Day 17: Out & About in Whitehorse

A Ship, Two Museums, Four Galleries, a Goldsmith, a Bookstore, and M Gets Another Bath

M at the Yukon Transportation Museum

Doesn't M look happy, bright, and shiny in the picture above? That's because she got another bath today-- courtesy of Bob and a Looney car wash. (That's a quarter car wash to all of you in the US-- but this one liked Canadian dollar coins.)

Here's Bob doing all the work while I sit comfortably (and dry) inside M.

Bob Gives M Another Well Deserved Bath

M taken care of, we began a day of sightseeing in Whitehorse.  The town isn't very big, but there were some fun places to visit.

We began at the S.S. Klondike, "the largest sternwheeler on the upper Yukon River and the flagship fo the British Yukon Navigation Company fleet." (Thank you Uncle Bob for the self-guided tour pamphlet, so we didn't have to pay $2 to get our own.)

The boat exhibits were being renovated, so we didn't get to see all of it.  But here are some highlights of what we could access.

This is a picture of the sternwheeler's boiler-- for Bob's B&W friends, this is a Polson Iron Works (Toronto, ON) wood-fired locomotive style fire-tube boiler that holds 4000 gallons of water.  The Klondike burned, on average, a cord of wood an hour.

Boiler on the S.S. Klondike (Bob's Day is Complete)

After her first life as an ore hauler ended (in 1936 when she was holed and sank), the Klondike got a second life as a passenger and cargo ship.  We could peek at the dining car and first class cabins, but Bob wasn't allowed to go past the ropes to actually see them.

Second Class Bob

For today's art shot, I took this one. It is the Yukon River, as viewed out of a door in the Klondike Engine Room.

View from the S.S. Klondike Engine Room

After the boat, we headed to the MacBride Museum of Yukon History. This museum had a little bit of everything Yukon from an exhibit on gold mining, to stuffed wild animals, to the history of the Alcan Highway (now know as the Alaska Highway).

Here are some fun pics from our visit:

Lisa with Polar Bears

Bob Touches a Floor Mural of Water (If you're keeping score, Bob touches water #4)

After the museum, we took a stroll around downtown Whitehorse.  We picked up some fun small pieces from the local art galleries, and a few books from the local bookstore. (Even though M's trunk is packed to the brim, we can't seem to stop ourselves from buying books!)

And, as part of my ongoing collection of indigenous stone/metal jewelry, I picked up this pair of earrings-- featuring gold nuggets from a Yukon mine, and made by a local Whitehorse artist.

Lisa's New Earrings: Gold Nuggest from the Scroggie Creek, YT Mine

Gallery hopping done, we headed out for one final museum: The Yukon Transportation Museum.  This one was a Bob choice-- full of his favorite things, cranes, trains, planes, and other big heavy stuff.

For the planes, see the main post picture of M in front of the Canadian Pacific Airlines DC-3 Wind Vane that greets visitors to the museum.

For trains, here I am standing on the platform of a railway car:

All Aboard!

Here is Bob standing next to a partially disassembled crane:

Bob Has a Nose for Cranes-- a vacation wouldn't be complete without them

As for other big heavy stuff, this diorama of junkers fits the bill.  The car portion in front is real, the others in the background are a photograph.

Can You Tell Which Is Real and Which is a Photograph?

 And, special for Uncle Denny-- another Fordson Tractor:

Fordson Tractor

After a full day we headed back to our hobbit hole (aka-- our tiny Fuzzy Crocus Cabin) for an early dinner and a relaxing evening.  I cooked a real meal tonight, and was right at home in our Lisa-sized kitchen.

Yes Really-- 5'2" Lisa is taller than the fridge

Just about everything is closed here on Mondays, so we're thinking of taking a true day of rest, and perhaps a walk (not a hike mind you, a walk) down to the Yukon River.  Or perhaps we will just sit around and read all those books.

Tune in tomorrow to find out...

--Lisa