Valentine’s Day with Yukon wildlife & huskies
Saturday was Day 11 of our Yukon Quest tour – the final full day. It was a day to see some Yukon wildlife, and one last look at the world of dog sledding.
Our first stop was at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, which opened early for us and had the bus warmed up for our tour around the 700-acre property.
The wildlife-design touques in the little gift shop were a hit 🙂
At each of the major animal pens, we got off the bus and our guide, Maureen, did an excellent job of describing the animals and their lives in the wild and at the preserve. This is one of the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae).
In all of my trips to the preserve (Cathy and I are members), I’d never seen the moose (Alces alces) right up at the fence before. This is the only moose at the preserve now – 3 others have died of old age in recent years.
Across from moose habitat is the pasture and forest where a large herd of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) live. Although the deer could jump the fence if they wanted to, life there is apparently good – in fact a couple of years ago a wild mule deer jumped into the enclosure and has never left 🙂
As the climate changes, mule deer have become much more common and are ranging further north in the Yukon, and cougars are following that expansion.
The thinhorn sheep (Ovis dalli) were being particularly photographer-friendly! These dark rams are Stone sheep (Ovis dalli stonei).
The white thinhorns are known as Dall sheep (Ovis dalli dalli), and are the most numerous in the Yukon.
The muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) were unfortunately at the far end of their enclosure.
A mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) in his favourite position, high on a cliff overlooking the road. There were several up there as well as one in a meadow beside the road.
The lynx were visible, unlike the common situation in the summer when they’re usually hidden by leaves and other vegetation, but I wasn’t able to get any good photos. The little Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus), however, were very cooperative.
After our 2-hour visit to the wildlife preserve, we drove to Muktuk Adventures, a sled dog kennel operated by Frank Turner and Anne Taylor. As well as spending some time with the dogs, the Muktuk staff was preparing a special farewell lunch for us.
Staying in Valentine’s mode, there was plenty of Husky Love to go around with their 126 dogs 🙂 I’ve been to Muktuk many times over the years, both winter and summer, and always love it – these dogs have great lives.
The walls of the dining room are filled with posters and other memorabilia from Yukon Quest race history, going right back to the first one in 1984.
Frank Turner truly is a mushing legend in the Yukon. He attempted the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest 24 times in 25 years, crossed the finish line 17 times, placed in the top six 10 times, and won the race once, in 1995. Working on the Rules Committee for the race now, he keeps up with the details of the sport, and can tell stories all day.
Frank’s stories certainly keep people’s attention. Our lunch was as delicious as it sounded, with bison, elk and Arctic char as well as salad, potatoes and vegetables.
The 3 hours that we spent at Muktuk was a great way to wind the trip up. I was hoping that a Northern Lights show would be the bonus, but although I checked several times during the night as the forecast was good and the skies clear, no luck.
At 03:20, I drove back into town to take everyone to the airport for their first flight of the day, to Vancouver. It really was an awesome trip to be able to share with my new friends, and I’m sorry to see it end. But, in 10 days I fly to Vancouver for the next Adventure, bringing a U-Haul up to Whitehorse – and I have a lot of work to get done around the house in those 10 days 🙂
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