Last Monday, we were leaving Missouri, and now we are in Dawson, Yukon! It's amazing how much we have seen. This morning, we woke up at 8:30 and were ready by 9:00. It felt so good to sleep nine full hours; I needed it after all this travelling. We ate breakfast in our hotel room again with stuff we had. We headed out to explore at 10:20.
First, we visited Lowe's Mortuary. It has had six renovations and is quite old. They had two window displays which especially told about the gold rush deaths (a lot were diseases -- when a plague started, it raged like wildfire and struck anyone). We also went into the Yukon Territory Visitor Center, which has a few displays (like moose antlers locked together) and brochures. They also have short movies showing, mostly about the gold rush. At the visitor center, we purchased Cheechako Passes ($13.70 per person), which allowed us access to any three Dawson attractions. We chose the SS Keno, Dredge #4, and the Danoja Zho Cultural Center...all excellent choices.
Before starting out on those expeditions, though, we visited the Fire Department Museum, which housed lots of cool old fire trucks. They even had two horse-drawn engines! They also had a few signs and pictures. There was an 18-year-old boy there who was very friendly and knowledgeable...he was quick to answer our questions and explained a lot about each fire truck. They had some postcards available that had old pictures of the Dawson Fire Department (started in 1898 after a bad fire almost destroyed the town). I got three.
Then we went to the SS Keno, a wood-powered paddleboat. It only needed 18 inches of water to float! It was built in 1922 and operated (pushing barges a lot of the time) until 1951. We got to walk all over, read great signs, take a short tour with a historically-dressed interpreter, and see quite a few of the rooms. The sleeping rooms consisted of one bunk bed and a few hooks to hang clothing on; it was so tiny! The kitchen was pretty large. There was also a video of the Keno's last voyage that we caught the tail end of.
Following the Keno, we drove about seven miles out of Dawson to Dredge #4, arriving for the 1:00 PM tour. We had an energetic tour guide who told us about all the parts of the ship and then took us to all those parts on the actual dredge. It took five months to build this $400,000 beauty...and that wasn't recent! We saw the motors, crane, and main control room. The main control room has a long row of levers that all have a purpose, whether turning, moving, or braking. The controller of all those levers was paid $10; most others were paid $5. It was the job everyone wanted to work up to. Following the hour-long tour, we watched a 10-minute video telling about the relocation and restoration of the dredge...it wasn't an easy task. There is a small visitor center selling a few postcards, maps, and books. We signed the guestbook inside, too.
After the dredge, we drove up the Midnight Dome Road (three or four miles one way). It is paved, quite safe (much less scary than the Mt. Washington Auto Road...refer back to a previous blog!), and well worth it. Once you reach the top, you have a beautiful panoramic view of Dawson, mountains, the Yukon River, and more. It's breathtakingly beautiful and a perfect picture/video opportunity.
Finally, about to die from hunger (haha...just kidding!), we had lunch at the Riverwest Bistro, Restaurant, & Coffee Bar. They have good menu and wonderful-looking desserts (we didn't try any, but they looked scrumptious). Grandma and I had the bison burger ($8.50), which may sound expensive, but it is HUGE! It has lettuce, tomato, a huge bison patty, pickles, and mayo all crammed in between a large bun. It is literally the biggest burger I ever had, and I'm not joking. Matthew had a chicken-peppercorn wrap.
Finally, we visited the Danoja Zho Cultural Center, which had an amazing doll display. A few dolls were two feet tall! They had beautiful beaded dresses on, and it was just really amazing to see those works of art. There was also a regular display about the tribe in Dawson and some struggles they faced during the gold rush, such as not enough food. An excellent 15-minute video in a real theater with squishy theater chairs also told about that through elders speaking, photos, and videos. There was a nice gift shop with Native American products; I got some antler earrings with a buffalo etched into them for just $10. They are pretty.
After the museum, we enjoyed ice cream (I had mint chocolate chip) looking out at the Yukon River as we sat on a park bench. The ice cream was a huge, generous scoop in a homemade chocolate-encased cone, and was perfect for the warm, sunny afternoon.
Back at the hotel at 6:30, we showered and got ready for bed. Tomorrow, we say hello to Alaska and good-bye to Canada (for a little while!).
I will share my pictures of today with you tomorrow because I have awfully slow Internet. Check back later!
~Anna~
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