I’ve been itching to go somewhere for a while. Something easy and short – just a head-clearing sort of trip. Last week, with a good weather forecast in both places, I booked an Air North flight to from Whitehorse to Vancouver Sunday morning, and 2 nights at the Executive...

I hadn’t planned to go out aurora hunting on March 16th, but it turned out to be one of the best aurora displays I’ve seen in a long time. My usual aurora-forecast starting point, the UAF Geophysical Institute, gave it a Level 0 – meaning there’d be no chance...

Deep among the spectacular peaks to the west of Haines Junction is an ice cave that first became public knowledge in 2016, and has been getting an ever-increasing number of visitors. Recent warnings to stay away because it’s collapsing prompted me to post a hike on a local group’s...

Last week, in the middle of my rescue puppy adventure, I was honoured by being presented with the Annual Yukon Heritage Award. The ceremony, held at the start of Heritage Week, was at the Yukon Archives on Monday, February 18. Most of this post is copied from the press...

I was on the final days of guiding my Yukon Quest tour when a photo on the Facebook page of the Yukon Animal Rescue Network (YARN) got me thinking about fostering another litter of rescue puppies. On Tuesday, February 12th, I drove to Watson Lake and got 2 litters...

The final full day for my Yukon Quest tour included one of what will no doubt be one of the highlights of the trip for my guests – 4 hours of mushing their own dog sleds on Lake Laberge. We began our day at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. Preserve...

Thursday, February 7th, was the second full day in Dawson City for my Journeys by Van Dyke Yukon Quest tour group. It was a busy day, and for me, it took an odd twist. I went down to the Dawson finish line downtown at 06:00 (3½ hours before sunrise),...

On Tuesday, February 5th, I drove my Journeys by Van Dyke tour group from Whitehorse to Dawson for a 3-night stay during the mandatory 36-hour layover for Yukon Quest sled dog race teams. This is where we really get to see what goes on, both during the race and...

After watching the exciting start of the Yukon Quest on February 2, my tour group spent 2 days travelling around what’s known as the Golden Circle. That involves a drive from Whitehorse to Skagway, a ferry from Skagway to Haines, and a drive back to Whitehorse via Haines Junction....

Saturday, February 2nd was the main event that my tour guests had come to see – the start of the Yukon Quest 2019 sled dog race! The race was scheduled to start at 11:00, but the dog yard where all the mushers and dogs ge ready was open to...