Day 34 - Watson Lake, YT to Whitehorse, YT - 350 Miles
I left Watson Lake and headed west to Whitehorse, Yukon, which is the Yukon’s largest (only) city. About 70% of the territory’s population lives in Whitehorse. It even has two quilt shops, I only checked out one, the Bear's Paw. I’ll be staying in Whitehorse tomorrow as well so I will be able to explore the town a little more.
Along the way, I crossed the Continental Divide again, where waters to the west flow to the Pacific and waters to the east flow north to the Arctic Ocean. Today is much different from yesterday. It was sunny this morning and during the drive I saw beautiful mountains and wilderness and some evidence of past avalanches. Perhaps what I find most amazing is how much uninhabited land there is, hundreds of miles of empty forests. The second most amazing realization I have had during this trip may be how much of the forests have been destroyed by wild fires. (and in the Dakotas and Wyoming/Montana – killed by Mountain Pine Borer Beetles)
Teslin is a small village – population 450 – with a Tlinget Heritage Center. A local woodcarver made the 5 totem poles, one for each of the 5 tribes of the Tinglets in the area.
Whitehorse is a modern town; I had been expecting something more “western” and trading on the old gold-rush theme like all the other towns. Maybe it will be more rustic as I continue north...only time will tell.
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