Everyone:

The last 20 days have been very busy here; I hosted Helpx helper Enora and put in a lot of extra days in at work. I wish that I didn’t have to work the extra days, but Enora still saw plenty of Yukon visiting Whitehorse, Dawson and Carcross. She also crossed into the USA twice to see the Alaska seaports of Skagway and Haines.

During the first week, we took in the close sights: Whitehorse, Miles Canyon, Emerald Lake, Spirit Lake, Carcross and the Carcross desert. On one evening, near sunset, we drove to the Jubilee Mountain fire lookout for a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains and lakes, with a purple and pink sky.

Because I was scheduled to work on the two Saturdays she was here, the first Sunday we visited Skagway Alaska on a quiet day when the cruise ships were not in. We toured the sights and learned the history in Skagway and Dyea, the Chilkoot Trail trailhead and the Skagway gold rush cemetery.

The second weekend, we left straight from work in Whitehorse on Saturday evening, to get some distance covered on the way to Haines Alaska. With the cool weather, we decided against tenting and spent the night in the warm van, so we could spend all day Sunday touring Haines.

Camping at a highway rest area on the way to Haines Alaska

Haines Alaska

Because I couldn’t make the time for a full weekend road trip, and Enora really wanted to see Dawson city, she and a neighbour took my van for a few days. In Dawson she took in Diamond Tooth Gertie’s stages shows, gambling and the famous Sour-Toe Cocktail.

Before Enora left, there was one more sight to see: the Northern Lights!! With the help of the Aurora forecasting webpage, we were able to see them at one a.m. on Monday.

Through all the traveling, we did get some work done on the living quarters. Enora painted wall panels and hung pine boards in the shower area, greatly improving the appearance. Wielding a wrench, she disassembled the bunk beds to make just one bed in the heated area and another in the summer room.

More photos:

White Pass on the way to Skagway

Grizzlies at Chilkoot Lake near Haines Alaska

We got very close!!!!

At Chilkat Lake Alaska with a hanging glacier in background

Enora put in a few shifts with my employer at $20/hour moving boxes.