Klondike Highway - Whitehorse to Dawson City

Sunday, June 07, 2009 – We left the Alaska Highway today and took the Klondike Loop toward Dawson City. The road was paved all the way but there were numerous frost heaves, potholes, and gravel patches. We stopped at the Braeburn Lodge for a cinnamon roll which is large enough to feed all four of us. Another stop along the way was at the Moose Creek Lodge which is a quirky little roadside stop with lots of interesting attractions. There are several moose and a giant mosquito made from stumps, roots, and wood and there is a telephone mounted 12 feet up in a tree with a ladder to reach the phone. Inside there is an antique stove and a variety of Klondike memorabilia. It was a short stop but it was fun to see. We stopped at Stewart Crossing and thought we might stop for the night but the RV Park was pretty pathetic and it was only 107 miles on to Dawson City so we decided to go all the way. We arrived just before 4:00 at the Bonanza Gold RV Park. It’s not much to look at but it has full hookups, internet, cable and it’s close to town so we took it. Bill and Pam came over and we had some snacks and watched the Lakers win game 2 of the NBA Finals – Go Lakers!!!

Monday, June 08, 2009 – The town of Dawson City is caught in a time warp and all of the buildings and streets look as if you have turned the clock back to the late 1890s and early 1900s. None of the streets are paved and the sidewalks are all boardwalks. There are lots of original buildings including several that are quite tilted. Apparently when the buildings were heated it caused the permafrost to melt and turn into slosh and mud and caused the footings to sink. We stopped by Sourdough Joe’s for lunch and Bill “helped” the waiter with the drinks and in the process knocked one over and made a huge mess. I’m sure he was a little embarrassed but it was pretty funny. We returned to the campground until about 7:30 PM when Diamond Gertie’s Dancehall and Casino opened. We watched the first and second shows, played some black jack and left $300 richer. We left Diamond Gertie’s at 11:00 PM and drove up to Midnight Dome. It is a mountain top where you can go and watch the sun set at midnight and then rise again within an hour or two. People in town told us that at summer solstice on June 21st the sun just dips down and rises again but doesn’t really go out of sight. We only stayed until 11:30 because there were swarms of mosquitoes but when we left it was still full daylight.