On The Road towards Dawson City, Yukon Territory, around June 9th

We left Whitehorse, continuing our Northward journey.  We saw nice country and then we were in a gigantic area of burnt forest.  I mean it was big.  July first 1998, someone didn't put out their campfire and this was what happen.  It burned all summer long, and--amazingly--smoldered under the snow all winter!  In the spring of 1999 they finally got it out by painstakingly digging it out.  It was the biggest fire in  North America, over a million and a quarter acres.  So make sure you put out your campfire. 

Recovery is beginning, decades after the very hot fire

Forest recovery is very slow in boreal forests of the North

A line of trees beside Fox Creek had survived the fire.

A lone tree survivor on a hillside

Pauline on the trail that interpreted on-going forest recovery

Me too, on a steep hillside overlook

A closer look at pioneer tree species:  Aspen, Birch

At a lunch rest stop we saw huge Conglomerate rock formations, indicating this was once at the bottom of the sea

This is a nice tile sign at Carmacks, a little old Gold Rush town

Walking the boardwalk along the muddy Yukon River in Carmacks

The boardwalk led to these historic early settlers' cabins

Lots of mosquitos made sure we didn't tarry too long!

Interpretive signs described early pioneers & uses of the cabins

Even an old roadhouse (term for an old time motel)

Our route followed the river, with great overlooks

more wide open countryside, sparsely populated

Five Finger Rapids is & was one of several dangerous steamboat passages on the Yukon River

The real thing, a Yukon River navigation hazard

Rivers have wide, ever-changing braided channels

Pelly River crossing

A layer cake sized Cinnamon roll for lunch (& beyond); yum!

Welcome to Beringia, we had learned about this prehistoric landmass at the Whitehorse Museum

This white layer of soil is ash from a volcano a few decades ago--not snow...

Glacier information

We decided to boondock here before Dawson City.  (For those who are not familiar with the term, it means staying overnight along a road or anywhere without a formalized campground.)  As usual, our tummies told us it was time to stop for the day and have dinner.  One cannot depend on the sun going down--it just stays light, and the days grow longer!!

Just one more town, Dawson City, before we leave the Yukon Territory and enter Alaska (finally!).