The End of Winter, the Start of Spring

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

This has felt like The Winter With No End – pretty well everyone’s been complaining about the weather the past couple of weeks in particular. Finally, though, Spring has arrived (and it looks like Summer is only days away).

Last Tuesday, Cathy and I had to go to Carcross to finish the cleanup of our cabin in preparation to hand the keys over to the new owners. We’d barely started down the South Klondike Highway when 5 caribou walked calmly across the road in front of us.
Caribou on the South Klondike Highway
We weren’t at all prepared for the heavy dump of snow that Carcross had gotten in the past couple of days! That made walking to the cabin difficult and some of the cleanup (the outside) impossible, and we have to be able to get the pickup in to finish it off.
Heavy April 30th snow in Carcross, Yukon
It had been so cold overnight that a layer of of ice had formed on the open water in front of the cabin where many migrating swans stop to rest and feed. One of the Trumpeter swans had died during the night – here, a juvenile bald eagle is checking out the yet-untouched body.
Bald eagle with a dead Trumpeter swan
A few minutes later, one of the parents arrived as well.
Bald eagles on frozen Lake Bennett, Yukon
The next day, May 1st, Winter returned in earnest. Conditions at the Whitehorse airport were so bad that this Air North jet had to do a missed approach and circle for about 20 minutes, waiting for the near-zero visibility to improve before making this successful landing.
Air North 737 in a May snowstorm
Yesterday, May 6th, the weather improved, and I was very surprised to discover the first Prairie crocus of the year.
Prairie crocus in the Yukon
There are always an endless list of things to be done this time of year. The winter wheels on Cathy’s Tracker get more and more weathered and ugly every year – this year I couldn’t stand to put them away looking like that, so decided to restore them. It takes about 45 minutes each to go from the left-hand state to the right. :)
Restoring aluminum wheels
The weather forecast today was very good for both Whitehorse and Skagway, so I decided that a little road trip was in order. It was still only 0°C when I shot this photo of Windy Arm and the Venus silver mine mill, though.
The historic Venus silver mine, Yukon
I believe that the person camping here is a field editor for The Milepost guidebook, but I couldn’t verify that.
Log Cabin, BC. Under that snow, about 3 feet deep, is the White Pass & Yukon Route rail line.
Log Cabin, BC, in the winter
Does it look like Monty enjoys road trips? :)
Monty, my husky
Nearing Fraser.
South Klondike Highway in May
The freshly-plowed rail line at Ptarmigan Point. Clearing the line each Spring is a massive job that’s now done with bulldozers.
Summit Lake.
Summit Lake, north of Skagway, Alaska
The cruise ship season has begun, but on many of early-season days there are no ships, and today was one of those. But more tour buses are arriving by barge from Seattle.
Buses being barged to Skagway, Alaska
The sidewalks are being cleaned.
Spring sidewalk cleaning in Skagway, Alaska
Some people can remain optimistic through almost anything :)
Sarah Palin store in Skagway, Alaska
Millions of dollars worth of helicopters await the ships.
Temsco helicopters in Skagway, Alaska
I had gotten away from home very early so decided to see how work on the Dyea Road was coming along. There’s an amazing amount of granite being blasted.
Blasting on the Dyea Road near Skagway, Alaska
The road to the Dyea townsite and beach gets very soft in the Spring, and a great deal of care is needed to avoid getting stuck.
The road to Dyea, Alaska
The tide was exceptionally low, so Monty and I walked the width of the lovely wilderness beach, over to Nelson Creek.
Nelson Creek at Dyea, Alaska
Nelson Creek, looking down Taiya Inlet.
Dyea, Alaska
I estimate that the road construction, which is removing the worst of the steep, winding and narrow sections, is about half done.
This little waterfall is right beside the main road.
Waterfall along the Dyea Road
Heading home, the WP&YR bulldozer was back at work. We walked over to a section of the rail line that gets particularly badly drifted, to see how deep the snow still is. Impressive.
Deep Spring snow on the WP&YR line
And when we got back to Log Cabin, the bulldozer was already north of the highway crossing.
Clearing snow from the railway line at Log Cabin, BC
My happy, pooped-out husky :)
The grand opening of the “retail village” at Carcross is less than 2 weeks away, and work is going on full-speed. It will house the tourist information office, a coffee shop, a fresh fish store and other shops.
Retail village at Carcross, Yukon
The arrival of Spring signals the arrival of construction crews. The wait to get through this 3-km section of re-paving was substantial – half an hour probably.
Road construction near Carcross, Yukon

So that’s the seasonal progression so far. I won’t see the next stage of it, as I’m flying to Calgary first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll be picking up a new car, visiting with both my kids and grand-daughters, and making a fairly leisurely drive home via the Alaska Highway. I’ll be posting as I go along, as the weather forecast is very good and I plan on making some interesting stops.


Posted in Back Roads, Birds, Cruises, Huskies, Photos, Railroads, Travel, Winter, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 5 Comments

A Day of Spring, a Day of Winter

Posted on April 19, 2013 by

This can be a frustrating time of year for anyone who enjoys being outside. The sun is doing a good job of warming the earth up to welcome life back in a grand way, but Father Winter still pops back for a visit.

On Wednesday, I took Monty for a long walk in a new location – the section of the Miles Canyon Road that’s closed during the winter. This is a road that I drive a lot but have never walked. This view is looking back down the hill to Schwatka Lake, which is the Yukon River backed up by a power dam.
Miles Canyon Road, Whitehorse, Yukon
At the top of the hill ahead is a very popular viewpoint over Miles Canyon, the downstream end of which is seen to the left in this photo.
Miles Canyon Road, Whitehorse, Yukon
Instead of going further along the road, though, Monty and I headed back downriver on a trail along the bluff. Any south-facing slopes now are just about ready for the first crocuses to bloom – our second sign of Spring, after the arrival of the swans.
A trail above Schwatka Lake - Whitehorse, Yukon
The trail was beautiful but we had to turn around when it went steeply downhill and was still covered by snow and ice. In another few weeks this will be a great place to come back to.
A trail above Schwatka Lake - Whitehorse, Yukon
Air North’s Boeing 737-548 C-GANJ arrives from Vancouver as we start back down the road, with a light snow falling.
Air North's Boeing 737-548 C-GANJ
On the way back to the car, we saw these Trumpeter swans flying in the wrong direction for their migration. I wonder if they had to turn back when they were unable to find any open water further north. The day before, the government’s Yukon Wildlife Viewing Program posted on their Facebook page: “Big jump in swan counts, April 15: 750 at Swan Haven, 320 in Tagish, and 330 at Johnson’s Crossing (a partial count, maybe more)!”
Migrating Trumpeter swans in the Yukon
The sun came out as we got to the car, so I went down to the Yukon River where it’s broken free of the ice. The light was wonderful, and there were lots of gulls who seemed to have found something to eat there.
Gulls on the Yukon River in the Spring
The raven in this photo was fun to watch. He had shooed a gull off that high spot, and was protecting it from other gulls who wanted it.
Gulls on the Yukon River in the Spring
The SS Klondike, with the new Crocus Ridge Medical Staff Residence to the right.
SS Klondike and the Crocus Ridge Medical Staff Residence
The weather on Thursday turned ugly. Cathy called me when she got to work to tell me how bad the roads were, as I’d planned on going to Carcross for the day to finish cleaning out the cabin, which goes to its new owners in 2 weeks. The snow arrived at our home a couple of hours after it had made a mess in town, but the forecast for the weekend made it really easy to stay optimistic.
April weather in the Yukon
Molly loves big snowflakes, and often gets quite excited trying to catch them :)
Unlike normal people, I really like nasty roads, and although I tried to work and ignore Cathy’s comment that there was even a truck rolled into the ditch along the Alaska Highway, I just couldn’t do it!
April snow in the Yukon
As soon as I turned onto the highway, it appeared that it was closed just ahead at Wolf Creek. It was actually single-lane around another accident.
Accident on the Alaska Highway
Over the crest of the hill, at the entrance to the Wolf Creek Campground, this old truck was probably a write-off.
Rollover on the Alaska Highway
Just 2 blocks further ahead, another roll-over! The roads were really not that bad, but some people just can’t figure out that their normal 40kmh-over-the-speed-limit driving may not be a great idea in these conditions. With near-zero enforcement of any traffic laws in the Yukon, though, this is what happens.
Rollover on the Alaska Highway
I went to the airport to see what was going on there. It was snowing quite heavily, with a strong north wind so it was pretty quiet.
The Whitehorse airport terminal building and control tower
The plow crews were busy getting the runway useable for the next flight from Vancouver in an hour.
Snowplow working at the Whitehorse airport
When I got home, I had to dig the snow out of the wheel wells. With the temperature forecast to fall to -10°C overnight, the car would be quite well cemented to the ground by morning!
April snow in the Yukon

There’s lot of RV traffic on the road already, and it’s less than 2 weeks until the first cruise ship passengers arrive. I wonder how many are mentally or physically prepared for this. Ah, Spring in the Yukon!


Posted in Alaska Highway, Communities, Health Issues, Hiking, Photos, Policing, Weather, Winter, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 2 Comments

It’s Not Spring in Skagway Yet, Either

Posted on April 16, 2013 by

This is always a busy time of year, and this year is no exception. With Father Winter hanging around Whitehorse long after he’s worn out his welcome, though, I’ve been to Skagway twice in the past 10 days, searching in vain for Spring on the coast.

For the past few days, much of my time has been taken up by shopping for a new(er) car online. It’s virtually all done online, as the dealers here have nothing in stock that interests me. Here’s a comparison sheet I set up at Consumer Reports to crunch some numbers of possibilities.
Shopping for a new car

It’s very tough to shop for a new car when the car I want is sooo different from the car I need. What I want is that yellow Camaro, the very-short list as of right now, though, is one of two Cadillac CTS all-wheel-drive models, a sedan and a wagon.

Anyway, our first drive to Skagway was 10 days ago, in my niece’s new RAV4. The intention was to go out to Dyea, but the Dyea Road was closed for blasting. With the temperature just below freezing with a strong north wind, it was too cold and windy to go walking on the beach anyway, so we stayed in Skagway.
Dyea Road closed for blasting
We hiked up to Lower Reid Falls, which is quite lovely when it’s frozen.
Lower Reid Falls, Skagway, Alaska
We looked around the Pioneer Cemetery for a few minutes, and I got a photo of the headstone for James Mark Rowan, a Deputy United States Marshal who was shot in a Skagway theatre while attempting to resolve a dispute in 1898. I added it to my Alaska Peace Officer Honor Roll, which I unfortunately had to update on March 30th when two Troopers were killed in a helicopter crash while performing a rescue near Talkeetna.
James Mark Rowan, a Deputy United States Marshal who was shot in a Skagway theatre while attempting to resolve a dispute in 1898.
That was a very quick trip, but 2 days later Monty and I went down on our own, and spent a lot more time exploring and shooting. Before I could get out of the driveway, though, I had to get the mud I picked up on the Kusawa Lake Road out of the wheel wells. With it now frozen harder than concrete, that took a while.
Frozen mud on my Subaru Outback
Our first stop was at our Carcross cabin, to see if there were any migrating swans there. I was very pleased to find that there were 26 of them right in front of the cabin.
Migrating swans at Carcross, Yukon
There’s no sign of Spring along Windy Arm…
Historic Venus Silver Mine Mill, Yukon
…except for the rocks melting out of the slopes and rolling down onto the highway. Last year we saw a fellow in a small car hit one, puncture his oil pan and then keep driving until the engine apparently seized. At the same spot, someone else has recently punctured their oil pan, but at least stopped quickly so the towing and repair bill will “only” be a few hundred dollars.
A punctured oil pan along the South Klondike Highway
We stopped at Tutshi Lake, and had planned to go for a long walk, as the temperature had been fluctuating between 0 and +2°C (32-36°F) ever since we left home.
Winter walking at Tutshi Lake, BC
The walk got substantially shortened, though, because the drifted snow was deep and “punchy” in places, making walking very difficult (even Monty was punching through in places, so taking snowshoes wouldn’t have helped).
Trying to walk in deep snow at Tutshi Lake, BC
There are some nice frozen waterfalls along the highway, this large one just south of the Tutshi Lake stop, at Km 61.4.
Frozen waterfall along the South Klondike Highway
As my regular readers know, I love “moody mountain” images, and the peaks above Goat Lake provided a good photo op.
The peaks above Goat Lake, near Skagway, Alaska
A quiet day on Broadway – it was hard to believe that the first cruise ship would arrive in only 25 days!
Broadway in Skagway, Alaska
The salmon enhancement area on Pullen Creek is one of the places where the arrival of Spring is the most dramatic.
Pullen Creek - Skagway, Alaska
This lovely 75-foot, wooden, ketch-rigged motor sailer arrived in Skagway last summer as “Lindy” (I got some photos of her in Taiya Inlet from a cruise ship), but the name has now been removed, and I can’t find out anything about her current status. Built in Great Britain as a fishing boat in 1944, she was brought to Alaska in 2003 by a couple from Juneau.
The lovely 75-foot, wooden, ketch-rigged motor sailer Lindy at Skagway, Alaska
Work continues on the Small Boat Harbor – they’re dredging now, and I watched a barge full of sand and gravel being hauled out into the inlet to be dumped. I assume that they dump it into the sea, but that seems very environmentally unfriendly given how rich Taiya Inlet is.
Dredging the Skagway Small Boat Harbor
As usual, I went over to the mouth of the Skagway River and watched the harbor seals fishing for a few minutes.
A harbor seal fishing at Skagway, Alaska
I take photos of old houses in a rather haphazard fashion. Some day I’ll make the time to be more systematic about it – Skagway has many.
Old house in Skagway, Alaska
After lunch I went over to the WP&YR railway yard to see what’s new. Shops seems to have been busy all winter doing locomotive and passenger car work.
WP&YR Shops at Skagway
I met this set just returning from the White Pass, getting the line cleared out.
A WP&YR locomotive returning from Spring snow clearing
From Shops I went down to the main passenger car storage yard.
The main passenger car storage yard for the WP&YR at Skagway
The “Lake Atlin” car is one of the railway’s oldest, having been built in 1889!
White Pass & Yukon Route railway passenger car Lake Atlin
Near the other end of the age spectrum, the “Lake Takhini” was built in 2004.
White Pass & Yukon Route railroad passenger car Lake Takhini
I hadn’t been up the road along the Skagway River for quite a while, so went up and took a few shots there.
The Skagway River in the Spring
If you want a free bus, just come to Skagway and get it :) “Leo’s Shuttle” isn’t a name that visitors to Skagway see anymore, but the company is still in operation – they’ve had the SMART shuttle bus contract since its inception in May 2000.
Leo's Shuttle bus in Skagway
When you go for months without seeing rain, the first of of the year is quite special!
First rain of the year
There’s getting to be a fair bit of damage on the road – some like this one are flagged, but most are not, despite stories to the contrary that you may see online.
Spring road damage on the South Klondike Highway
This time of the year, with just a bit of snow left, is the easiest time to see the slash along the Yukon – British Columbia border. You can see it at the bottom of this photo, taken just north of the “Welcome to Yukon” sign, on the far side of Windy Arm
The BC/Yukon border along the South Klondike Highway
And just a few hundred yards beyond that, it’s hard to believe that this tiny avalanche chute is the most consistent producer of large avalanches anywhere along the South Klondike. The highway was actually closed by an avalanche the next day for a few hours.
An avalanche run along the South Klondike Highway
Still in exploring mood, we stopped at Carcross again on the way home. Monty, always ahead, got a few yards onto the railway bridge before realizing that he HATES open-deck bridges! I was almost ready to carry him back to “safety” when he turned around and made it back. Poor puppy :(
The Carcross railway bridge
More historic homes that I need to get more photos of, because these ones along the Nares River won’t be standing much longer.
Historic cabins in Carcross, Yukon
I saw some more swans on the Nares River, and decided that the upper deck of the SS Tutshi memorial-thing might be a good viewing spot.
The SS Tutshi in Carcross, Yukon
It was :)
Swans on the Nares River at Carcross, Yukon
The further along this “retail village” in downtown Carcross comes, the more I dislike it. “If you build it, they will come” – wanna bet?
The new retail village in Carcross, Yukon
Spring melt is coming along nicely in mid-afternoon, even though everything still freezes very solidly again every night. A pile of money was spent on the building seen here, which is now hidden by the retail village and the coffee shop has moved out for the upcoming summer.
Spring thaw in Carcross, Yukon
Well, that’s the catchup. We have another 1-2 inches of snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow, then it’s supposed to warm up. Yesterday, though, I was back at the piles of snow around the deck – I know Spring is down there somewhere!
Digging for Spring in the Yukon


Posted in Birds, Cars, Communities, History, Nature, Photos, Railroads, Trains, Travel, Waterfalls, Winter, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 6 Comments

Spring Exploring: the Kusawa Lake Road

Posted on April 8, 2013 by

Spring makes me crazy to get out of the house, and Friday looked like a good road-trip day, so Monty and I headed west on the Alaska Highway. It was -21°C (-6°F), sunny and windy when we left the house just after 9:30 – great for car-touring, not so great for being out walking. I thought that Kluane Lake would be a good destination for the day, but it didn’t turn out that way.

The little band of feral horses was beside the highway again, this time right at the Km 1474 milepost.
Feral horses alongside the Alaska Highway north of Whitehorse, Yukon
We stopped at the Takhini Burn Rest Area at Km 1487 for a few minutes to give Monty a run.
This is the view west (north if you like that term better) right at Km 1500, with an old still-driveable section of the Alaska Highway wandering off for a mile or so.
Km 1500 of the Alaska Highway
The valley of the Mendenhall River, which is a surprisingly small stream to be in a cut like this.
Mendenhall River
As usual when I’m just wandering, I took the turn to the village of Champagne, along the old Alaska Highway. This view is to the west from near the top of a large glacial moraine that the road crosses – the old road was so much more interesting!
Old Alaska Highway near Champagne, Yukon
Dropping down to Champagne, which was at Historic Mile 974 until the highway re-route in 2002.
Old Alaska Highway near Champagne, Yukon
Another significant milepost, this one just for beauty.
Km 1526 on the Alaska Highway
This semi hauling a very large mining truck box not only had the expected pilot cars in front of and behind it, but a Commercial Carriers Enforcement pickup with its emergency lights on for some reason.
A wide load on the Alaska Highway
The log storage area for the mill at Canyon Creek was going full-tilt, with trucks getting as many logs as possible out of the bush before breakup.
Log storage at Canyon Creek, Yukon
I was going to make my usual stop at the Canyon Creek rest area for a walk, but a bus full of river guides was doing training there, so I continued on along the highway another half-mile and then we walked back towards the creek from the top of the ridge. It’s actually more scenic this way.
The Alaska Highway at Canyon Creek
While having lunch at Otter Falls Cutoff, I decided that instead of going all the way out to Kluane Lake, we’d go back and see what the Kusawa Lake Road was like, as I hadn’t been down there in quite some time. Our first stop was at Mendenhall Landing, or Steamboat Landing, at Km 3. The easiest route to the Kluane goldfields back in 1903-1906 was a trail from Whitehorse, but the trail was rough and freight costs high. The Takhini River was navigable for some of its length and White Pass & Yukon Route soon announced a schedule of sternwheeler service up the Takhini to this point at the mouth of the Mendenhall River.
Mendenhall Landing, Kusawa Lake Road, Yukon
Several Indian graves sit on top of the ridge above the Mendenhall River.
Indian graves above the Mendenhall River, Yukon
Spring in the coastal mountains (that is the Boundary Range ahead) is so pretty! This is looking up the Takhini River from the small 13-site Yukon government campground at Km 15.
Takhini River, Kusawa Lake Road, Yukon
There are several of these warnings signs at the main campground at Km 24, installed after a major flood in 2007. It was caused by conditions similar to the ones that caused another flood in 1982: “Throughout the summer of 1982, the persistence of above average precipitation within the Kusawa Lake region caused permafrost thawing and hillslope failure in the basin above the alluvial fan.”
Flood warning sign at Kusawa Lake Campground
The boat launch at the campground. With no lifeguard present, I decided not to go swimming :)
Boat launch at Kusawa Lake Campground in the Spring
This ice pressure ridge was on the lake just offshore.
An ice pressure ridge at at Kusawa Lake
Heading back along the lake towards the highway, with my little buddy Nanook on the dash.
Kusawa Lake Road in the Spring
We took a little detour down to the head of the Takhini River to enjoy the sun for a while longer.
Kusawa Lake Road in the Spring
Yukon Spring at its finest! The wind in the open areas still has quite a bite to it, though.
Spring along the Takhini River
There are a few sections like this along the Kusawa Lake Road that I expect will make it impassable for anything but high-clearance 4x4s for a few days once it warms up.
Kusawa Lake Road in the Spring
On the northern section of the road, there’s still lots of snow.
Kusawa Lake Road, Yukon - Spring snow

Another fine day of exploring. In a few minutes, Monty and I are off to Skagway :)


Posted in Alaska Highway, Back Roads, Nanook Explores the World, Photos, Travel, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 7 Comments

A Look at Whitehorse from the Airport Trail

Posted on April 7, 2013 by

Arguably the most scenic walking trail in Whitehorse is the one along the airport property overlooking the city. It’s also one of the least-used, and those two things together make it one of my favourite places for long walks. On Wednesday I took advantage of a sunny and reasonably warm day to put on about 6 miles with Monty and add many photos to my city and aviation collections in particular.

The first mile or so of the trail is wide and paved, and as a result is the most heavily-used, but even then I only saw 3 people in the 3 hours I was walking, the first being this jogger.
The walking trail at the Whitehorse, Yukon airport
A few hundred yards after leaving the parking area beside the Alaska Highway, the trail passes closes to the threshold of Runway 13R (the main north-south runway), and offers good viewing of aircraft landing when there’s a south wind. This is C-FCPV, Alkan Air’s 1973 De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter.
C-FCPV, Alkan Air's 1973 De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter landing at Whitehorse, Yukon
A student pilot and instructor were doing circuits with Whitehorse Air Service’s 1976 Cessna 172M Skyhawk, C-GFGS.
Whitehorse Air Service's 1976 Cessna 172M Skyhawk, C-GFGS landing at Whitehorse, Yukon
From the north end of the airport, the trail has a few options – you can head northeast into the forest and then onto the edge of the “clay cliffs”, you can continue on the paved path, or you can walk along the edge as I was doing in this photo.
Whitehorse, Yukon from the airport walking trail
The paved path ends at the Black Street Stairs which take you downtown, to the west end of Black Street. The stairs, seen here in the summer, are commonly used as part of a training regimen – tough to beat for building up your hamstrings. The stairs are very tough on dog feet because of the ice grips, though, so I can only go there when Monty isn’t with me.
Black Street Stairs in Whitehorse, Yukon
This is a great walk to keep an eye on the city’s development. Among other things, this shot looking north down the Yukon River shows some of the condos that have been built along the river in recent years.
Whitehorse, Yukon
“The View” on Main Street is one of the newer condos in town. I see that there’s a 1-bedroom unit in that building currently available to rent for $1650/month. This is the new Whitehorse, the land of expensive housing.
Condo in Whitehorse, Yukon
Towards the south end of the airport there are some great views of our restored sternwheeler S.S. Klondike. I was pleased to see a Parks Canada van backed up to it, getting ready for summer tours – budget cutbacks had made it look like there would be no tours this year, and I still haven’t seen confirmation that there will be, but this looks positive.
S.S. Klondike - Whitehorse, Yukon
The power dam, Schwatka Lake and Mount Lorne, looking south from the south end of the runway.
The power dam, Schwatka Lake and Mount Lorne at Whitehorse, Yukon
Historically this part of the Yukon River was known as Big Bend, but I haven’t seen the term used in many years.
Big Bend on the Yukon River - Whitehorse, Yukon
C-FANB, Air North’s 1992 Boeing 737-400, arrives from Vancouver. That’s the Mount Sima ski hill below the plane.
Whitehorse, Yukon
Three miles down, heading back to the car on a slightly different path. Shortly after taking this photo, I surprised a bald eagle who had been sitting on a treetop about 30 feet from me – I didn’t see him until he flew off and wasn’t nearly quick enough to get a photo.
Walking along the clay cliffs at Whitehorse, Yukon
Spring is barely starting, but the river should start opening up more fairly soon now.
The Yukon River at Whitehorse, Yukon
The condo market in Whitehorse is already saturated, but these buildings being finished at the south end of Second Avenue are government-funded housing for a couple of non-profits. The last condo development completed seems to have given up trying to sell more units and is now trying to rent them, and yet the largest development yet is nearing completion and units have sold fairly well, even with a 943 square feet suite on the top floor priced at $376,000.
New condos under construction in Whitehorse, Yukon
Looking down Main Street, with the historic White Pass & Yukon Route railway station still the anchor building, though the last train to Whitehorse arrived almost 40 years ago.
Whitehorse, Yukon

That was a great start to my exercise program for the Spring – 6 miles in 3 hours, getting home with a very happy dog :)


Posted in Aviation, Communities, Hiking, Huskies, Lifestyle, Photos, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 8 Comments

A Tour of Yukon Energy’s Whitehorse Power Plants

Posted on April 5, 2013 by

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to notice a comment on Yukon Energy’s Facebook page that they were going to do a tour of their power production plants (both hydroelectric and diesel) the following day, and I popped a note off to them to put me on the list. Although I’ve been on the tour before, I find the place fascinating.

The tour met at the Millennium Trail parking lot in Riverdale just before 10:00 am on a bitterly cold morning. The walk across the bridge with a stiff wind blowing down the Yukon River was “invigorating”! :)
Yukon Energy's hydroelectric power plant
The hydroelectric turbines are in the yellow building, the diesel generators in the blue building. There are 3 hydroelectric plants in the Yukon – this one on the Yukon River, one located at Aishihik Lake to the west, and one in Mayo in the central Yukon. Together, the facilities have the ability to generate 92 megawatts (92 million watts) of power.The diesel generators are primarily used in the winter when much of the Yukon River is frozen and so not available for power production. For more information, Yukon Energy has posted a good 16-page brochure about their Whitehorse facilities.
The Millennium Trail Bridge in Whitehorse, Yukon
Travis Ritchie, Yukon Energy’s Manager of Environment, Assessment, and Licencing, started the tour off with a half-hour explanation of the basics of power production in the Yukon, then we went up to the control centre, from where most of the facilities throughout the territory can be controlled.
Yukon Energy's hydro-electric power plant
This is a look at the controls for one of the facilities, the Lewes River Control Structure (a.k.a. the Lewes Dam or Marsh Lake Dam). Four of the gates used to control water flow between Marsh Lake and the Whitehorse Dam can be adjusted from here, the others are raised and lowered manually.
Yukon Energy's Whitehorse control centre
This is the view from the huge tinted windows in the control centre.
Yukon Energy's hydro-electric power plant
The first stop outside was the diesel generation plant, but we just went there to pick up hearing protection for everyone – we’d tour it later.
Yukon Energy's diesel power generation plant
The diesel generators at this end of the plant are the oldest, and are due to be replaced with more efficient units.
Yukon Energy's diesel power generation plant
The Whitehorse Rapids generating facility was built in 1958 at a cost of $7.2 million. It began with two hydro turbines, and in 1969 a third one was added. A fourth turbine was installed in 1985, doubling the capacity of the plant, which can now produce 40 megawatts of power in the summer and about 25 megawatts in the winter. Turbine/generator #3 was disassembled for a complete rebuild, which is done about every ten years.
Yukon Energy's hydro-electric power plant
The green unit is Turbine #2, with #3 at the far end of the powerhouse.
Yukon Energy's hydroelectric power plant
The scale of the equipment is quite impressive.
Yukon Energy's hydro-electric power plant
We then went back to the diesel generation plant. This is one of the old Mirrlee engines that’s slated to be replaced. A study is now being done to see whether converting the newer engines to run on natural gas, or replacing them with new units that run on natural gas, would be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Yukon Energy's diesel power generation plant
This is the control centre all for the diesels.
Yukon Energy's diesel power generation plant

The tour took a little over an hour and a half. Travis Ritchie and the other staff members we talked with were excellent. Many members of our group were from some sort of environmental studies class and some great questions were asked – and were answered candidly. Every time I go on this tour I learn something new, and this one was particularly good. When you turn on a light switch at home, you may not care how it works, but learning about the entire process, including the decisions that are made constantly as water, weather and mechanical conditions change, is a worthwhile way to understand the big picture. Will power generation in the Yukon in the future remain as it is now, or will we move to wind, solar, new hydro locations or raised reservoirs, or some other form of enhancement? Right now there are many questions but no clear answers. Fascinating stuff…


Posted in Commerce, Communities, Economy, Environmental Issues, Photos, Technology, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 8 Comments

Motorcycle Season in the Yukon Has Begun

Posted on March 28, 2013 by

I’ve been watching the long-range weather forecasts especially closely for weeks now, trying to figure out when I could get on the bike for the first time. The biggest hold-up is always Fireweed Drive, the road that connects us to the Alaska Highway – it has a curve that’s always in shadow, and it takes a very long time to melt the ice off it.

With the temperature just below -20°C (-4°F) yesterday morning, I got some more cleanup done on the trees I dropped a couple of weeks back. I could get it all done in a half-day, but I prefer just fiddling around with it every now and then – there’s no point turning it into real work.

As the temperature climbed, I started thinking that a ride might be possible. I took the car down to the Alaska Highway, and decided that the bit of ice left on Fireweed was manageable, as was the loose gravel at the intersections. It was -3°C (+27°F) when I pulled away from the house on the bike at 1:30. Getting my cold-weather riding gear on had worked off a lot of calories, and had gotten me into more yoga positions than I’d been in for quite a while, so I was raring to go.

The first real challenge was finding a gas station that was accessible – most are still firmly guarded from motorcycles by huge fields of glare ice. That hadn’t occurred to me. The 4th one I went to only had a belt of about 30 feet of ice between the road and the pumps, so with both feet sliding across it to hopefully stabilize me in case of a bit of a slip, I was able to fuel up.

After a few months away from the bike, the open road felt soooo fine!! From my drive to Kluane Lake 3 weeks ago, I was quite sure that the Alaska Highway to the west would be ice-free, and wasn’t disappointed. This is the view west from Km 1453, where the highway drops down to follow the Takhini River.
The view west at Km 1453 of the Alaska Highway

Even at 120 kmh (75 mph), I stayed comfortably warm except for my hands – I’ve got to get better gloves or heated grips. Some day…

With no real destination in mind, I picked the Kusawa Lake Road as the turn-around spot. I noted that that road has now been plowed, so we may go out there in the car over the Easter long weekend.

On the way back, the feral horses that live out that way were crossing the highway, so I stopped to chat with them for a bit. I love seeing them, and wish that the government would quit rounding them up – they seem to have good lives.
Wild horses along the Alaska Highway
By the time I got home, I’d put 172 km (107 miles) on, and had a bit of a chill. I’d probably pushed it a little far with temperatures still below freezing (“how unusual for you to push things a little far”, Cathy says :) ). Luckily, I have the absolute best accessory for Spring motorcycle riding in the Yukon!


Posted in Alaska Highway, Motorcycles, Weather, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 7 Comments

Back in the Yukon, Home of Father Winter

Posted on March 22, 2013 by

I flew home from Kelowna a couple of days ago, on Wednesday, going from temperatures as high as +15°C (59°F) back to nights down to -32°C (-26°F)

The weather forecast called for clouds and showers for the entire trip except for the last hour into Whitehorse, but Vancouver was lovely. That’s the Vancouver airport in the centre of this photo looking south.
Aerial view of YVR, the Vancouver airport
I arrived at the Kelowna airport almost 2 hours early so my sister, who gave me a ride, could get to work. That gave me time for breakfast there, so I had a lot more free time between flights at Vancouver. I checked out some of the small regional carriers, Hawkair and Central Mountain Air…
…then went over to an area I hadn’t been to before, to see the construction going on there. This is part of a $1.8 billion renovation of the domestic terminal area. That’s billion with a “b” – a hard number to wrap my head around! The work is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2015.
Construction at YVR, the Vancouver airport
Construction at YVR, the Vancouver airport
A Boeing 777-21B (ER) operated by China Southern Airlines, taxis for takeoff on a flight to Guangzhou, China.
Boeing 777-21B (ER) operated by China Southern Airline
C-FMXC, a Boeing 767-333ER, lands in a crosswind.
C-FMXC, a Boeing 767-333ER
Bought new by Iceland Air in 1990, this Boeing 737-408 is now operated on VIP charters, mostly to sports teams, by Swift Air.
In the air headed north at 2:15, we were quickly into clouds as expected. The clouds cleared as we passed over Iskut Lake, on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. I saw the perfectly-shaped volcanic Eve Cone right below us, then we crossed over the Stikine Plateau where I shot this photo. I’ve never forgotten this incredible area since I first saw it from my own little airplane in 1985.
Aerial view of the Stikine Plateau in northern BC
This photo shows the view to the north down the Gladys River valley – I’ve labelled some of the main landmarks.
Aerial view of the Gladys River valley in the Cassiar District of northern BC
Surprise Lake, northeast of Atlin, is an area I want to see a lot more of this coming summer.
Aerial view of Surprise Lake - Atlin, BC
This is the military cadet camp a few blocks from my home, as we were on our landing approach.
Aerial view of the military cadet camp at Whitehorse, Yukon
Macrae was a major camp during the construction of the Alaska Highway, which is running across the bottom of this photo. It’s now a particularly unkempt industrial area.
Aerial view of the Macrae industrial area of Whitehorse, Yukon

Despite the frigid temperatures, it’s great to be home. I’ve got lots of catching up to do now.


Posted in Aviation, British Columbia, Photos, Travel, Weather, Winter, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 2 Comments

Back in the Okanagan Valley

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

Some of you are wondering what I’m up to, as I haven’t posted in almost 2 weeks. I’m in Kelowna with my Dad at the moment, but here’s the catch-up. Way back on the 8th, we had the best of days and the worst of days on the same day. We sold the cabin, and Kayla got very sick – the emotional rollercoaster was difficult.

Kayla failed rapidly, and spending over $800 at the vet accomplished nothing. There was no diagnostic reason for her failing, she was just old. On Monday the 11th, I made the extremely difficult decision to have her euthanized.

Huskies Monty and Kayla
At 11:00am on Tuesday, I flew out of Whitehorse on my way back to Kelowna to give my Dad a hand for a week. This is probably the best aerial shot of the city I’ve ever gotten – conditions were perfect.

Aerial view of Whitehorse, Yukon
The main block of buildings is Yukon College. At the lower left are the old and new prisons, the young offenders facility is to its right, and at the lower right is the oldest of the mobile home parks in Whitehorse, Takhini. The new $75 million prison opened last year, to much controversy about it being more of a hotel – see this article at CBC News.

Aerial view of Yukon College at Whitehorse
Fish Lake, just north of Whitehorse. We flew into the clouds a couple of minutes later and I didn’t see anything until we were low on the approach to our landing in Vancouver.

Aerial view of Fish Lake, Yukon
Looking across to rain showers on Vancouver Island as we neared touchdown.

Aerial view of Georgia Strait
As usual, I had just over 2 hours to wait for my next flight from Vancouver to Kelowna, so I had lunch and wandered around the airport looking for photo ops :)

Aircraft at YVR, Vancouver International Airport

Aircraft at YVR, Vancouver International Airport

Aircraft at YVR, Vancouver International Airport
At 4:50, the Fraser River was below me just before we went back into the clouds.

Aerial view of BC's lower Fraser River
Just 10 minutes later, the clouds started to break.

Aerial view of BC's Coastal Mountains
The massive Highland Valley Copper Mine, located at Logan Lake south of Kamloops, produces both copper and molybdenum concentrates from their open-pit operation.

Aerial view of BC's Highland Valley Copper Mine
Nicola Lake, in dry-belt cattle ranching country.

Aerial view of Nicola Lake, BC
Just 1 minute later, Douglas Lake. At the far (north) end is the famous Douglas Lake Ranch, founded in 1886 and now Canada’s largest working cattle ranch.

Aerial view of Douglas Lake, BC
This photo of a logged area north of Merritt clearly shows the riparian protection zones surrounding creeks.

Aerial view of an old logging area at Merritt, BC
This was the first time I’d done an approach to Kelowna airport from the south. It’s much more scenic this way, and this photo got a nice reaction on the YLW airport’s Facebook page.

Aerial view of Kelowna, BC
The weather has been quite dreary for most of my week in Kelowna, but Sunday was nice so I went exploring up Westside Road, to the north along Okanagan Lake. My first photo stop, though, was just 3 blocks from Dad’s house, at a little park overlooking Shannon Lake.

Shannon Lake - West Kelowna, BC
There are some wonderful vistas, as well as lots of well-hidden coves and side valleys. Not until I looked at Google Earth did I realize how many homes there are up Westside.

Kelowna, BC
There were dozens of cars parked at Bear Creek Park, a very popular hiking area. Winter must be over :) Just past Bear Creek, I met this California bighorn ram right beside the road. These sheep were in this area historically, but a few years ago they were re-introduced and with no hunting now, they’ve done very well.

California bighorn ram at Kelowna, BC
More sheep. On this narrow, winding road, there aren’t very many places where it’s possible to stop, so luck counts!

California bighorn sheep at Kelowna, BC
Just south of the Lake Okanagan Resort, the most deluxe of the handful of properties on this side of the lake.

Kelowna, BC
The huge La Casa Cottage Resort was a surprise.

Kelowna, BC
At the north end of the Westside Road is a large block of Indian land, home to 1,500 people according to the sign. The Okanagan Indian Band is one of the richest Indian bands in Canada, but you’d never know it from the homes surrounded by junk cars that are common here. This piece of Indian land will soon be the site of a gated community with 78 homes for sale to non-Natives at prices starting at $200,000. Indians can’t sell their treaty land, so while the homes are purchased, the land they sit on is leased.

Kelowna, BC
I kept on driving and driving, and ended up at Highway 97, which runs from Vernon to Kamloops. Just east of that junction is the historic O’Keefe Ranch, founded in 1867. It’s a historic site but was closed so I didn’t get to look around the property.

Kelowna, BC
I started back south at about 2:30, and made a few more stops. This is looking across the lake at some of the huge homes that have been built there. If you’re in the market for a home in the $2-7 million dollar range, you could live in one of them :)

Huge homes on Okanagan Lake, BC
I made one last stop at an old logging camp for a few photos. A few minutes later, a nasty storm hit, with snow and high winds that lasted a half hour or so!

Old logging camp site on Okanagan Lake, BC

Today, I’m having lunch with a high-school friend, then tomorrow morning I fly home.


Posted in British Columbia, Personal Notes, Photos, Travel, Wildlife | 13 Comments

March in the Yukon – it’s all about the Sun

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

We’re having a wonderful spell of sunshine in Whitehorse right now, and like most Northerners, I’m embracing it. Temperatures at night are still a bit chilly but overall we’re a little above average, day and night, for this period.

The weather forecast for the next week calls for lots more incentive to be outside.

Weather forecast for Whitehorse, Yukon
Most days, a walk with the dogs is the start of my outdoors day. Yesterday, Monty and I went on a much longer walk than Kayla can handle now. There’s a large piece of rolling forest land just up at the end of our road that’s marked “No Trespassing” by the Department of National Defence for their Cadet Camp, but they’re not serious about it – the main trail there is well used year round.

No Trespassing sign
This trail gives both of us more exercise than our normal short route, and there’s lots of visual variety as a bonus.

Winter walking trail in Whitehorse, Yukon
Monty gets quite a ways ahead of me often, but is great about coming back when he’s called. The odds of seeing large wildlife aren’t high, but moose in particular are around, so I carry a leash just in case.

My husky on our winter walking trail in Whitehorse, Yukon
I spent some time yesterday trying to figure out which of my neighbours is up and around, and what they’re up to. Some, like snowshoe hare, squirrels and mice, I was able to figure out, while others remain a mystery. I need to take my book, Tracking and the Art of Seeing, with me next time.

Animal tracks in the snow

Animal tracks in the snow
The only long view along the trail is this old powerline access near the north end of the trail. It looks across the Yukon River valley.
This is a good trail to slow down and look at the small details of life on. Watching for photo opportunities like these really increases my enjoyment of these longer walks, even if it does bore Monty :)

Details along a Yukon winter trail

Grass along a Yukon winter trail
I haven’t made any big changes to our property for quite a while, but a couple of trees have been bugging me. One of the lodgepole pine trees is leaning towards the hot tub and would hit it if it fell, and both of them block the early-season sun from my lounging area. This was the view from my lounge chair yesterday morning – the 2 problematic trees are the ones closest to the centre. A wide-angle lens makes it look like all of the trees at both sides are leaning, but they aren’t really.

Pine forest in the Yukon
With one tree down and the leaning tree hooked to a winch to ensure a safe fall, the chainsaw gets fired up again.

Pine forest in the Yukon
A few minutes later, those 2 trees are gone…

Pine forest in the Yukon
…and the sun now hits my lounging area 3 or 4 weeks earlier (the straw between the chairs is for Monty and Kayla). Adding almost another cord of firewood to my stock doesn’t hurt, either.

Sunshine lounging in a Yukon winter


Posted in Communities, Huskies, Lifestyle, Photos, Weather, Winter, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 3 Comments