[Kitchissippi]

The north gets little love in this forum, so I thought I would post some pics from my recent trip. I rode my bicycle from Vancouver to Fairbanks and I enjoyed the part through the Yukon best.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2777870349_93e01971e0_o.jpg

Whitehorse's Main Street
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2777870899_8f50f82d3a_o.jpg

It wouldn't be the Yukon without prospectors and dogs
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2777870475_8b71b7f6e7_o.jpg

and the crow and wolf clans
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2777870633_d300ea3809_o.jpg

Whitehorse gets my vote for the most creative bike racks:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2778726780_721d3b9736_o.jpg
This one by city hall is, of course, a white horse
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2778727052_284aaa7eeb_o.jpg
The one by their public works is shaped like valves and pipes, and there was one by a coffee place shaped like a pot and cup.

inside the Territorial Legislature
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2777871129_700d932a91_o.jpg

For a small city of 22,000 there were a few urban sprawl issues, but there were also some encouraging signs of urban mixed-use densification renewal:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2778727392_57c5beddb1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2777871237_b197d025d4_o.jpg

I particularly liked this example of new architecture that somewhat recalls older forms and materials from the Gold Rush days
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/2778727520_1bca88378a_o.jpg

[Ayreonaut]

Awesome, I hardly remember my trip to the Yukon and Alaska, except Dawson City. I don't remember Whitehorse at all.

[Kitchissippi]

Here are a few scenic panos from the road

This one is a view of the Yukon River from the Klondike highway. That's my loaded bike against the rail.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/2776161073_4b28e43e02_o.jpg

These are from the Top of the World Highway between Dawson City and Alaska. It is an awesome road that snakes high above the mountain ridges
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2776160169_d1fcf605ee_o.jpg

This was at the Canada-US border. The greenish spot in the centre is the checkpoint area.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2777015978_ba23f93d6e_o.jpg

This was the border:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2778730416_5d0ff1c1f8_o.jpg

[Ayreonaut]

Ooh, I do remember that checkpoint, the border guard took me over to the edge of the hill and pointed out some caribou. I was about 7 at the time I think.

[Rico Rommheim]

cool! Looks like a fun place to disappear and start a new life. Starbucks coffee, shame on you :(

[harls]

Fantastic pics.

I want to visit someday, but I'll likely leave the bike at home.

[Kitchissippi]

Dawson City from across the Yukon River
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2778730208_0eb8ea473b_o.jpg

I liked the way Dawson's streets are left unpaved and authentic
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2778728048_13e2d10bef_o.jpg

A block of Buildings restored by Parks Canada;
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2778728220_47a35841d2_o.jpg

Otherwise, much of the old buildings fall victim to heaving permafrost
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2777874095_6f9a655f26_o.jpg

more street shots
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/2778728712_30439ff8d8_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2777872481_f51256d468_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2777873361_22be72233d_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2777873755_fe6b2d6cce_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2777872345_3a52943e9d_o.jpg

Some sod roof cabins;
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/2778729302_1dc7510998_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/2777873569_400630fbb9_o.jpg

A new building *trying* to blend in
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2778727938_34f3de94c3_o.jpg

The native culture interpretation centre
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2777873059_e5327b6669_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2778728990_172092cdc1_o.jpg

The ferry across the Yukon River
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2777873929_162eec4311_o.jpg

An old sternwheeler boat graveyard
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2778728840_394199338d_o.jpg

The landsdcape is littered with stones dredged up from the gold rush days and old pieces of discarded machinery
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2778727808_a3b0223b2d_o.jpg

[mr.x]

wow, great pictures....must've been some trip....love the second shot with the Starbucks, it's simply contagious. :D

[Rico Rommheim]

Must be prety expensive to buy things up there no?

[Jimby]

Fascinating to see your pictures, what a bike trip!

[Calgarian]

Fantastic pictures of an often forgotten part of Canada.

[Kitchissippi]

Must be prety expensive to buy things up there no?

Actually the costs were not that outrageous. I camped out a lot ($12 at Territorial Campgrounds, or free anywhere along the road) and had to cook meals because places to eat were sometimes 100kms apart (a burger is about $8 in a roadhouse). The odd time I stayed indoors, it cost me $69 for a cheap hotel (the Midnight Sun Hotel pictured above) but count on at least $100 for a very basic motel room. Gasoline was running over $1.70 a litre, but luckily I did not need any.

An issue for me was water and I brought along a filter so I could get some from the streams and lakes along the way. This was my system, a cloth bucket from which I fetched water, then filter pumped it to a camelback type bladder:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2777067604_f826b24abb_o.jpg

[DC83]

wow, the territories are really doin' for themselves!

Watch out, Clagary!

[MolsonExport]

totally awesome pics. I've been wanting to go to the Yukon for many years. Almost did a road trip back in 1998, but instead moved (once again) across the country.

[The Trooper]

That's absolutely amazing pics. Yukon, the great north, the wilderness, the splendid nature, the fresh air, the lakes, rivers, mountains, bears, mooses, fishes and so on is Canada at his very best. That's really the best Canada has to offer. In my opinion, nothing symbolizes more what Canada and Quebec trully are than the great north. It's the junction of the english, french and aboriginal cultures just like it was when our forefathers created the confederation. In Quebec, the great north has seen our greatest engineering prowesses for which we are known worldwide. It makes me really proud that the chinese have sought our expertise to develop their hydro-electric potential.

Canada is/was and will always be a land of ice and snow. The north really epitomizes this reality. A trip to the great north is a fantastic experience and it is the best way to discover what Canada/Quebec are all about and learn about those who've cleared the land for us. Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics.

[401_King]

its like another country.

[Markus41]

That's absolutely amazing pics. Yukon, the great north, the wilderness, the splendid nature, the fresh air, the lakes, rivers, mountains, bears, mooses, fishes and so on is Canada at his very best. That's really the best Canada has to offer. In my opinion, nothing symbolizes more what Canada and Quebec trully are than the great north. It's the junction of the english, french and aboriginal cultures just like it was when our forefathers created the confederation. In Quebec, the great north has seen our greatest engineering prowesses for which we are known worldwide. It makes me really proud that the chinese have sought our expertise to develop their hydro-electric potential.

Canada is/was and will always be a land of ice and snow. The north really epitomizes this reality. A trip to the great north is a fantastic experience and it is the best way to discover what Canada/Quebec are all about and learn about those who've cleared the land for us. Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics.

Pardon my ignorance, but isn't Quebec still a province within Canada? :shrug:

[Ayreonaut]

I know one place I'd love to go in the North is Mt. Thor (which I just read is on Baffin Island. I was thinking NWT), the greatest vertical drop on Earth.

[The Trooper]

Pardon my ignorance, but isn't Quebec still a province within Canada? :shrug:

If you think you're going to drag me into this kind of debate, forget it right now. I wrote it the way I wrote it and I won't debate commas and dots and stuff like that. That's a semantic debate and there is enough sociology teachers to do that. In Quebec for your information, we always talk about Quebec and Canada separately no matter which side of the political divide you sit. This is nothing new, it's always been like that. You must know that despite being a province of Canada, we consider ourselves as a nation. And the overwhelming majority of Quebecers have a stronger sense of identification to their province than to Canada. In a sense it's very similar to Newfoundland or Alberta. That's why Premier Charest and PM Harper always refer to Québec and Canada and talk about the nation of Québec rather than the province of Québec. We must accept the fact that Canada as a whole is a country that is clearly inferior to the sum of its parts due to strong regionalism. Anyway, feel free to interpret my comment the way you want. Did you notice that in my post, I sometimes talked about Canada and sometimes I refered to Canada and Québec. I also used the word confederation. Where's the problem exactly ? I wanted to discuss about Yukon and the Great North so do you have any story/pictures to share about these great regions ?

[Rico Rommheim]

I agree, lets not get into a flame war over semantics.

[MsMe]

That sure has changed since I was there in 1983. It was a great trip though. I was disapointed that the white pass was closed the year I went. And yup, still got my gold dust I panned for. :)

[raggedy13]

Awesome pictures. I really hope to get up there one day. Looks impressive.

[Mille Sabords]

Fantastic pictures Kitchissippi. Thanks for posting them. What a haunting scenery.

[ssiguy]

Funny thing is that the Yukon has a vast majority white population while the NWT is the exact opposite with the vast majority being aboriginal.

Yukon is also a rather liberal place. 2nd place in Canada to get full gay equality rights white NWT & Nunavut were the last 2 and had to go in kicking and screaming.

I think the Yukon has a more live-and-let-live mentality and its gay/hippy/urban-escapees/loners/ tend to assert that. I think Yukoners are a very " do what ya feel" kinda people.

[le calmar]

Dawson City looks like a typical Far West village.

[Kitchissippi]

Yukon is also a rather liberal place. 2nd place in Canada to get full gay equality rights white NWT & Nunavut were the last 2 and had to go in kicking and screaming.

I think the Yukon has a more live-and-let-live mentality and its gay/hippy/urban-escapees/loners/ tend to assert that. I think Yukoners are a very " do what ya feel" kinda people.

The thing that struck me was the huge contrast between the Yukon and Alaska. I would have thought that the AlCan highway was a major cultural conduit that influenced things on both sides of the border since most goods and traffic to Alaska travels on it, but the differences are remarkable. The Yukoners remain very distinctly Canadian and Alaskans are so American in their outlook. Although Yukoners are "do what you feel" kind of people as you say, they are also "take matters into our own hands" kind of folks.

Comparing Whitehorse with any Alaskan town, is like night and day. Whitehorse seems so much more cosmopolitan and grounded than any of them.

One thing that impressed me with Whitehorse was their recycling program run by Raven Recycling (http://www.ravenrecycling.org/about/about.htm). For a city of 22,000 to get its act together like this is a model for other communities to follow. I think they even get the trucks that deliver supplies north that would otherwise return empty to take back sorted and baled recyclables south, saving a lot of energy. The city core is very walkable and lively, they have proper bike lanes across town, and get into debates about urban sprawl and densification despite their small population and abundance of land around. In contrast, Fairbanks (urban population 82,000) has no recycling program yet, has a decaying downtown and uncontrolled urban sprawl.

[Canasian]

Great shots Kitchissippi - you're right, we don't see much of the North here- including Yukon,NWT, Nunavut and Labrador. Or the northern portion of most southern provinces. I liked the pictures of Dawson City, and I loved the way the roads were left unpaved. Was that justin the centre of town, or all of it?

[gatt]

places we don't see often.thanks for sharing.

[raggedy13]

The thing that struck me was the huge contrast between the Yukon and Alaska. I would have thought that the AlCan highway was a major cultural conduit that influenced things on both sides of the border since most goods and traffic to Alaska travels on it, but the differences are remarkable. The Yukoners remain very distinctly Canadian and Alaskans are so American in their outlook. Although Yukoners are "do what you feel" kind of people as you say, they are also "take matters into our own hands" kind of folks.

Comparing Whitehorse with any Alaskan town, is like night and day. Whitehorse seems so much more cosmopolitan and grounded than any of them.

One thing that impressed me with Whitehorse was their recycling program run by Raven Recycling (http://www.ravenrecycling.org/about/about.htm). For a city of 22,000 to get its act together like this is a model for other communities to follow. I think they even get the trucks that deliver supplies north that would otherwise return empty to take back sorted and baled recyclables south, saving a lot of energy. The city core is very walkable and lively, they have proper bike lanes across town, and get into debates about urban sprawl and densification despite their small population and abundance of land around. In contrast, Fairbanks (urban population 82,000) has no recycling program yet, has a decaying downtown and uncontrolled urban sprawl.

Interesting observations. Surprising how there could be such a cultural shift as you cross the border. I would have thought that mutually living the northern, more secluded, small town lifestyle the two would be much more socially similar.

[Kitchissippi]

Thanks for all the kind comments

I liked the pictures of Dawson City, and I loved the way the roads were left unpaved. Was that justin the centre of town, or all of it?

All the streets in Dawson are unpaved except for Front street which is the northern terminus of the Klondike Highway. Apparently frost is such a problem that maintaining paved streets would be a huge cost, plus it would take away from authentic atmosphere.

In contrast, on the southern end of the Klondike Highway about 800 kms away in Skagway Alaska on the Pacific coast, everything is paved and "Disneyfied" for the cruise ship passengers. When I passed through there six cruise ships docked at the harbour (note this is a town of about 800 people) and disgorged a few thousand tourists:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3089/2793189651_97375ed5d1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/2794039614_a956b4c374_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2794039416_239a158b6a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2793189053_d2ab345ee3_o.jpg

Funny enough, most people I met preferred the authentic rusticity of Dawson. For those unfamiliar with the story of the Gold Rush, a hundred thousand people made their way to Skagway and stampeded up the mountains to get to Dawson in 1897 to try and lay claims on the land. Only 30,000 or so made it, only to find that much of the claims had already been staked out.

[Distill3d]

wow man, awesome pics. how long does a trip like that take from Vancouver to Fairbanks by bicylce?

[wild wild west]

Great pictures, I must make it up there some day.

[Kitchissippi]

wow man, awesome pics. how long does a trip like that take from Vancouver to Fairbanks by bicycle?

It took me a month, but I used the ferry from Prince Rupert to Skagway and stayed a few days at some places. On the days I rode, I usually went at least 100 kms a day, at most 160 kms a day.