Northern Experience: On the Yukon Highway

Due to staffing issues, I had to take my vacation in June rather than August like I had hoped, which unfortunately meant I couldn't go back to Ontario to visit my family and friends. I was definitely sad about it, but rather than mope around for the entire time, I took a quick trip with Charlie through Northern BC and into the Yukon.

For starters I had to go up to Yellowknife to pick him up at the airport there. This is what greeted me just out of Fort Smith...

I love how there are none on either side...just completely blocking the road. As cool as this seems, it grows very old in a matter of minutes; especially when you have a nine hour drive ahead of you.

Remember that old song "King of the Road"? Clearly that was not me. When I later read this sign, at the Yellowknife museum, I knew why exactly I would never be King of the Road when meeting up with these guys.

On the highway to Yellowknife, I had another close encounter...but this one I might have one. Three Sandbill Cranes thought it would be clever to strut out onto the road right in front of me. I had to brake pretty hard, but fortunately they got airborne just before impact. Had I not been driving, I could have gotten a pretty amazing picture, but since my hands were full this is the best I could get, after they landed again at the side of the road.

I fortunately got to Yellowknife with enough time to check out the Museum, including some pretty cool artwork, always a favorite pastime of mine. Here were some of my favorite.

Trees as far North are very slow growing; the slice of the one in the museum started growing when Columbus set sail, and was cut down just a few years ago...that's over 500 years. You would never know it from the size.

Living in a land where the forest is basically all kindling, this is a common sight in the summer. This fire was burning about 5-10 km from the road. The one below was from a few weeks before.