Whitehorse, of course. The capitol was actually moved here in the 1950’s from Dawson City after the Alaska Highway was completed. Beautiful town on a river that has been dammed to create a lake. It has a large “seaplane” airport off the lake. When they dammed up the river to create the lake it killed off the salmon migration. The next year they built a wood salmon ladder so that the fish could continue up the river to spawn.
For you landlocked readers – salmon (pink, silver, king, sockeye (red) and chum) live from one to three years are born up river and return to their birthplace to spawn again and die. We were taught an easy way to remember the five salmon types of Alaska: using your fingers it’s like this – pinky finger is pink, ring finger is silver, middle (largest) finger is the king, when you are seeing red you tend to point – pointer finger and chum rhymes with thumb. Now you will always know as I do… These spawning locations are where the bears love to fish because it is so easy to eat and gain the weight they need before they hibernate.
Another great site in Whitehorse is the Miles Canyon Gorge where we were able to take Bear for a walk:
It was a bit foggy on our early morning walk but the views were still very beautiful. One paddlewheel did make it down the gorge and is now resting in Whitehorse.
Can you imagine maneuvering that boat through that narrow gorge with the water running so rapidly? Me either, glad I have roads and the Busse Bus!
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