June 12

Dawson City, Yukon

It was another cold night yet no rain. There was something overhead that was bright and yellow surrounded by a sky of blue. Although it was cold if you allowed the bright yellow thing to see you it felt almost warm. Okay, less cold. The morning saw us back at the hike again looking for the spotted lady slippers. Over night Marsha was fretting that some people had dug many of them up, but I felt it very unlikely. Knowing the trail and where we had seen the one spotted lady slipper in bloom we were determine to find more. Marsha quickly spotted several more but none were blossomed. I photographed the one out and identified many that would be out later that day. We felt better realizing there are plenty there. Lady Slippers or not easy to transplant since they depend on other living fugus or bacteria (not sure which it is) in the soil around them. The woods was covered with lupines as well so another photo opportunity.

After a quick stop back at the campsite we headed to town. At the information center in Dawson we purchased tickets from Parks Canada for a historical discussion later in the day on Robert Service held at that cabin he lived in for a three year period while here in Dawson. For those who are not aware I am a huge Robert Service fan. He brought the feeling of the Klondike to the world. It was special to where he penned some of his work.

While waiting for the program we headed east of Dawson to take a look at the mine tailings. They go on for miles. A highlight was a 13 km drive up Bonanza Creek Road to the resting spot of Dredge Number 4. It’s massive and the idea that it dredged out some much material continually building a pond for it to float itself in to move it along. It was 13 km up a creek bed in the middle of nowhere. Well, not really the middle of nowhere. Bonanza Creek was the site of the first gold discovery that kicked off the Klondike Gold Rush. Even greater finds were just over the hill along Eldorado Creek.

Next up was the program on Robert Service. It was an intimate discussion and presentation on him with only 4 of us in attendance. Of course I loved the recitation of The Cremation of Sam McGee while Marsha most enjoyed The Men That Don’t Fit In. After the program we grabbed a few supplies and headed back to the campground. The Parks Canada person told us about a paddle wheeler graveyard near the campground. Not only is it near the campground but only a short walk along the Yukon from our campsite. The campground is the largest government campground in the Yukon and goes in about one km. We are alone in this part of the campground all the way to the back.

One of the two remaining paddlewheelers in Dawson City