Yukon Day 5 - Moosehide Landslide

Today we hiked across a huge landslide... so cool.

Yukon Day 4 - Top of the World, The Dredge, and The Dome

On the morning of day 4 we found ourselves in west Dawson at sunrise (the wedding of the night before went much later than the ferry runs this time of year, which is how I ended up sleeping in the jeep).  So the bro had the brilliant idea of driving the top of the world highway whivh leads to Alaska.  The view was beautiful in the morning light.
Next we went to see an old dredge that is no longer in operation.  It looked like an apartment-sized boat that tears up the ground on one side, sifts out the heavy gold, and spits out the rocks on the other end.  I was awed at the size and design of such a machine and at the same time completely horrified at how much damage they do to the land.  It is kind of sad that we as humans value gold over natural habitat.
The third adventure of the day was a drive up the dome.  The dome is a round-topped sort of mountain that is home to a solstice gathering each year and has been for a very long time.  Another stunning view!  There seems to be no shortage of beautiful places to witness around here.

Yukon Day 3 - Shipwreck and a Wedding

On my third day in the Yukon we took the ferry to West Dawson and explored a shipwreck.   I can't believe how enormous the boat was!  I also can't imagine trying to navigate such a hulking beast down a river as raging as the Yukon can be at certain times of the year.  Perhaps that has something to do with the cause of the wreck.  I also attended a wedding in a house on a hill and experienced some true Dawson hospitality.   The people here sure know how to party :-)

Yukon Day 2 - Tombstone

Day 2 in the Yukon was spent at Tombstone Territorial Park.   The fall colurs were even more amazing than I imagined.  We did a little hike through the transition to tundra and it was beautiful!  Late in the afternoon we picked a mountain and attempted to climb it.  The plants up there were fantastic.   Such cool little alpine species.  Unfortunately we did not make it to the top... daylight fades fast in the mountains!   And we figured climbing down in the dark wasn't a good idea.  Even half way up was enough to get a stunning view however.

Yukon Day 1 - Five Fingers

It took three flights to get here, but here I am in the Yukon!  The lil' bro picked me up from the airport in Whitehorse and we are Dawson-bound.  There was a fantastic little hike to five fingers rapids on the Yukon river we checked out on our way.  The view was absolutely stunning with vibrant fall colours...  looks like I came to visit at the right time of year!

New Development

Unfortunately I haven't posted anything this year!  My apologies.  I have had a very busy summer and no laptop in the field.  However, I just discovered that I can blog from my smartphone!  So expect some entries sometime soon.  I will leave you with a photo of a pitcher plant for the time being. -JR

Blister Beetle

Lytta nuttalli: Nuttall's blister beetle.  Found tons of them south of Shaunavon, SK early July 2012 eating Astragalus sp.(milk-vetch).