Whitehorse to Dawson City (aurora watching)

Day 13 (16 Sep) — The Gold Rush town

to Dawson City

From Takhini Hot Springs we drove almost due north along the Klondike Highway, following the Yukon River. About a hundred years ago gold was found in the Klondike, starting what is known as the Gold Rush.

Around Fox Lake a forest fire apparently broke out more than ten years ago, and an information board at the rest stop explained the damage at the time. In fact, burnt trees were still standing without having fallen. After this too we saw many signs saying "Forest fire, year XX". The air is dry, so fires may start easily.

There is nothing you could call a town between Whitehorse and Dawson. Just small settlements and petrol stations. Otherwise you just keep driving through forest.

At the rest stops on the Klondike Highway there were information boards with trivia from the Gold Rush days. From a rest stop on slightly higher ground we could see the horizon of the forest.

We played a little at a river before Dawson while taking a break. It was only for a short time, so I stayed in short sleeves, but it was by no means warm. The water was cold, and I couldn't bring myself to get in and play. On top of that, if we met a grizzly that had come for the salmon, we'd have to be prepared to die.

We decided to stay at a motel on the outskirts of Dawson City. We expected it to be expensive since it's so remote, but surprisingly it wasn't: under 100 dollars for two. Motels never let us down! A strong ally on the trip.

After a rest at the motel, we explored the town. Now the amount of gold being found has dropped completely, and the town has declined into a ghost town. Abandoned buildings that nobody seems to live in are scattered about, and apparently these ruins are now a tourist attraction. It was a town that made me very sad.

We ate at a restaurant in town, and on the way back to the motel we found an intriguing road called Dome Road and decided to try it. At the end of a long climb, a spectacular viewpoint awaited, looking out over Dawson and everything around. Let's come back here when it's dark and wait for the aurora.

There was still plenty of time until dark, so we did laundry in the room.

After 10 p.m., it finally got dark, so we went out to that spot. The aurora, faintly visible even before we reached the top, broke up after we waited a while!! It performed an elegant dance in a night sky full of stars.