We Love Dawson City

The Gold Rush RV park is in downtown Dawson City so it was easy to walk or bike anywhere. The town is a living testimony to the gold rush days of the late 1800s with its boardwalks, classic Victorian, wooden buildings and unpaved streets. On the first night we walked two blocks to the Diamond Tooth Gertie Saloon for drinks and the show. It was dancing girls and bawdy songs in a loud, working casino and bar. After chatting with Helen, to our great delight, one of the singers announced to the whole congregation, "I've just been chatting with the wildlife."

The federal parks department refurbished an old theatre in the mid 60s. We couldn't pass up a tour done by one of the local ladies. She did a fine job of transporting us back to 1892, the bonanza year for the theatre, before the gold petered out.

We left Blarney in the trailer for three hours while we went on a boat tour along the Yukon River near Dawson City. It was a milestone. From his bed on our table, he was able to watch all the traffic that paraded by the window. He was excited when we got back but no different than when we leave him at home. It means we have a little more freedom to do more dog free activities.

The boat tour with Tom Taylor began at the town dock and sped us across a couple of kilometers of river to Tom's wintering camp for his sled dogs, then to Dog Island in mid river, where we met the sled dogs enjoying their summer hideaway. This was a very authentic experience. The city slickers got to poke around a very different life style. When temperatures are 40 to 50 below, the dogs hunker down in cozy boxes set a few metres apart, where their daily fare is fresh or dried Chum salmon. We also had a tour of a nearby, large, one room log cabin that was warmed by a back up oil furnace and a huge wood stove. All the trappings for cold weather living were there, including some moose hide mits which I got to try on. At the summer camp, we were fed a twist of bannock and a cup of tea inside a netted dining area, before we went into the woods to meet the dogs.

Each dog was staked in its own space under the trees. Great holes had been excavated by the dogs. They climbed in to keep cool and escape the bugs. These were not pets. I approached each one and only two came to me with enthusiasm. Some seemed terrified. Most needed convincing to allow a rub behind the ear.

The charter company, "Fishwheel Charters" is named for a particular kind of fish trap invented by the Chinese about a hundred years ago. A net trap floats in the river current and turns like a paddle wheel, scooping fish as it turns under, then depositing them in a pen held alongside. Most ingenious.
http://www.rapidsresearch.com/html/fishwheels.html