Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
(and Professional Travelers)
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June 3, 2009 - Whitehorse |
| Whitehorse is located on the upper reaches of the Yukon River in Canada's sub-artic, 100 miles from Haines Junction; 109 miles from Skagway; 250 miles from Haines and 396 miles from Tok. Population 24,041. The Smith House gives visitors a free 3-day parking pass. Whitehorse has been the capital of Yukon Territory since 1953, and serves as the centre for transportation, communications, and supplies for Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories. Whitehorse is named after the historic rapids on the Yukon River which resembled the flowing manes of charging white horses. 3/4 of the Yukon Territory's population live in Whitehorse. |
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| BELOW: 2000 Artic Winter Games Torch Monument | BELOW: People walking on the iced snow on the river |
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| BELOW: One of the largest sternwheelers to ply the Yukon River has been restored and opened to the public as a National Historic Site by Parks Canada. Originally launched in 1937, the pride of Whitehorse now sits along the Yukon River at the southern entrance to the city. 3/4 of the Yukon's population live in Whitehorse. Guided tours available. The SS Klondike was built in 1929 by the British navigation Company (BYNC). It was the largest on the Yukon with a cargo capacity 50% greater than previous boats and could carry over 300 tons. She ran aground in 1936 at the confluence of the Teslin and Yukon rivers. Salvaged parts were used to construct a new shop - the second SS Klondike (launched in 1937) and was almost identical to the first. | |
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MILES CANYON |
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| The two RV Gypsies hiked in Miles Canyon and crossed the Robert Lowe Suspension Bridge. The canyon's wild waters, now tamed by a dam, presented a formidable challenge to the stampeders trying to reach the klondike gold fields in 1897 and 1998. lives were lost and gear scattered when their often crudely-built boats broke up and sank. | |
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| MILES CANYON: Rocks that make up this canyon are among the youngest in southern Yukon. They formed as several overlying flows of basalt lava accumulated in the ancient Yukon River valley about 8.5 million years ago. Many miners on their way to the Klondike lost their supplies, or life, passing through this canyon, whose prowess has since been tamed by the building of the hydro dam at White Horse Rapids. | |
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BELOW: the Robert Lowe
Suspension Bridge |
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BELOW: a great rock as
seen from the bridge |
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BELOW: The trail to the
rock |
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BELOW: looking down from
the trail |
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BELOW: the trail to the
rock |
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BELOW: the bridge as seen
from the rock |
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KAYAKERS |
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MOB peeking through the
trees |
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BELOW: the other side of
the bridge - and the observation area |
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BELOW: hiking trail |
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BELOW: view from the observation
area |
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below: the trail across the
river that we walked on earlier - as viewed from the observation area. |
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| Grey Mountain: These grey rocks are lime stones that formed in ancient tropical seas containing coral reefs. These tropical seas existed approximately 220 million years ago during Triassic time. They indicate that rocks underlying this part of the yukon originated in a much warmer climate and have since been displaced northward. These rocks have been completely deformed and folded subsequent to their deposition millions of years ago. They now have little resemblance to their origin as a coral reef. | |
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| BELOW: Mount Lorne - Rocks underlying this mountain are composed of volcanic strata. These strata were deposited on land during explosive eruptions throughout the Cretaceous period, about 100 million years ago. | |
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Below: Golden Horn |
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| Below: Copper Belt - Approximately 112 million years ago, hot magma, which originated deep in the earth's crust, intruded into existing lime stones. Where the magma came into contact with the limestone, "skarns" were formed, creating rich copper deposits. These deposits encouraged prospectors on their way to the Klondike in 1897. The mining opportunities in the Whitehorse area contributed significantly to the economy of the town until the mines closed in 1982. | |
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| BELOW: This DC-3 weathervane at the airport is a Whitehorse landmark. It actually spins in the wind. | |
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