We left the hotel on Friday at 10:30 am bound for Fraser, south of Whitehorse and into British Columbia to the border with the USA. The weather was clear and crisp, the view from the van continually inspirational. I am overwhelmed by the beauty of southern Yukon.
First stop was Mt. Lorne, a hamlet of 437 (according to the 2016 census). We did not discover a commercial centre but we did stop at the modern community centre. There is an impressive electricity-generating covered picnic area and inside the centre meeting rooms and a small book exchange. And lovely flushing toilets, not an insignificant amenity in rural Yukon!
Next stop – Emerald Lake, a wonderfully green body of water set in rolling hills with mountains in the background. My photos do not do this beautiful place justice!
After gorging on the beauty of Emerald Lake we continued on the road south stopping at the world’s smallest desert. It is not strictly a desert but dunes of dried silt left behind eons ago when glaciers retreated through this area. Clicking on the photos will bring up a larger version.
Carcross is the hometown of the Tagish and Tlinglit First Nations people and was a major stopping point for early prospectors travelling from Skagway on the coast to the Klondike goldrush. Rumour has it that Donald Trump’s grandfather owned a brothel in this area which was the source of his later wealth. (Trump brothel article.) Carcross is now a major summer attraction with tourists pouring in overland from Whitehorse and via the rail line to the US cruise ship port of Skagway.
I found the village with its mix of rustic buildings and one very modern home more interesting than the touristy Commons. Reminders of times past are everywhere.
An overlook at Bennett Lake in Carcross features a staircase to the beach. Shucks! I didn’t bring my bathing suit and sun block! See the Whitehorse license plate below the staircase photo for more context for my previous statement. 😉
We had the great good fortune to catch Keith Wolfe Smarch, a master Tlingit artist and carver, in his studio. He and his sister and brother, all carvers, showed us their work and let us roam free through their studios with our cameras. Smarch takes direction from his band council in terms of what to carve for public art, and works on his own projects in his spare time. He studied in Japan and Switzerland under master carvers and says as a result the majority of the tools he now uses are Swiss.
The remainder of this glorious excursion took us to mountain-bounded lakes and streams, each vantage point more beautiful than the last. Our excellent Northern Tales drivers graciously stopped by the side of the road whenever the 15 photographers on this trip just had to take a photo. As a result we ended up back at the hotel later than planned, but happy with our treasure trove of photos.
This evening’s northern lights shoot produced less spectacular results than our first night’s shoot. Below is my favourite shot from tonight because there is little to see in the way of lights but there is a pretty good shot of the big dipper!
Til tomorrow!
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