Category: History

Astoria was the port I was really looking forward to on this cruise on the Norwegian Sun I may have passed through briefly during a drive a few decades ago, but had never had a good look at the community. A couple of history-oriented friends in Whitehorse like it,...

There aren’t too many roads in the Yukon, or even in Alaska, that I haven’t driven at some point over the last 23 years, but there’s one fairly close to Whitehorse that I hadn’t seen completely yet – the Aishihik Road (that’s pronounced ay-shee-ack). The furthest I’d been up...

With good weather continuing, I’m still not spending much time at home, so I’m getting further and further behind with my postings here (as well as a few other projects). I got up at 1:00 to watch a good Northern Lights show this morning, and decided to just stay...

As much as I enjoy hiking into some of the fascinating historic sites we have in the Whitehorse-Skagway area backcountry, there are times when I think that it would be great to have some mechanical assist, whether that be an ATV, a boat, a helicopter or a float plane....

The Vault, deep in Pooley Canyon on the south side of Montana Mountain, is the toughest mine I’ve ever managed to get into, and I’ve been wanting to get back in for a very long time. Some Whitehorse friends want me to take them in (having tried unsuccessfully to...

On Thursday, I went on the most difficult hike yet this year, to the ruins of the historic Inspiration Point gold mine high in the White Pass north of Skagway. I visited the site twice a dozen years ago, and have been itching to get back for a long...

Fort Selkirk is a remote ghost town, one of the oldest communities in the Yukon, and a gem of a historic site that few people will ever see. The only way to reach it is by boat, but each year on Parks Day, free boat shuttles are offered. Canada’s...

I needed to get out of the house on Friday, and with the weather looking not too bad in both Whitehorse and Skagway (though a possibility of showers in both places), decided to take the bike down the highway to the coast. That plan didn’t work out, however. As...

For 3 days last week, I immersed myself in 2 things that I haven’t gotten anywhere near enough of in recent years – history and wilderness. This is a very long post – after the final edit, I have 476 photos from this trip. As well as the 69...

On Thursday, my schedule called for a 621-km drive up the Alaska Highway to Muncho Lake where I had a room booked at the beautiful Northern Rockies Lodge. As usual, I was up early, though I didn’t plan to get away until the light was good, as my first...