ATLIN TO WHITEHORSE

 OK, time to say goodbye to Atlin and head up to Whitehorse. We will spend a few days in Whitehorse and then off we go north. Or west...

The totem pole welcomes everyone to Atlin. Of course there isn't one for those of us leaving.. just a mileage sign telling us how far you have to drive so best be on your way. The meaning of the carving is represented by the three humans that are side by side. The first is represented by the Taku River Tlinglit First Nation who are close to Mother Earth and are holding up the welcome pole ethics. The second represents the people who have settled in the community of Atlin and the visitors. The third represents the hunters and the gatherers, the story and language keepers, the protectors and worriers who keep us safe and watch over the Atlin community. The rope that connects the three humans represents the umbilical cord that connects all of us those who call Atlin home.

I was surprised at the number of swans that we saw on many of the lakes we passed. 

WHITEHORSE

This is the 1st thing we was saw on the street. I had to laugh.

Staying in campgrounds, a persons sees almost every type/shape of RV. This was was designed by the owners and their neighbour made it. It was really cool and was pulled by a little car. It folded down into a flat trailer.

Miles Canyon.  Pretty darn impressive. This piece of water was quite the challenge for miners and stampeders on their way up the Yukon River to the gold fields ..mainly because the narrow channel through the canyon was followed by the more daunting Whitehorse Rapids and Squaw Rapids. We saw old photos of those rapids and its hard to believe the steamers, and other boats even got through them. Eventually a tram was built when Sam Steel from the RCMP made a rule that everything had to be piloted in. So, tram vs the expense of a pilot.  Later, in 1959 these rapids were eliminated by the power plant and dam created on the Yukon. Thats when a lake was created called Schwatka Lake. While we were there, this guy in a bathing suit is hanging around the bridge and there is a speed boat underneath. There is a sign that says no jumping off the bridge because the water is too shallow. So after I finished wandering about, he was still there. I was worried he might jump so I said, ''hey, ya thinkin about jumping?" He said ya, so I said "well I don't like your chances with the water this low." He said that it was his boat down there and his friend was pissed at him because he wanted to jump. So, anyways, I said well show me where he wants you to jump. So we walked down the path and he said he would jump from there. I felt better and so did his friend running the boat. 

Miles canyon and the rapids were the most dangerous obstacles in the 3220km length of the Yukon River until the dam was built.

Our RV campsite is just off the Alaska Hwy. There are quite a few a old WW2 vehicles on site

This is the S.S. Klondike.. but like the others we've seen, its closed for repairs. I was speaking with a lady at the Visitors Info and she said its will be 7 years before they are completed AND THEN the lady from Fed Parks said they are thinking of not reopening it even then. PARDON ME?!! What the heck is the point of fixing it then. Well, a lot can happen in 7 yrs and hopefully she will be retired or something similar. Politics.. pftt I had to use the zoom lens to get this close to it.

There is a beautiful walking path from the welcome sign, all along the Yukon River, past the longest fish ladder in the world (because of the dam project), along the other side of the river and back into town along the water front.. 5kms. Its amazing. All paved, wheelchair accessible and lots of viewing stations. We walked half of it and then saw the road and Steve decided we would take the truck next time. lol

This is considered the longest fish ladder in the world at 1,182 feet or 366 meters.  See how it curves at the bottom. This is just the right side of the ladder, the same goes for the left side as the Chinook enter the holding area so they can be recorded for sized, sex, condition and if they are wild or hatchery. They will be tagged if from a hatchery.

The worlds longest salmon migration is undertaken by Chinook Salmon which can travel over 3,000 kilometers (about 1,900 miles) upstream from the Bering Sea to their spawning grounds in the headwaters of Yukon and northern British Columbia. These epic journeys are among the longest freshwater migrations in the world, with some individual fish documented traveling even further.

I love Murals. So, I will bore you with some of the nicest murals I have seen

the Chilkoot pass

14 First Nations in all of the Yukon Territories

good beer and snacks sold here

covers the whole end of the building

Now THIS is a copper nugget! 

In 1958 this 2500 lb nugget was brought from Upper White River. Don't think anyone is planning on stealing this little gem.

This is outside one of the many museums here but this museum was pretty spectacular. We spent over 2hrs there, 3 floors and then when we walked out, I saw a building we hadn't been to. I think this must be the tallest RCMP I've seen.

This is the Healing Totem of the 2 local First Nations. The Kwainlan Dun First Nation and Ta'an Kwach'an Council. I am missing some punctuation that goes over some of these letters because I am old and I can't find how to make them on this old computer. The pole is dedicated to all the children separated from their families and to all the families who felt the ripple effect of the residential school. It represents the reunion of families and how indigenous and non indigenous can heal and work together for a better future. 

just a whimsical home with wooden geese

another mural ..a bit blurry but still nice.

yes, yes it is raining..again..still..highs of 11

There are some pretty cool architectural buildings in town. But I didn't take a lot of those photos on this stop. We leave Whitehorse after 2 days, and head north for Tuktoyaktuk. Still a long ways off. Whitehorse is about 1" up from the BC border...and Tuk is at the end of the yellow line at the Arctic Ocean/Bearing Sea.

But first Haines Junction, Haines Alaska, and Burwash Landing. Stay tuned!