DLTK's Alaska Road Trip
Day 5: Watson Lake to Whitehorse
Tlingit totems outside Heritage Center
in Teslin, Yukon Territory
We were off right after breakfast in our RV and on our way to Whitehorse, the capital city of Yukon Territory. It was quite a rainy drive but pretty nonetheless.
We stopped for gas at a nice little station run during the summer by a retired couple. They had a souvenir shop and the girls made their first purchases of the vacation. Tasha got a pair of jade and gold earrings and Kaitlyn got a Yukon spoon to start off her spoon collection. Mommy got a coffee! (I miss coffee) and Dad got Yukon fishing licenses.
After our stop, Dad decided that’s exactly what he wants to do when he retires.
For lunch we stopped at Mukluk Annie’s, but just before we stopped there we stopped at the Tlingit Heritage Center to learn more about the culture of the aboriginal people in the Teslin Lake area. It was very interesting! Tasha remembered “Pot Latches” from school (they were like pot luck ceremonies that last several days). Kaitlyn enjoyed seeing all the masks and even a pair of real snowshoes. Mom and Dad read all of the information – we learned that they woke up to 30 000 US soldiers outside their doorstep when the Alaska Highway was being built in 1943. OUCH! Their lives changed a lot after that, but now they’re working on rediscovering their heritage and traditions.
Kaitlyn got a beaded leather purse and Tasha got a blue dream catcher to match her room. We took photos of the totem poles carved by a famous aboriginal, Keith Wolfe Smarch.
Off to Mukluk Annie’s where Uncle Brenton used to work during the summer. There were a lot of neat stuffed animals lined up around the restaurant. We enjoyed our lunch of Salmon and Klondike ribs.
We continued on to Whitehorse, the largest city in the Yukon – population 23 000 or so. We drove right past it to our RV Park at the Takhini Hot springs. We were all looking forward to a nice dip in the hot springs and a long shower.
The springs were wonderfully warm and we spent a long time enjoying the water. Our showers were equally enjoyable; it’s amazing how nice it feels to be clean when you haven’t been for a while. It was raining so dad made wieners and beans for supper. Then he and the girls went to make some phone calls and play some video games while mom rested.