Rambling

Phyl's photo






Good morning. It is 5:42 AM my time to reflect.
On a drive yesterday up to the lake and airport, trying, unsuccessfully,to take photos of flowers (it was to windy, could not focus) we tried our best to get caught in a thunderstorm. We were debating whether it was best to sit by the lake or under a tower by the airport (lightning would hit the tower) but it had to be somewhere with a view....We finally decided Phyl's living room overlooking the valley was the best spot. Sitting waiting for the storm I noticed my speedometer is reading 78043 original miles were 70614= 7429 K's It seems so long ago I was so excited about buying the car, Elsie and I travelled to Revelstoke BC for a couple of days...then off I was headed for the Yukon....Someone convert this for me...How many miles is that.....?




"Are we going home yet?"










Which reminds me of another photo I haven't shown yet...On one of our forays there was a little fox hunting for mice just off the road. I enlarged and cropped, all the fun things to do with the software and was amazed with the coloring of these little fellows.
Doc is telling me these little guys
are called Cross Foxes. He was ignoring us just off the highway next to the entrance to Faro, a very busy intersection. His tummy was empty and there was only one thing on his mind.










Phyl has been looking for large mushrooms that tend to grow in the shady woods here. On my walk with Oliver down the hills below the house I found one that only turned out to be about 9 " but the texture and colour was unusual.
We have been doing our best to identify the flowers in this area. Our next trip to Whitehorse promises a trip to the bookstore to buy a Yukon Wild flowers book. We are using two borrowed books right now.







We are on the hunt for a patch of Cotton Grass. I have never seen this down south. It grows in bogs and can cover quite a large area.





We only have a couple of weeks to gather more photos. Phyl is expecting some company from the states for a couple of weeks and then we are off on our trip to Haines Jct. Yukon and then to Haines, Alaska then on a ferry to Juneau, Alaska and down to Skagway, Alaska again. By that time it will be beginning of August. I am thinking that may be time to head er home.. My little nest is calling.
But on the agenda for the next couple of weeks is, Cotton Grass, Fireweed (hopefully in front of a log cabin) & my quad trip.
My favourite slew is still producing some lovely views.
I am surprised at how many
photos I have taken of this little spot. The water is a mirror reflecting the Yukon world around it.











At home out at Mike's last year there was an invasion of dragonflies, beautiful brilliant blue and dark dark Burgundy. I found the blue ones way up here at Johnson's Lake, and conveniently a rusty old barrel for a handy backdrop.(click to enlarge) It's hard to see the little guy so let me give you another peek...












Are we thinking
perhaps I have filled this space up completely today????? No, I have just one more favourite photo to share.
We haven't yet figured out what this is called. For some reason I think it's special...

You know, I am well over 1000
photos at this point. I am thinking
who is going to sit and look at all
1000 photos without falling asleep?
It doesn't matter, these photos will
be here for me to enjoy and remember my trip for yrs. to come.
I think this is just about enough reflecting for one morning....
Have a great day everyone.

Birthday Day Drive

Over the years I have learned how to have great birthday celebrations. Well I just figured out a new way, exploring the back roads. Doc suggested he take Phyl and I out the North Canol road to look for a potential fishing spot for him. He had not been along this road (very remote) for years and knew there was a lake named Orchay. The North Canol road connects Ross River to Normal Wells NWT. Phyl tells me she remembers my Uncle Weldon telling her about his travels up this road in the 70's for his prospecting days. At this point the road such as it is only extends to the NWT border (243 k's) then apparently becomes a hiking trail...I cannot in my wildest dreams imagine someone hiking that far...at least another 250 k's with nothing inbetween.....a few abandoned cabins like this one.....
I have been looking for an abandoned log cabin with a lot of character and a patch of fireweed in front of it...I found it....only.....the fireweed was not blooming yet....So I have to go back...
I can stand in a field like this in front of a story and my imagination just
runs away with me...How many years ago was the tarp put on the roof to attempt to protect it from the elements? How many more years will it survive? Someone owns it and does not want visitors. (hence the chains)







/
Who lived here? How could anyone survive a Yukon winter here..? You cannot travel through this countryside without thinking of and respecting the settlers....and the hardships they endured...I can imagine this cabin or home would be a luxury, a necessity, after all it had all the plumbing required. But look at this photo, Is this a sense of humour, or is this how he felt when he left his home standing alone in the wilderness. (note the upside down horseshoe)













This was someone's life story and its gone. The Yukon is full of stories of hardships endured, survival, tears and happiness and that lure brings them back to this beautiful country. Every where you turn there is a story.
The second cabin tucked in behind was a sod roof no tarp necessary to preserve this gem.
I will be back cabin to take more photos with
the fireweed and let everyone write their own story.








As usual the trip was just as interesting. We disturbed a bear on the road in and then again on the road out. He was waddling down the centre of the road until he saw us and then tried to disappear in the trees, just waiting for these tourists to get outta town.

Summer Fires

Yet another difference living up in a remote part of the Yukon for this city girl.
At home, if I hear water bombers, helicopters in the air and smoke so thick it burns the eyes. I want to turn on the TV and see a detailed map of where the fire is, how close it is and what they are doing about it...!!!! Here the stations we are getting are satellite...Edmonton, Vancouver. They are not even aware our valley is filled with smoke...
As far as I know there is not even a station in Whitehorse...









Last night the sun turned quite red so Phyl and I headed off about 9:30 PM to see what we could see....Smoke does not make for great photo taking opportunities...except.....if you have a pond of water or a river to catch a reflection....Remember the longest day of the year is very close....although I haven't seen dark.....





Isn't this beautiful....the air was red...of course the sun confuses the light meter, it was quite light but the smoke made it dark....(you think I am confused?) We were stopping on the highway, bridge...at one point the RCMP cruiser passed us and just waved and smiled....(I think word has got around the town about this city girl...)








At this point I don't know where the smoke is coming from....neighbour mentioned there is a fire 110K's away... I need to convert that to know when I have to start packing....


I am only kidding of course,
no one else in town seems to be
worried...but I will be watching
their eyes and I never really
unpacked!!!!!

Blind Creek Road

Someone in the coffee shop suggested Phyl must have shown me everything by now...!!
Maybe another case that we don't know what's out our own back door. We are taking the time to look in the corners. Just an afternoon drive out a gravel trail at the end of the block went for about 10 K's to a dead end at the Pelly River.. and 52 photos..;-)))

Just tell me where are the guardrails!!!!
In all my camping trips, on my own with my old van, I have always loved exploring the back roads, always with a thread of logic in the back of my mind..(If I broke down?????)
That logic button is now sitting right in front on my dashboard every time I travel down a trail...only now the question is "How would they ever find me?"















Blind Creek Road dead ends at the Pelly River, at one time a ferry ran across the river, but there was a turn off which turns out to be the beginning of the Dena Cho Trail. It is a 67.6 km multi-use recreation trail connecting Faro and Ross River. The route of the trail is a moderate 3 or 4 day hike along the bank of the Pelly River on the Tintina Trench. It has four warming cabins spaced along the span. It was designated a hiking trail but I drove along for quite a distance. Quads would be able to travel along until reaching a pedestrian bridge across the Orchay River. As I see sights and travel this country I can't help but think of favourite people at home I wish could be here or see what I am seeing....Sam would love hiking this countryside, Dennis and Mike would love the fishing in Little Salmon and lakes in the area. Kids would love the beaches and camping at these beautiful lakes...the rainbows, flowers, fresh air.......














Have I mentioned lately "I love my camera" I did my usual down on my car blanket on my tummy in the leaves just to get the opportune shot of a mushroom......
I love my camera...this is what I spent the money for...this and the hairs on the crocus......;-))) Ok I can hear you guys saying
enough of the flowers!!!! (I have more)











All throughout the Yukon there appears to be First Nation burial grounds. We came across one such area up high on a hill overlooking the countryside. These grounds are usually surrounded by a picket fence which to me is an indication of respect.















I found it at the end of our drive....My first Fireweed of the season!!!!!!!! One shoot growing out of a rock pile on the side of the hill. I have been waiting and waiting and finally. I can see the promise of many more to come...but I had to share my first....A good day.......

Thoughts.

I have been relaxing...still feeling that way. Actually everyday there is something up..Last weekend Phyl volunteered ourselves to take photos for the town planting day. They have a greenhouse here in town and volunteers get together to do the planting in boxes and flowerbeds all over town...Phyl and I ran around taking photos of everyone working...not such a bad job heh? I was very impressed with the organization of the whole procedure and the community spirit...Everyone had smiles on their faces.

Then yesterday, it was graduation day. Because Faro does not have the population it once did with the mine closed, the graduation classes are small. This year three young adults graduated and one was a young lady who is Phyl's neighbour...again Phyl volunteered our help to take some photos....It was very nice to see these kids and their community so very proud of themselves in this stage of their new life...

If my child hood stories are true, whatever is at the end of a rainbow is surely in for good times. An evg. drive to Johnson's Lake on a stormy night showed us numerous rainbows. Remember " Maggie" is still new and I was worried about hail I have even been parking the car in an old abandoned garage across the street. Sometimes I worry more about the garage falling down in a storm rather than the hail.... During our drive it was raining very heavy and Phyl seeing I was worried said "why don't you drive through the campground, maybe we can park under an overhanging tree" Well the only opportunity proved to be down a rather steep path to the outhouses!!!!!! Here we are pointed downward at quite the angle facing the biffys for 15 or 20 min while the storm abated....(with no hail) Phyl and I were laughing because I was saying if anyone saw us......!!!!
Another wait by the lake showed us some lovely views.



As always when we returned to Phyl's yard there is another view



As you can see I was excited about the rainbows
in my world this evg...What fun I am having taking
the time to notice the beauty in our world. If this is
what retirement is then it's a good time of life..

Little Salmon Lake

Imagine, I left home well over a month ago!!!! I have been retired 42 days. The adjustment has not been to difficult....;-))
We have had a couple of rain days, (not the likes Calgary has seen) but on our nice days Phyl and I are still exploring.



I have found the most perfect campsite, it is located on Little Salmon Lake campground Site # 8. I know I shouldn't be telling everyone, it should be a secret I will give you a peek...
One of our thoughts is to retire my old camper van up here...Drive it up and leave it here and fly home. Then every year come up for a holiday and its here for me to park and enjoy.
It's a thought!!!!
We are also planning another trip before I head home that will take us to Haines Junction, Yukon down the Kluane Park Highway towards Haines Alaska and across the ferry to Skagway Alaska again..We also are going to travel down to Atlin, B.C. as a side trip just to see...
When I first arrived at the beginning of May...the season was very early for here..The leaves were not out on the trees and numerous trip we took to explore found not to many flowers.. The lupines were the first out in the warm spring sunshine (all 18 hours of it) now at the beginning of June I am amazed at the variety of flowers showing their stuff...We have spent a great deal of time identifying and discussing names of plants . Hopefully we have them correct. I need to buy a Yukon plant book as my Rockies book is just not complete enough for here...Let me show you ones that caught my eye....
Tall Bluebell I could not believe the color of this bloom, this item was in the shade and protected from the wind by a bank of trees and I was there at the right time...It reminds me of the plant Lynn gave me at home that blooms both pink and blue.
Every time I take a little tour or walk with Oliver I am finding a new little flower that has popped out of the ground in the warm spring sunshine. Some are familiar from home, (little Johnny Jump Ups )








others I don't believe I have seen. (Yellow Dryads)

Are they not the cutest with
their little nodding heads?


















And just outside Phyl's driveway in the gravel are some yellow daises that we have identified hopefully correctly as Arnica











I still have not seen any fireweed.. at least
not blooming. I have an excellent photo
of Phyl's that I would love to show you..










I cannot wait for these to come out. I can just imagine the views I will be able to find.

Ross River

Yet another place I have to go back to....We were a little to early for the flowers...Phyl took me out to the airport but there was nothing yet....but I did find a photo or two you know....
Actually I looked at my file on Phyl's computer and there are 759 photos...taken from the day I started out May 1/07 to present June 10/07 !!!!!!!!That surprises even me...;-)))
Couple of weeks ago now we headed out to Ross River..What little history I have learned is Ross River is part of a complex of roads built in a piece meal fashion, starting in Watson Lake, in the Diefenbaker era. They were called "Roads to Resources" I have read Diefenbaker was accused of wasting tax payers money and building roads from igloo to igloo.
He felt if the roads were built, development would occur. The road was completed to Ross River in 1965 and Faro in 1966. Apparently the roads were also used to transport troops up north in the event we were invaded from the north. Years ago Phyl took me to a graveyard of sorts containing rusted out bodies of vehicles used by these troops. After the threats of invasions disappeared so did the troops, but they left all the equipment, it was never cleaned up at the time of my visit...
On that trip I must not have been impressed with this fact so I took no photos....Thank goodness Phyl did as in the past few years they have cleaned it out...(why now?)
..The dump we travelled to close to Ross is now gone. There is another up the north Canol Road but at this point it is washed out so I was unable to go see it...



I remember row upon row of chrome grills, all parked in a row neatly, The bodies all rusted, the chrome all shiny......Phyl doesn't remember that. If I had only taken a photo heh!!









Ross has moved one of the cars
beside the sign coming into town..









Ross River is also the owner of a swinging bridge that spans the Pelly River. We are not sure why the bridge was built, as it is a pedestrian bridge. There is no bridge for vehicles they must use a dilapidated old ferry...but!! what amazed me was the construction of this swinging bridge...(guess whether I walked across it or not!!!!) look at this....












The bridge is not attached to the supports!!!!!!!!! is that what swinging means????
There are rumours that they are going to upgrade this bridge this year..there must be more of a story here, as I cannot imagine there being enough foot traffic this far up north to warrant that expense....There is no development on the other side of the river other than a few cabins...The north Canol road was built to transport oil/supplies to Norman Wells...the road is now closed at the border and is only a hiking trail to Norman Wells...many many miles away.
How interesting this country is....