It snowed this morning. June 8th. Two days after I put my carefully coddled seedlings into the soil boxes that I will try to make into a garden. I suspect they are not happy. The ~5cm of snow stuck around for a while before it started to rain and washed it away (throw backs to Christmas time in Halifax). The daytime high today was about 6 degrees. On June 8th.
I love the Yukon :)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Licensed to the Yukon
As part of this summer job, I will have to drive a 15-person passenger van and a heavy duty pick-up truck pulling a trailer full of canoes. I'll get to see a lot of the wild Yukon from these vehicles, but at 5-foot nothing, I'm a little concerned about how exactly I'll fit in one of these monster. It took me almost 3 weeks of diligent searching and testing to find a car that was small enough for me to comfortably drive, so I can imagine what a gong show it will be for me to drive one of these brutes. I should start scavenging pillows today...
I also have to take a Level 4 driving test, which unfortunately involved a written knowledge test. I'm not gonna lie- I failed my G1 knowledge test. There, I've said it. Embarassing but true. Likely the first milestone test that I had ever failed. And living in a rural area, the stakes were even higher for that almighty plastic piece of certified adulthood. So, you can imagine my anxiety over writing the Level 4 test.
You can also imagine my embarassment when I realized I had read the the Driver's handbook and Level 4 abstract over 4 full times, to write was turned out to be a 10 question multiple choice test in which you could get 2 questions wrong. But, in the end it didn't matter.
I passed theknowledge test! Hooray. No more reliving childhood scars of public shame. Instead, I can look forward to the soon-to-be-heckling I will no doubt endure from my co-trainees when I have to haul the three pillows I will need to see over the dashboard of Leonard the Passenger bus. Now graceful way to hide that. I'm not even going to think about what kind of contraption I'll have to rig up so I can reach the pedals. And the judging eyes of my road test examiner when I have to oh-so-gracefully climb up over my mountain of pillows to make my vehicle entrance.
Yeah, this is going to be fun.
UPDATE: Again, because of my posting delays, I can report that I've had a chance to drive in the 15-passenger van and it is NOT pretty. I'm not high enough up to see completely clear of the hood, but high enough that my feet dangle a little from the floor. The offset of the pedals creates a new challenge: when I get my seat far enough forward to reach the gas, then I almost can't get my foot around to get to the brake. Makes stopping and starting into intersections a little nervy. We'll see how it all pans out. Could be interesting. Luckily, I can take my road test on any car of my choosing (how wild is that...road test on a Echo and they let you loose to drive a 15-passenger bus?!). Maybe I will have to look into rigging up some kind of pedal extension and seat pillow....
Stop giggling....it's not funny...
I also have to take a Level 4 driving test, which unfortunately involved a written knowledge test. I'm not gonna lie- I failed my G1 knowledge test. There, I've said it. Embarassing but true. Likely the first milestone test that I had ever failed. And living in a rural area, the stakes were even higher for that almighty plastic piece of certified adulthood. So, you can imagine my anxiety over writing the Level 4 test.
You can also imagine my embarassment when I realized I had read the the Driver's handbook and Level 4 abstract over 4 full times, to write was turned out to be a 10 question multiple choice test in which you could get 2 questions wrong. But, in the end it didn't matter.
I passed theknowledge test! Hooray. No more reliving childhood scars of public shame. Instead, I can look forward to the soon-to-be-heckling I will no doubt endure from my co-trainees when I have to haul the three pillows I will need to see over the dashboard of Leonard the Passenger bus. Now graceful way to hide that. I'm not even going to think about what kind of contraption I'll have to rig up so I can reach the pedals. And the judging eyes of my road test examiner when I have to oh-so-gracefully climb up over my mountain of pillows to make my vehicle entrance.
Yeah, this is going to be fun.
UPDATE: Again, because of my posting delays, I can report that I've had a chance to drive in the 15-passenger van and it is NOT pretty. I'm not high enough up to see completely clear of the hood, but high enough that my feet dangle a little from the floor. The offset of the pedals creates a new challenge: when I get my seat far enough forward to reach the gas, then I almost can't get my foot around to get to the brake. Makes stopping and starting into intersections a little nervy. We'll see how it all pans out. Could be interesting. Luckily, I can take my road test on any car of my choosing (how wild is that...road test on a Echo and they let you loose to drive a 15-passenger bus?!). Maybe I will have to look into rigging up some kind of pedal extension and seat pillow....
Stop giggling....it's not funny...
The bell tolls for the bell
I've officially been in Whitehorse for over two weeks now and I've had a bit of time to see some of the sights. I had my first supper from the Whitehorse Fireside Market on Thursday night- a scrumption bowl of beef and barley soup with homemade sourdough bread. Quite delicious, although not quite a full supper :) I've scoped out a local buffalo burger stand for next week's Market supper. I've made friends with a gardener there too who has been schooling me on the finer points of Whitehorse horticulture, specifically concerning the tomato plants I purchased. I've got a few bean sprouting, despite the assault of the ground squirrel and some basil sprouts and tarragon (what do you do with tarragon anyway? Uncle Brian- I feel like l you'd know). Unfortunately, the two herbs that I am most excited about, my cilantro and peppermint (which is supposed to be super tough) are so far no-shows. I'll be chapped if I end up with a herb garden full of basil and tarragon. How much spagetti sauce and pesto can one person make?
I haven't had a chance to get away from the city to do much hiking yet. In fact, being that most people drive an average of 2hrs to get anywhere (kids from Kluane will drive the 2hrs to come to a movie without thinking twice), I may not get to see too much for a while. I have had a chance to roam around a lot of the biking trails on the east side of the Yukon River though. There's a bit of all types and levels of trails and I am being challenged by most of them. In fact, I'm getting schooled regularly. It started out with the usual Tera-falls: not quite unclipping before my bike teeters over. Such a battle between getting a few more pedal strokes in and not being able to unclip in time to get a foot on the ground before my bike topples me over. Embarassing when it happens on the street. And it does. Often. I blame Steve for talking me into switching to clips. Yes, it does make hills a whole lot easier and stops you from bouncing off your pedals causing your bits to crush onto the top tube. But, so not elegant when you fall over in the middle of the intersection when you just didn't quite get your foot out in time. People stare, to stifle their giggles and your pride takes the bulk of the road rash. Awkward all around.
However, I have officially graduated beyond just the beginner's tip-over bruises and odd tree head-ons. I had my first "epic" crash last week. I was getting a little too cocky going downhill around a hairpin turn, going a little too fast in ground a little too deep and my back tire washed out a little too much. I slapped the ground mighty hard- enough to bounce. But, other than a little brain rattle and whiplast, I now had a much better, exciting story to explain my bashed and bruised body. Oh yeah, I'm a mountain biker (although I'll never own up to what a Granny I was riding the rest of that trail...).
And this week, I've uped the ante with my new best epic fall. This time, I was being very responsible going down the hill and I've sufficiently scared myself that as soon as the ground starts getting deep, I Granny up. But then I spotted the lung-screaming hill just on the otherside of the downhill and thought I'd better let go a bit to get up enough speed to make some feeble attempt at the uphill. That's when my front tire washed out. My first ever over-the-bars somersault, followed perfectly by my bike doing likewise overtop of me, was textbook. Oops. Luckily, my well padded frontal took most of the impact. As did my poor little bell.
I haven't had a chance to get away from the city to do much hiking yet. In fact, being that most people drive an average of 2hrs to get anywhere (kids from Kluane will drive the 2hrs to come to a movie without thinking twice), I may not get to see too much for a while. I have had a chance to roam around a lot of the biking trails on the east side of the Yukon River though. There's a bit of all types and levels of trails and I am being challenged by most of them. In fact, I'm getting schooled regularly. It started out with the usual Tera-falls: not quite unclipping before my bike teeters over. Such a battle between getting a few more pedal strokes in and not being able to unclip in time to get a foot on the ground before my bike topples me over. Embarassing when it happens on the street. And it does. Often. I blame Steve for talking me into switching to clips. Yes, it does make hills a whole lot easier and stops you from bouncing off your pedals causing your bits to crush onto the top tube. But, so not elegant when you fall over in the middle of the intersection when you just didn't quite get your foot out in time. People stare, to stifle their giggles and your pride takes the bulk of the road rash. Awkward all around.
However, I have officially graduated beyond just the beginner's tip-over bruises and odd tree head-ons. I had my first "epic" crash last week. I was getting a little too cocky going downhill around a hairpin turn, going a little too fast in ground a little too deep and my back tire washed out a little too much. I slapped the ground mighty hard- enough to bounce. But, other than a little brain rattle and whiplast, I now had a much better, exciting story to explain my bashed and bruised body. Oh yeah, I'm a mountain biker (although I'll never own up to what a Granny I was riding the rest of that trail...).
And this week, I've uped the ante with my new best epic fall. This time, I was being very responsible going down the hill and I've sufficiently scared myself that as soon as the ground starts getting deep, I Granny up. But then I spotted the lung-screaming hill just on the otherside of the downhill and thought I'd better let go a bit to get up enough speed to make some feeble attempt at the uphill. That's when my front tire washed out. My first ever over-the-bars somersault, followed perfectly by my bike doing likewise overtop of me, was textbook. Oops. Luckily, my well padded frontal took most of the impact. As did my poor little bell.
A fatal blow I'm afraid. I tried to piece it back together, but no luck. This would be my second bell in not even a year. My first bell was a fatality in one of the aforementioned intersection tip-overs in the fall. At least this guy had a much more spectacular demise. Luckly for the bony bits of me, I'm still in tact. Some sore ribs and new bruises to add to the collection but more importantly, bragging rites that I am now a bonefide mountain biker.
I am now however, scarred with fear of downtown intersections, deep sand, hairpins, downhills and following uphills. Not a whole lot to work with. Maybe I should learn to crochet in my spare time instead. Dee assures me it's a workout and I don't think you get as many bruises...
UPDATE: Since it's taken me over a week to post this post, I've antied up with a newer, more epic crash. Again, escaped with minor bruises and rash, but definitely knocked me down a few pegs. No more epic crashes for a while. I've officially switched to the Granny perma-brake riding squad. I hear it's much less epic.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Whitehorse digs
Ladies and gentlemen, we have power!
We went back to the apartment last night to a hooked up power supply. Never has flicking on a light switch (and figuring out which switch turns what on) been so much fun. And satisfying.
We had one last camping supper, consisting of rehydrated Black Bart Chili in a bag which didn't turn out so well. I somehow always seem to add too much water in the bag and it turned into Black Bart Chili soup. But, this was soon forgotten when we hit up the grocery store to finally stock the kitchen with some real food. Oh man! Dan did a good job restraining me, since I had a grocery wish list a mile long. It was so nice to walk in the door of the apartment and hear the fridge humming and to open the door and actually feel the cold! Finally, cold beer!
Speaking of apartment, I've had some requests to see what it looks like. So, here goes:
Dan has a big area for rations prep and storage,
So far, we've been busy pulling things apart and cleaning/organizing so that we can figure out what we have and where it all is. It's tedious, it's dirty and it's beats sitting at a desk hands down :)
No Sleep for a Long Sun
Two days in and Whitehorse seems like a pretty cool spot. My biggest obstacle so far is the daylight. That hardly seems to end. It's only May.
There's already 19hrs of daylight. I typically sleep pretty close to the sun's daylight cycle, so this super-extended daylight is wreaking havoc with my sleeping patterns. I'm able to fall asleep easily enough (never a problem as you have discovered if you've ever tried to watch a movie with me...) but it's the staying asleep that isn't working so well. My body must sense the light and thinks it's time to wake up. I was up last night at 11pm. Here's the daylight situation at about 11:15pm:
Wild. It took a few hours to get back to sleep. I don't feel too bad today but I'm sure I'll be a disaster by tomorrow if this keeps up. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in the middle of summer when the sun hardly takes a rest!
I'm hoping to have power in the apartment when I get there tonight. Cooking on a camping stove is starting to lose it's allure. I'm craving baking- bread, cookies or even just regular meals that would take hours on a camp stove. I'm also looking forward to having a radio on. I miss my daily dose of CBC. My laptop has proved really handy for watching DVDs that I've signed out of the library (I love this service), but it doesn't fill the radio void. And since I don't have an internet connection in the apartment (no scamming wireless options for me), I also can't stream online radio.
I'll have to come up with a good option for blacking out the window in the bedroom. Maybe another Salvation Army run for a good thick blanket that I could hang. Ironic that I'm waiting for power to have lights in one room and looking for ways to keep light out in the other room. So hard to please.
I'll keep you posted how I make out with operation Blackout (both sides of it) :)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Woohoo Whitehorse (Day 20)
So our NOLS-issued apartment is pretty good. I guess Whitehorse used to be a military town and the low-rise apartment buildings where we're staying would likely have been for the privates. The walls are a little thin (we could lie in bed and listen to the movie playing in the living room of the people downstairs) and the power isn't turned on until Tuesday (a slight extension to our camping...), but everything looks pretty good.
We've unpacked our gear (speeded by the fact that we didn't actually bring that much) and off-loaded the first pick of the furniture that NOLS keeps for staff and we've pretty much ready to settle in. We both start work on Monday and wandering around the branch warehouse, it looks like a really fun place to be. As the Equipment Manager, I have my own little "store" and a skid of MEC gear (a taste of home) just waiting for me to tear into. Dan's got a huge area for all the rations storage and to his delight, there is no food prep at this branch so he won't be on the hook to cook :)
We had a celebratory feast at Sanchez restaurant last night. It's this awesome little Mexican restaurant with menus in Spanish and a fantastic latin American ambiance. Total throwback to South America, so I was ecstatic! We had a fantastic meal of authentic mexican food washed down with a Corona and lime. Ahhhh. Life is good :)
The weather was overcast and rainy again today, but we hopped on our bikes, braved the descent into the canyon to downtown and went exploring. My first impressions of Whitehorse are that it seems to have a tonne of really cool shops and a fantastic bike trail system. People are really friendly and super helpful. We grabbed a map from the local bike shop and hope to make some time tomorrow to do a little riding and exploring. The Yukon River runs along the downtown waterfront and the buildings all have a very unique, goldrush-town vibe. And, the best part, there's a Farmer's Market! Local food and goodies every Thursday afternoon. Sweet!
We also went to the library and got hooked up with temporary resident lending cards. We're officially Whitehorse residents...sort of. Seems there is a pretty big transient population here- the guy from the bike shop has only been here 3 days (and his girlfriend is from Almonte ON) and every person we've stopped to ask for directions has just moved here too!
We managed to pick up some great grabs at the Salvation Army and find some food that we can cook on the camp stove for the weekend, until the power comes on. Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow and we can hope on our bikes and explore some of the recreation trails.
This road trip has been a fantastic adventure. Some 6538km later, we managed not to kill each other (or even come close in fact) and we've been privy to see a smorgasboard of the diverse landscapes across Canada. A trip like this totally makes you appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country. And although the camping was really fun (and I can say neither of us really tired of it), we're both also happy to stay put for a while. And I'm sure Gus will appreciate the rest and celebratory oil change :)
Hello Whitehorse!
We've unpacked our gear (speeded by the fact that we didn't actually bring that much) and off-loaded the first pick of the furniture that NOLS keeps for staff and we've pretty much ready to settle in. We both start work on Monday and wandering around the branch warehouse, it looks like a really fun place to be. As the Equipment Manager, I have my own little "store" and a skid of MEC gear (a taste of home) just waiting for me to tear into. Dan's got a huge area for all the rations storage and to his delight, there is no food prep at this branch so he won't be on the hook to cook :)
We had a celebratory feast at Sanchez restaurant last night. It's this awesome little Mexican restaurant with menus in Spanish and a fantastic latin American ambiance. Total throwback to South America, so I was ecstatic! We had a fantastic meal of authentic mexican food washed down with a Corona and lime. Ahhhh. Life is good :)
The weather was overcast and rainy again today, but we hopped on our bikes, braved the descent into the canyon to downtown and went exploring. My first impressions of Whitehorse are that it seems to have a tonne of really cool shops and a fantastic bike trail system. People are really friendly and super helpful. We grabbed a map from the local bike shop and hope to make some time tomorrow to do a little riding and exploring. The Yukon River runs along the downtown waterfront and the buildings all have a very unique, goldrush-town vibe. And, the best part, there's a Farmer's Market! Local food and goodies every Thursday afternoon. Sweet!
We also went to the library and got hooked up with temporary resident lending cards. We're officially Whitehorse residents...sort of. Seems there is a pretty big transient population here- the guy from the bike shop has only been here 3 days (and his girlfriend is from Almonte ON) and every person we've stopped to ask for directions has just moved here too!
We managed to pick up some great grabs at the Salvation Army and find some food that we can cook on the camp stove for the weekend, until the power comes on. Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow and we can hope on our bikes and explore some of the recreation trails.
This road trip has been a fantastic adventure. Some 6538km later, we managed not to kill each other (or even come close in fact) and we've been privy to see a smorgasboard of the diverse landscapes across Canada. A trip like this totally makes you appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country. And although the camping was really fun (and I can say neither of us really tired of it), we're both also happy to stay put for a while. And I'm sure Gus will appreciate the rest and celebratory oil change :)
Hello Whitehorse!
The final leg to Whitehorse (Day 19)
We had a band of grayjays at our camp this morning. None were quite as bold as Petey from Whiteshell Park, but they were still pretty adamant that we may have some nibbles for them. No luck though.
Today was the final leg of our trip- we were getting to Whitehorse or bust! The wind had subsided a bit, so the drive was a little better, but not long in the car the rain finally started. We saw a bunch more buffalo this morning, right up close to the car (but not too close)
Today was the final leg of our trip- we were getting to Whitehorse or bust! The wind had subsided a bit, so the drive was a little better, but not long in the car the rain finally started. We saw a bunch more buffalo this morning, right up close to the car (but not too close)
and enoug caribou that the mad photo-snapping had subsided. The fog from the rain had settled into the mountain tops, but made for some really great views.
We stopped for our lunch break in the town of Teslin YK which conveniently happened to be home of the Northern Wildlife Museum.
I'm not usually one to wander around a room full of taxiderm, creepily life-like dead animals, but I've been pleasantly surprised by each of the museums I've been to on this trip. And, I have to hand it to Teslin, I think the get the gold star (I know I said the same things about Grande Cache, but I think Teslin has them beat). They have scene diaoramas set up that are some life-like, and the animals are preserved so well that it looks more like a movie set than a taxidermy display. I was really impressed.
Our next stop was Johnson's Crossing YK. The village basically consists of one shop, which is a gas bar, convenience store and, most importantly, bakery. Their ad in the vistor's guide I had claimed they had "World Famous Cinnimon Buns" and since we had already sampled the best in the Galactic Cluster in Tetsa River, I figured we should really stop and compare. So we did.
When the last bite was done and the icing sugar wiped clean from the plate, I think we both agreed that Johnson Crossing had the best cinnamon buns we've come across. They were scandalous huge, fluffy and super fresh. I hear there's one more stop on the cinnamon bun war tour, but this one is north of Whitehorse. Maybe a later side trip :)
With our cinnamon bun bloated bellies hardly started digesting, we finally came upon the sign we had been waiting for:
We had made it. We were finally in Whitehorse! And, the mountains are right here too. The downtown core appears to be on one side of the Alaska Highway, in a canyon right by the river (hauling groceries up that is going to be fun). We turned off the other side of the Highway to our new summer home in the Hillcrest district.
And, the branch where we'll be working for the summer isn't more that 200m into the industrial park from our apartment. So, it looks like we're all set. We're both pretty excited to finally be here and we can't wait to get out of the car (although Gus has been a star) and explore. The summer is looking pretty awesome.
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