Day 10 - R&R in Whitehorse

Day 10 - Whitehorse, Y.T.
R&R to get a few things done.

This was a day to get caught up on a few things and reorganize the content of the trailer after drying out the storage compartments. I slept late this morning and got up slowly, had breakfast and a cup of coffee.   Took a hot shower, and then disconnected the Jeep from the trailer. It was a beautiful sunny day, and Whitehorse is a small city of 22,000 with everything you would find in a US town, with reasonable prices.

I drove into town and went to a tire and auto supply store where they changed my oil and filter, and checked everything over.   Cost was $50 cdn. Then I drove to car wash and had the Jeep thoroughly cleaned and spray waxed on the outside.. I vacuumed the inside... Cost was $14 cdn.   On the way back I stopped at a Food Fair supermarket and picked up several things I needed like more cereal. shampoo, and snacks for the next leg of the trip (ate most of the snacks already though).   Later I parked downtown and looked around for place to get a key made. I was referred to a small mall of stores in the center of town where I purchased another soap dish to replace the one I left at the last campground, and my first souvenir.

I wondered what kind of a souvenir I could get that everyone would appreciate... after thinking about it, and how cruddy my current Columbia Sportswear Company cap was getting, I decided to buy myself a new cap, so people would not have to look at the old one anymore. It is a darker color that does not show dirt and grease as rapidly, and says "Yukon Territory" across the top.    So, when I find someone to take a picture of me wearing it, I hope everyone appreciates my new cap.

Finally I was referred to a locksmith on the edge of town, where I was able to get a second key made for my baggage areas. It was a thicker, much sturdier key, so I put it on my primary key chain, and stowed the original one.      The original keys were thin and broke off very easy.    I have been much more careful since breaking it... good thing that I was carrying a complete second set of keys for the trailer in the car.

On the way back I stopped to walk along the Yukon River which runs right along the edge of town.   The river runs north up to Dawson City, and then west until finally emptying into the Bering sea.   I met a couple from Whitehorse walking along the boardwalk and had a nice talk.   They have been here 28 years, and seen the growth of the area from a government outpost supporting the northern cities like Dawson, to now depending heavily on the tourist trade in the summer time.

Then I returned and gave the trailer a "sponge bath", so at least the windows are clean and the first layer of crud is wiped off.   Knowing what it will look like tomorrow when I go on the road again makes it seem hardly worthwhile, but at least we will all leave clean in the morning.    The sky is clouding up and scattered showers are predicted for tonight and tomorrow.   I have been considering changing my plans altogether and swinging west into Alaska, and going down to Valdez to see the start of the pipeline, then take the Glenn Highway over to Anchorage and down to Homer.   This would be the reverse route from what I had planned, but will put me in Fairbanks and Dawson later, when it might be better weather.     I will flip a coin in the morning.. and let you know later how it turned out.

photos