To The or Not To The

There is an ongoing debate in the Yukon about whether or not there should be a "the" placed in front of Yukon. The government thinks not. Many locals think the government should stay out of it. Some say that its incorrect grammar to use "the". I think that's just arguing semantics. Others point out that we don't say "the Saskatchewan" or "the Ontario", but I would point out that we do say "the Riviera" and "the Congo". I've also heard it said that "the" is correct because the name is derived from the Yukon River and all place names that come from a river include "the". I don't know what is "correct" (although I am certain there are people who lose sleep over it!). Personally I think it makes more sense to include the "the" because "the Yukon" is essentially a shortening of "the Yukon Territory". But when it comes down to it, I find it always sounds wrong to just say "Yukon" without the "the". So expect me to keep using it here in this blog.

I'm quite sure this argument will continue long after I've left this place!

Life in a Northern Town

I was always a huge fan of the TV show "Northern Exposure". Perhaps that's partly why I've ended up in "The North". So just how closely does it resemble that erstwhile vision of life in a quirky northern community? Strange as it may sound it does have some similarities...a hodge podge of interesting characters, the "community doers", the moose walking around town (OK...so no moose, but there have been mountain goats seen atop rubbish bins, bears and coyotes).

But more than that, there is just a sense of time moving at a different pace to anywhere else. And lifestyle is the first priority...anything that interferes with lifestyle is generally frowned upon. And this includes business. So don't be surprised if your call or email is not returned; or if you can't get hold of anyone during the lunch hour (yes, businesses here actually do close their doors over lunch)...you kind of just get used to it here. But I recall that it was quite a shock for me when I arrived with my city ways of "now, now, now". You can try to keep that up but it will just wear you out and you won't get anywhere anyway. So you might as well just relax and deal with it.

But maybe these folks have it right...maybe its those of us from the cities with our obsession with instant gratification that need to reassess how we do things....life is, after all, for savouring. And surely having a lifestyle that suits us is one of the most important things we can strive for.

Storm Clouds

The strange weather continues. Anyone would think we were living in the tropics (aside from the fact that its about 20 degrees colder than the tropics!). Days are warm and end with a storm.

I captured this image a few days ago down at the Yukon River - one of the great rivers of the planet. Sitting as a silent reminder of the greatest gold rush the world has seen - the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800's - is the S.S. Klondike. During the hey day of the gold rush these sternwheelers plied the river between here and Dawson City - bringing in supplies and people to feed the goldfields - and bringing out the gold. From here (Whitehorse) the journey continued by train - the Yukon & White Pass Railroad - to Skagway, Alaska. The train still operates from Skagway, but only as far as Carcross - about an hour down the road from Whitehorse. Sadly, the sternwheelers are no longer - except as museum pieces.

Of course, today is a day of note here in the far north - the summer solstice. Whilst we are just shy of the arctic circle (the sun will actually set for a couple of hours here) just 500km north in Dawson, the sun will circle the sky without disappearing below the horizon. We will see a couple of hours of twilight down here in the "big smoke" of Whitehorse. Its a strange thing to go without true "night-time" for several months. You can always tell the people new to these parts by the aluminium foil taped to their bedroom windows.

Millenium Trail

One of the best things about living up here is that there are plenty of places to go walking. My absolute favourite that's downtown is the Millenium Trail. Its a paved circuit that runs for 5km - up one side of the Yukon River, over a bridge and then down the other side. Best spot to start is the SS Klondike.

I enjoy this walk because its

a) easy

b) has lots of nice vistas over the river and mountains

c) is full of wildflowers in the summer

d) always has lots of locals on it so you frequently run into friends along the way

At the moment the trail is an ever-changing palette of wildflowers. There are unpaved side trails off the main trail which are great spots to find wildflowers. And my favourite of these is Bert Law Park - an additional loop that goes around a small island on the river. Wild violets, strawberries, daisies, arctic roses, fireweed...all grow in profusion. Its far quieter than the main trail and also a nice spot for bird watching.

The weather here can turn on a dime. This morning the clouds were draped over the mountains like a veil. It was cold and damp. Now, just hours later, the sun is shining and its warm. You can never count on the weather being one way or another. But that's what makes life interesting!

Now is the time of wildflowers and they are everywhere. First to appear were the crocuses (above) in mid-May. Now we are surrounded by an infinite variety. It is so beautiful to go walking in the forest when the lupins are in flower and just carpeting the forest floor...

Yukon Life

I live in a strange place.

Not that its "wierd strange" (although sometimes it can be) but more "strange unusual".

I live north of the 60th parallel, and a bit south of the Arctic Circle. So yeah, it gets cold in the winter. Really cold. As someone who hails from far warmer climes south of the equator this has taken some getting used to. Well...truth be told I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

The place I live is also a vast, untouched, sparsely populated (by humans anyway) wilderness. We actually have clean air and clean water. We have virtually no serious crime but our neighbours are quite wild. Literally.

I live in the Yukon, Canada. An area the size of California, but with a population of about 30,000. We have 5 moose and 1 grizzly bear for every person here. This has also taken some getting used to...my usual home is a very cosmopolitan city of 4 million.

I came here for adventure...and I haven't been disappointed. Just about everything is different from anywhere else I've been.