Whitehorse

Do you know how you can tell a big town?  It has a McDonalds AND a Walmart! Yes, even in Canada Walmart is in every big town.Whitehorse has both, plus several other good-sized stores, and I was able to get resupplied. I even managed a piece of salmon and asparagus for dinner last night – yumm.

Started the day at church – best place to start a Sunday I think. There was a United Church of Canada in town; that's a combination of Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational. And since I'm a Presbyterian, I went to that service. It was a bit different from ours at Shepherd of the Valley, especially since the service started with an announcement of birthdays for that week, and singing Happy Birthday! The music was all familiar and well-loved, the sermon connected music to the Bible, and at the end, the pianist/organist had something prepared that played automatically on the organ and he went and played the piano making it a piano/organ duet. Amazing!! And as we left the church, the pastor gave everyone a big hug, including me!! She was quite a character….

Since it was a beautiful day, and I knew that I'd be back in Whitehorse later in the summer, I decided to do the outdoor attractions. Who knows, the next time I come through, it might be raining! Miles Canyon is the spot where the Yukon River narrows between two rock walls. It's a beautiful place, and the river is an amazing color of green; it's the same color that I remember from the glaciers in Glacier Bay and around Juneau. I hiked a little along the river at a point where there is a pedestrian bridge. It's a suspension bridge, the kind that really make me nervous because they sway, but I gritted my teeth and crossed it. I'm glad I did, because the view from the middle of the bridge was so worth it. (Ted, I managed it OK, even with another person on it at the same time – memories of the Carbon River Glacier hike….) I also walked a little along the river closer to town, where the river is much wider. I'm wondering if I'll be back there when the salmon reach Whitehorse – about mid-July…..

Miles canyon

River from the bridge.

The dreaded suspension bridge.

The campground where I stayed was a Good Sam park – and although it was crowded, it was really clean and well appointed. That's the second time I've stayed in a Good Sam park, and I think I'll look for them when there is a choice.  My neighbors next door were from Whidbey Island WA, and we got to be friends over the two nights I was there. I don't do campfires, but they had one, and invited me to join them. I'd been planning dinner about 6 PM, finally managed to eat at about 8:30!  Both nights! But it was really fun to talk with Nola and Fred, and they had some good suggestions for side trips, plus Nola is a huge reader and I got some really good suggestions (and downloads) from her.Here are more photos of the river looking back to Whitehorse. 

The little minivan between the bigger rigs!!

I left early Monday morning, planning to camp alongside the Kulane Lake in one of the campgrounds there. I pulled into the one I had chosen, and parked in the place the manager suggested (he said he wouldn't charge me since I didn't need any hookups and nobody else was there).  As I looked around, all I saw were men in what looked like a work camp.  There were no women ,I couldn't find a bathroom, and there was not much else around. I started to get very uneasy¸ and finally just left and found another campground. When I walked into the office of that one, the manager was a woman, and there was another woman sitting at a table in the room sewing on a Bernina. Talk about feeling right at home!!

I had wanted to camp on the lake because Jane told me it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. I have to agree – the south end of the lake as I drove around just took my breath away. There were ranks of tall mountains, glaciers, the lake, and not any traffic.  I can't think of anywhere else I've been that was more beautiful.

South end of Kluane Lake

View from a rest stop

Tonight (Monday) is very windy and cool, and there isn't much of an internet connection – e-mail and banking only the manager told me, so I'm writing now but will post tomorrow.

Tomorrow I cross the border and I'll be back in the USA.  Not sure just where I'm going to go, since I'm a bit early here, but I'm sure I'll find something to occupy me!!