Alaska Day 56

Day 56 Gold Rush Campground, Dawson City, Yukon Territory This day was one full of dark grey clouds that from time to time dropped rain and the result was very chilly temperatures. It didn’t stop us from having a full day beginning with a load of laundry at 8 a.m. Then on the road in Big Mama to visit one of the Parks Canada interpretive sites outside the immediate town, Gold Dredge #4 the largest wooden hulled, bucket lined dredge in North America. Located on Bonanza Creek this huge dredge worked its way up the rivers and creeks in the area finding a lot of gold for the owners during the 30+ years of service. It is difficult to describe how large it is and even more difficult to imagine it moving slowly up the creek beds discharging the tailings. It is also difficult to realize it floated. Our interpreter, Sue, was also amazing. She had worked a gold claim with her husband from the seventies and had met many of those who had been mining the area for a number of years. She led us through the explanations of the mechanics and features of the dredge as well as telling of the lives of those who worked her and those who worked their own claims. There are still active miners in the area today and she said last year their gold mined was valued at 44 million!
Heading back into Dawson, we parked on Front Street by the river levy. We knew that a race from Whitehorse by canoes and kayaks that began two days ago should have the first arrivals in Dawson this afternoon. Sure enough the finish line was marked and a board indicated the position of the 70 some craft that were participating. The two lead boats were Voyager 6 man canoes. We saw the first one come in about 2:30 but the rest were hours or even a day away. It was exciting waiting with binoculars trained on the upstream water. For more information check http://www.yukonriverquest.com/ In between waiting we visited the First Nations Cultural Center and learned about the Han group known as Tr’ondek Hwech’in. The word Klondike came from the interpretation of that name. They trace their heritage in this area back to the end of the last ice about 10,000 years. Much of their language and culture has disappeared but they are attempting to relearn it from others with a similar heritage. They also now are self governing and have a number of businesses in the area included home construction.
We walked over to the Dawson City Museum with a number of exhibits on the history of the area including a train shed with steam locomotives used in the gold mining area. A hand operated sluice machine-rockerbox was demonstrated. Patience is definitely required for the process.
Last night at dinner Judy and Larry from Kansas gave us a couple of drink coupons for one of the hotels which we combined with a shared order of tasty mussels. Then back to Klondike Kates where we had a great meal last night. Tonight we chose to share the 2 specials, a curried pork dish, and fish and chips. It’s a good thing we are doing lots of walking.The other big event in Dawson City this weekend is the Dust to Dawson motorcycle rally. Some of the 200+ are staying here at the campground and encouraged us to come to their “rodeo” tonight. It began at 9:30 p.m. and goes to midnight. It was fun to see the way they competed: How slow(slowest wins); blindfold ride with the crowd giving directions; slalom ride around small cones; and riding while tossing tennis balls in buckets. This all took place on half a block of one the streets. We had to call it a night long before the end. Tomorrow we head further south planning to reach Whitehorse a few days before Canada Day on