Top of the World Highway Chicken to Dawson City (4 June)
We were apprehensive about this trip. The road is only open for 5 months a year and is said to have about 20 km of paved road with the rest of the 170 km being gravel. It turned out to be fine. The road was well formed and wide most of the time. At times it was a bit like the access road to NZ ski fields but mostly better than that. There was about 15 km of paved road as we approached the Alaska - Canada border and another 5 or so km as we approached Dawson City in Canada.
Initially the trip was scenic with rivers, forest, mountains.
We rose above the forest line and at times felt like we were in an alpine area with snow about us and other times on "top of the world" with a vast view towards the arctic.
Eventually we made it to the sizeable Yukon River with Dawson City on the other side. There was no bridge, only a ferry. Quite an experience.
Dawson City (pop. 2,300) is bigger than Chicken. We were even able to get an espresso coffee. It sits at the confluence of the Yukon River from the south and the Klondike River from the east so it is a natural spot for a gold mining service town. In 1900 the area yielded 1,077,550 ounces of gold. Last year it yielded approx 50,000 ounces, worth over $80,000,000.
The town itself has lots of old buildings from 100-120 years ago, many of them in disrepair. As a goldmining town, Arrowtown is much better preserved and 50 years older. However, Dawson City has a genuine boardwalk on Front Street and they have preserved Jack London's log cabin. Tomorrow night we are meeting the others in our group and going to Diamond Tooth Gerties, a drinking, eating and gambling hall with can-can girls.
Initially the trip was scenic with rivers, forest, mountains.
We rose above the forest line and at times felt like we were in an alpine area with snow about us and other times on "top of the world" with a vast view towards the arctic.
Dawson City (pop. 2,300) is bigger than Chicken. We were even able to get an espresso coffee. It sits at the confluence of the Yukon River from the south and the Klondike River from the east so it is a natural spot for a gold mining service town. In 1900 the area yielded 1,077,550 ounces of gold. Last year it yielded approx 50,000 ounces, worth over $80,000,000.
The town itself has lots of old buildings from 100-120 years ago, many of them in disrepair. As a goldmining town, Arrowtown is much better preserved and 50 years older. However, Dawson City has a genuine boardwalk on Front Street and they have preserved Jack London's log cabin. Tomorrow night we are meeting the others in our group and going to Diamond Tooth Gerties, a drinking, eating and gambling hall with can-can girls.
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