Category: History

A rainy day in Lucerne, Switzerland

On Saturday night we saw a superb weather forecast for Lucerne on sunday, prompting us to plan a day trip to take the Golden Round Trip to Mount Pilatus by train, boat, cogwheel railway, aerial tramway and bus. But… it turned out to be a very different day. First,...
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From Yukon wilderness to European history in 24 hours

On Friday morning, Cathy and I were looking out our window at the vast wilderness behind our home. Twenty-four hours later, we were walking along the Rhine River in Switzerland, looking at 750-year-old homes in a city of three-quarters of a million people. It’s an amazing world we live...
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Fresh snow and sunshine – road trip to Skagway!

We got our first heavy snow of the season on Monday – far too early. It hit while I was in the hot tub – all of a sudden, the wind was screaming, the temperature plummeted and the snow was coming down hard. It only lasted about half an...
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The 1992 Giant Mine explosion at Yellowknife

Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the blackest days in the history of the Canadian North, and in Canadian labour history. On September 18, 1992, an explosion at the Giant gold mine at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories killed 9 men – it turned out to be not an...
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Fairbanks, and the drive to Tok

Over the last couple of days we’ve traveled from Healy to Fairbanks and had a look around that city, then continued on back to Tok, where we stayed last night. We arrived at Golden Heart Park in Fairbanks just before 11:00 am on Friday. This statue is called The...
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Exploring Dawson City, Yukon

Yesterday was our day to explore Dawson City. I start the day with a 3-hour tour of the goldfields and the town and then the afternoon is free so everyone can see and do whatever interests them. We had gorgeous weather so began with a drive up the Midnight...
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Sailing to Alaska, Day 2 – Grenville Channel

The 2nd day on a northbound cruise to Alaska is “at sea”, with lots of onboard activities but not a lot to see scenery-wise normally. On this sailing of the Celebrity Millennium, however, we got a huge bonus thanks to Captain Zisis Tamaras. Sunrise in Queen Charlotte Sound, off...
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Wildlife, cruise ships and an Aussie in a Lotus!

Driving to Skagway may be one of my procrastination techniques, but it’s a particularly good one 🙂 On Friday I made the drive despite a mediocre weather report, and it turned out to be an excellent day. I was on the road just before 9:30, and 20 minutes later...
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Touring Haines – Haines Junction – Whitehorse

This is the second of 2 posts describing my 4-day tour of the Golden Circle Route from Whitehorse to Skagway, Haines, Haines Junction and back with tour company Road Scholar. Saturday began cold and wet – this was the view from my room at the Captain’s Choice Motel at...
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Whitehorse to Carcross – history, swans, and storms

Photography is a state of mind to some degree – the more I shoot one day (like yesterday), the more I shoot the next time, and I start to see things differently. I get back to really seeing what’s around me. I had to go to Carcross today to...
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