Road trip – only to Skagway but it’s a start…
I had planned to drive to Skagway on Monday, but a heavy snowfall on Monday night resulted in the South Klondike Highway being closed for avalanche control between Skagway and the summit. Early on Tuesday, though, I headed south. The glorious colours of the sunrise on the peaks of...
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Midnight Sun flights in Alaska, the NWT, & the Yukon
Getting into old newspapers has once again sent me on a long wandering path. This time it was a path in the midnight sun, one of the things I love the most about the North. This little journey began when I stumbled across an ad for Alaskan Airways’ Midnight...
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Catching up: History, downsizing, and house work
It’s been almost 2 months since I last posted here. That’s one of my longest absences ever, but as my long-time readers probably know, it’s not because there’s nothing going on. It’s actually just the opposite – my life is so crazy that I hardly know which way is...
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Another C-47 / DC-3 crash site in the Yukon
A post a couple of days ago in one of the history groups I belong to was a query about a C-47 / DC-3 crash that I hadn’t heard about. The thought was that it is in the Richardson Mountains along the Yukon’s Arctic Coast. The query was prompted...
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Night sky photography fun – stars and Milky Way and glow sticks
A few days ago, a friend called and asked if I’d like to join her and her daughters for an aurora photography night. I suggested that she bring some glow sticks in case the aurora didn’t show, and when 3 more young people showed up, we had a lot...
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A winter drive from Jasper to Whitehorse via the Stewart-Cassiar
From Airdrie to Jasper on Wednesday December 13th, I had had superb weather, but I reached Jasper just after noon, stopped for fuel, and my luck with the weather ran out soon after. My rough-draft itinerary called for me to reach Vanderhoof that night – 990 km from my...
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Calgary to Jasper via Alberta Hwy 11, the David Thompson Highway
On Wednesday, December 13th, I began the 60-hour drive home. I had planned to start by heading west on Highway 1, but my son suggested that I take Alberta Hwy 11, the David Thompson Highway. He said that it was spectacular, particularly the section that runs along Abraham Lake....
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Family time – Mennonite lunch and granddaughter’s basketball
We only had one special event for my 3rd and 4th days with my kids and their families in the Calgary area – attending one of my granddaughters’ basketball games with most of the family. But we kept busy with a little of this and a little of that....
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Touring a new micro-brewery, and Calgary Zoolights
We didn’t have any plans for my 4 days with my kids – we’d just see what came up. The Johnston Canyon hike the first day was a wonderful way to start it off. On the second day, Steve and I went to a new micro-brewery in Airdrie, then...
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Experiencing the CP Holiday Train in Calgary
Being a railfan (“train nut”), you quickly learn that timing is everything, and luck counts. I could hardly believe my luck that the Canadian Pacific Railway’s famous CP Holiday Train was going to be in Calgary for 45 minutes while I was there! After our excellent day hiking Johnston...
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