Dawson City to Whitehorse

 


Today we had our longest day on the bus. It would be about a 6 hour drive straight through, but of course we had multiple stops so it was more like 9. Another early start, with bags out at 7am and start at 8am. The road is a bit rough in places and is constantly being worked on because of the permafrost. There were several sections that we were taken through with pilot cars. The scenery is lovely and constantly changing. Mostly boreal forest with lots of signs of wildfires old and newer. Hills with mountains in the distance, the Tintana trench which is a fault line, then lower rolling hills, lots of rivers, small and larger lakes and more mountains towards the end.

A morning snack stop at Moose Creek, an eclectic campsite and store. We stopped for an included lunch at Minto which is owned by the Selkirk First Nation. It's a beautiful setting on the Yukon River, and we were able to eat on picnic tables under the trees. Potato and leek soup, bannock and salad amongst other choices. In the afternoon a photo stop at 5 Finger rapids, and another snack stop at Carmacks.

Our tour manager Grace and our driver/guide keep us entertained with trivia, a movie on the Gold Rush, and a fun session of  2 truths and a lie where we learned a lot about each other!

As we get closer to Whitehorse we get more smoke from a wildfire in the area. By the time we get to our hotel, the Sternwheeler, the air quality is poor. I went for a short walk, but decided to cut it short and head back to the hotel. I think most of us opted for dinner at the hotel restaurant which was good but very busy so service was slow. I had Elk sausage with roasted potatoes and tomato ragu. Very tasty and and not too filling. A fun dinner with lively conversation.








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