In search of some sun
We’re having a very gentle start to winter, but the skies are almost always cloudy, and that’s affecting many of us. Yesterday I fired up the Jeep and went looking for some sun.
I went to bed very early the night before last because the skies had cleared late in the day and there was a good aurora forecast. I shot this and a few more photos over a few minutes starting at 02:20. Any aurora is a good aurora, but I kept an eye on the sky to see if this display got good enough to drive to a better viewing spot. It didn’t – clouds moved in.
Yesterday began as most do with 20 minutes under my SAD light. One of the realities of climate change in the Yukon is that the clear skies and deep cold of 30 years ago are gone – winters are much warmer and the skies are often cloudy. That makes a full-spectrum SAD light an even more important self-care tool for some of us to deal with the darkness. I bought the light many years ago, and it was an excellent investment.
Right at noon, with the temperature at -12°C, I headed up the driveway. The only possible sun in the weather reports was to the south – Skagway was reporting some sun. But I was hoping for some in areas not covered in weather reports – Carcross was my biggest hope.
For quite a few miles down the South Klondike Highway I was right on the eastern edge of a massive cloud bank. I was in the dark but the mountains just two miles to my left were in brilliant sunshine. So close…
That clearing didn’t last, though, and it was all clouds long before reaching Carcross. My first stop was at the Bove Island viewpoint.
Looking south from the viewpoint didn’t look at all positive, but after a few minutes pondering the situation I kept going anyway.
I went as far as the viewpoint over Tutshi Lake. There was no hint of clearing from there, so I gave up and turned around with no particular plan.
The frozen waterfalls at the old Venus silver mine are always photogenic, and I decided to see what I could do with them. Most of the shoulder has been blocked, but one short section allows you to get clear of the traffic lanes. From there it’s a couple of hundred feet to the largest of the waterfalls. The first waterfall was right across from where I parked.
Playing with the waterfalls improved my mood greatly 🙂
I shot a video but it didn’t feel like I was steady enough so I walked back to the Jeep, got my tripod, and returned. This is what I wanted you to see and hear (1 minute, 20 seconds) 🙂
At one spot on the drive back to Carcross I could see a mountain in sunshine over Tagish way. I stopped to give that some thought, and the guys in the Community Safety truck stopped to make sure I was okay. All good 🙂
It took much longer to reach that sun than I expected, but once I was out in it, I headed south on the Atlin Road. This is Little Atlin Lake. This is what I was looking for. I didn’t get much further, though, before running into cloud and turning around.
On the way north again, I stopped for a few minutes at the boat launch on Little Atlin Lake. Whitehorse and home were buried under that dark cloud to the north.
At 3:28, the sun was about to drop into the clouds. Sunrise had been at 10:33 and the sun would officially set at 5:01, giving us a day of 6 hours and 28 minutes. On the shortest day, December 21st, the day will only 5 hours and 38 minutes long, from 11:09 until 4:47.
The snow along the edge of the parking lot was beautiful, forming large crystals. I think it’s freezing fog that does that.
For no particular reason, I pulled into Jake’s Corner. Perhaps I keep hoping to find that the cafe has re-opened. I used to go for drives in this direction largely because of the cafe. But I did discover that the gas pumps are now owned by the company I have a fleet card for, and prices are now the same as Whitehorse. That combination effectively means that gas is 9 cents per litre cheaper than the last time I stopped, so I’ll be stopping more often. Every penny counts 🙂
Any sun is great sun, so getting out today was a good idea. I’m hoping to see a full day or three of sun in the near future, though. I really want to get down to the White Pass…
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