Today we returned to Whitehorse to stock up for the next two nights. We were going to be spending a couple nights on Little Atlin Lake; not exactly just down the road from a 7-11.
Even though Whitehorse has a population of only about 20,000 people, it is still home to two-thirds of the people in the Yukon, and it shows. We were able to find a Starbucks, two Timmys, Wal-Mart, Superstore, Canadian Tire, and many other stores I would not have expected in so small a community. However, Whitehorse still manages to hang onto the small-town charm; there's RV parking right downtown, everything is within walking distance, and there's even a trolley car running on tracks along the riverbank for when you get too tired to walk.
We had some time to kill, so we stopped in at the SS Klondike national historic site. The Klondike is a riverboat, a steam-powered sternwheeler, that sailed the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City in the early 20th century. Parks Canada has preserved the vessel on the banks of the Yukon River and conducts guided tours of the boat. If you're a history buff, you should check this out if you're in the area.
We also had time to stop at the airport, and see the World's Largest Weathervane. This is, I kid you not, a Douglas C-47 Dakota, complete with engines and mounted atop a pivot. The landing gear is down, and the wheels are about three or four meters off the ground. At the slightest breeze, the whole airplane swings around to face into the wind.
Next to the weathervane is the Whitehorse Transportation Museum. Inside are exhibits for the White Pass and Yukon Railway, and a replica of a vintage aircraft hanging from the ceiling, an aircraft which was used to deliver mail in the Yukon before the roads were in place. We were only able to stay briefly, however, because we ran out of time and had to head to Little Atlin Lake.
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