Whitehorse to Dawson City

Had an early start and a long bus trip today from Whitehorse to Dawson City.  The scenery was spectacular, from the Yukon River at the Five Finger Rapids, to the Tintina Trench, to the Klondike River, until we met up again with the Yukon River at Dawson.  Stopped several times along the way, including Braeburn for cinnamon buns.  I bought one of the recommended cinnamon buns for $10 (!) to share between the four of us, but ended up sharing it with the rest of the bus.  The picture will tell you why.  Enjoyed several recitations of Robert Service poetry from the bus driver, then rounded out the day with a visit to Diamond Tooth Gertie's in Dawson City, where we ended up at a front table.  You can guess what happened then ....

Frantic Follies

What do you get when you drop a grand piano down a mine shaft?

As it turns out, a fire alarm.  We had just started the second act of the side-splitting Frantic Follies, when the fire alarm went off in the hotel.  So the cast announced that we were to leave the building and gather in the parking lot across the road.  Then they followed us out and continued their patter in said parking lot.  Ten minutes later we were back in the theatre (it was a false alarm), and the show went on to much more laughter and cheering.

Oh, and what do you get when you drop a grand piano down a mine shaft?  A Flat Minor :-)

Illegitimus Non Carborundum

There is so much I can say about our short visit to Whitehorse that I could fill pages in the blog and attach lots of pictures.  Instead, let me just give you these impressions:

Sunshine ...

Great food ...

Interesting history ...

And the motto of the Whitehorse Daily newspaper - Illegitimus Non Carborundum - Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Whitehorse

Arrived in Whitehorse to a sampling of northern weather - hail, wet snow, rain, then sunshine.  Temperature is actually quite pleasant - about 14C.  Visited Miles Canyon and the Yukon River, and did  little walkabout in town after supper.  It's an incredibly clean city.  The building facades are very Gold Rush, giving it a frontier feel.  Looking forward to spending more time sightseeing tomorrow.

Air North

Nice airline, Air North ...

Good news: they feed you ... free.   Sandwiches only but, hey, when was the last time you got free food on Air Canada or West Jet?  Then warm chocolate chip cookies, then mints.  On a two-and-a-half hour flight!

Bad news: we got a seat in front of the emergency exit, so our seats didn't recline.

Good news: nobody sat in the third seat so we got to spread out.  And, besides, it's the middle of the day!

Good news: the scenery is great.

More good news: the Tomlinsons sat in front of us, so I took a picture of their heads.

And away we go!

I am a sucker for beautiful bathrooms.  And our bathroom in the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel is a beauty for sure: separate toilet and shower, and a soaker tub with a window into the bedroom.  Very fancy.  Our room has a panoramic view of the runway and there's Tom with his new-found vision reporting, " West Jet, FedEx, Air Canada, West Jet again ..."
Tomlinsons arrived from Toronto minutes after we arrived from Victoria.  So nice to see them again.  Seems just like yesterday ... 
Off to Whitehorse tomorrow morning!

Best laid plans

Well, that was a bit more excitement than I needed.

As if organizing and  packing isn't stressful enough, I broke a tooth on Sunday afternoon.  Ack!  Luckily, we have this fabulous dentist who leaves an emergency number.  So I call him and he says, "No problem, I can fix that for you!  Be at the office for 10 on Monday morning and we'll have you fixed up in time for you to leave on your trip." 

And he did.  Came in on his day off, drilled and filled, sans assistant.  Thanks, Bob!  (And thanks, Penny, for recommending him!)