On to Whitehorse

June 14, 2014

We left Watson Lake and made it to Teslin and stopped at a little museum.  The girl was very excited about the pictures and identified the bridge as the one in Teslin.  We took a comparison picture but they just didn’t quite match up so we will continue to Whitehorse and see what we find out there.  We are close though.  Our plans are to leave the Alcan Highway in Whitehorse and go on up to Dawson City.  Remember milepost 0 is at Dawson Creek.  Dawson City is where the gold rush took place in the Yukon.  It is calling George.  I think George is now on a mission.  I would have to say I would recommend flying into Alaska and taking a cruise rather than take this trip.  We are glad we did it and it is beautiful but still a long trip and I can’t say we have seen enough wildlife yet.  8 or 9 bear and some moose and mountain goats?  I think Tanganyika right there in Wichita is a pretty good deal.  We are just surprised and it really isn’t what we expected so far.  They certainly don’t have what we have clear up here in the Yukon but we did just pass a beautiful golf course in Whitehorse. 

We have seen lots of bicyclist going up and down the Alcan.  Just like Colorado. 

We got to Whitehorse and went to the visitor center.  They immediately recognized one of the pictures but said the building was long gone.  We were informed that Whitehorse is one of the most modern cities in Canada and they didn’t preserve much of their old history.  They sent us to the Yukon Archives.  I have to say the lady wasn’t very excited to see my pictures of help.  It was about 45 minutes from closing time on a Saturday so that might have been the problem.  Next we found the Airport Chalet.  One of the oldest buildings in Whitehorse.  It was built by the army and housed the workers of the Alcan Highway.  What a deal!  My grandfather probably stayed right here.  We were in room 125.  The guy at the desk was very impressed with the pictures and then another guy came up and he started telling me where they were taken.  He is a guide for the area and knows it well.  It seems grandpa was flown into Whitehorse at some point from Fairbanks and spent a lot of time down around Haines Junction, Destruction Bay and Champagne.  We won’t be going there until we are on our way back home because we are going to Dawson City and then over to Chicken and then to Anchorage.  So for now my detective work is on hold.  I spent a little time at the front desk and then they invited me into a bar where there was another guy that had an eye for detail.  Oh, where is George you ask?  In bed.  And no I didn’t drink.  I was so excited to some information.  All my information is just hit and miss but tonight I think I really scored.  Grandpa was here. 

I took Toto for a walk down a little stretch of the old Alcan Highway.  I picked up little rocks for all my grandkids and nieces and nephews.  My niece McKinley was named after Grandpa McKinley’s side so it was fun thinking of all his descendants.  I was walking right where my grandpa had been.