." When it started to rain, he got out his umbrella and held it over both of us. It was an endearing gesture.
He eventually walked off, leaving me to think.