‘Twas the day before Christmas
I had to go into Whitehorse to run a couple of errands today, so I thought I’d take some photos of what the day before Christmas looks like in the Yukon’s capital city. The photo above was taken right at noon from the shoulder of the main access road from the south, at the edge of downtown.
I think I like the look of the sternwheeler SS Klondike even more in the winter.
Another look at the Yukon River, from the SS Klondike parking lot.
I expected downtown to be crazy-busy, but it wasn’t. I found a parking spot a block from my bank, and it was even free, as the meter was out of order 🙂 The temperature wasn’t bad at -20°C (-4°F), but a strong south wind knocked the wind chill down to -33°C (-27°F).
The prospector and his husky have been standing guard over Main Street for almost 20 years.
Main Street is anchored by the historic White Pass & Yukon Route railway building, and a large Christmas tree is set up there every year.
Looking up Main Street from the White Pass building.
Another look at Main Street.
Bicycles are seen more and more commonly in Whitehorse, regardless of the weather or temperature.
The parking lot at Canadian Tire was packed, but next door, even with several people living there full-time for months, the parking lot at Walmart had lots of empty spaces.
I went up to the airport and was surprised how busy it was (by Yukon standards 🙂 ). Here, the runway was being swept off just before the Air North flight from Vancouver arrived. I had my scanner with me, and the tower was reporting gusts to 27kmh. The high cost of airport parking is a subject I see often from people in other areas – at YXY it’s been free for many weeks, as the automated parking-ticket system apparently doesn’t work in the cold! It still issues a ticket as you go into the lot but the exit gates are open. I expect that the tickets are being issued to back up revenue-loss claims in the lawsuit that is no doubt being developed.
So that’s a look at the Christmas non-rush here in Whitehorse. Cathy and I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate (or don’t). 🙂
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