On my birthday we were still traveling in the Yukon. We went to a friends house and Aja made me a cake. An organic angel food cake to which she added wild cranberries. It was delicious and a perfect birthday gift. The only thing Aja realized is that it is hard to keep the cranberries on just one side of the cake even if you sift and stir and try and strain the runny batter with your fingers. It was, however, very entertaining to watch her try. The fact that she had so much fun making it was what made the whole birthday event perfect.
Every two years dancers from the First nations around the Yukon and Alaska gather for "Celebration." My family and my clan, invited me and Aja to come along and take part in the experience and help the elders. One of the highlights was when my niece Megan sang her own song from the main stage. She wrote the song when she was doing her 4 day isolation at her coming of age ceremony. Three days of celebration in Juneau Alaska with dancing on the Grandstand, the stage and even overflowing onto the street.
To me the graveyard at Carcross is one of the most sacred places on the planet as so many of the hero's of my youth and childhood are buried here. I often think about these people and sense them in my prayers and feel their presence as I wondered the earth.
Whitehorse is a perfect place for people who love the great outdoors, as there is a lot of the great outdoors to enjoy. I would like to say I was reliving my youth as Mike and I dirt-biked around Whitehorse, but as I never had the resources to afford a dirt-bike it was more like two old guys pretending to be youth while zooming at middle aged speeds. Because now it is not the zooming we appreciate but rather the views and the vistas. Because at my age in this beautiful country "look-out" means stop for some inward looking while enjoying the perspective of the pleasant panorama, not to warn other motorcyclists of a log or barrier on the path.
Yes even after seeing the great cities of the world with their tall skyscrapers it is still impressive to see the three-story skyscraper circa 1947 in Whitehorse Yukon, built by a man named Berrigan who was in his 70's at the time he built it. They say this land has many stories to tell. None more interesting than the four stories in this log building. Ok there are only three actual stories, the fourth story is how, when, and why it was built. 
While in the Yukon I got together with John and Chuck Mckenzie (middle). Chuck was my Judo instructor through the years I placed 3rd and 2nd twice in the Canadian Championships. He was a big part of my youth and a great inspiration as I grew up. Come to think of it he is still a great inspiration to me now. Thanks Chuck.
The sayings on the shirt thank tourists for thier support of local paramedics by feeding the bears, petting moose and taking pictures from the middle of the road We broke two of the three rules, because you just have to to get the great photos. However, I liked the saying on the bear.... no grouches, sourpusses or malcontents which is perhaps the best advice you can give anyone to prepare them to go north and survive in this great part of the world.
Here we are in Carcross in the Yukon. In different places in the world there are various saying about the weather. In Ontario they say they say there are four seasons - almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction. In the U.S. they say there are only two seasons - winter and baseball. In Ireland they say you don't have to worry if it is going to rain - it's already raining. In England they say it can get so cold you can see a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets. In Eastern Europe they say the driving is better in winter because the potholes are filled in with frozen snow and slush. And from the picture you can tell what they say about the seasons in the Yukon... There are 10 months of winter and 2 months of bad snowmobiling... 
The Yukon is still very much alive with poems and tales of the Gold rush. The gold rush and it's colorful characters add a unique historical perspective and a sense of adventure to this Northern territory. Four for the six original discoverers of the Klondike are buried in the graveyard at Carcross; Skookum Jim Mason, Tagish Charlie, Kate Carmacks and Patsy Henderson. When I see the graves of these once wealthy people I am reminded of what is of value on our journey through this land and this world.
The S. S. Klondike, now a museum, is the only remaining paddle wheeler left in the Yukon since the glory days of the gold rush. The majestic paddle-wheelers added to the look and feel of the Yukon's colorful history, and the romance of the Gold rush. These paddle-wheelers made the 740 Km trip downstream to Dawson City in 36 hours which included one stop for wood. The return trip upstream took anywhere from four to five days and five to seven wood-stops. It is impressive to see one of them today, it must have been awe-inspiring in the days when a fleet of them weaved their way along the mighty Yukon river carrying passengers and supplies to the gold fields.
The Contractor that built the railway said "Give me enough dynamite and chewing tobacco and I'll build a road to Hell." Although in many ways he might have found building his road to Hell a lot easier than building a railway across the frozen mountains. This narrow gauge railroad is one of the few railways built by volunteers, rather than imported immigrants. This is because gold seekers had to stop and make a grub stake, or wait out the winter before heading across the mountains on the Chilkoot trail to the gold fields of the Yukon. So many gold seekers worked on the railroad while they waited for the trail north to open.
We arrived in Juneau Alaska to 23 hours of sunlight and warm and clear skies. (Alaska and Yukon warm in fact even Canada warm). Flying across the land I am reminded that sometimes there is more to see in the middle of nowhere then in any large city. In fact, after traveling the great and ancient cities of the world, I realize that the more 'civilized' we become the more we need to touch base with nature and the earth's great unexplored wilderness. Climbing onto the 9 seat airplane to fly from Juneau to Skagway made me realize that the vast wilderness of the North is not just a place we are passing through or a place we are visiting... it is home.
A week in the Hawaiian paradise with Leah and Ray was a nice, albeit short, reconnect with back home. We bought some more t-shirts and souvenirs saw the sights, not all the sights though as it is good to save some for next time. Aja and I are off to my old homeland the Yukon and Alaska for three weeks while Leah and Ray return to Victoria. So we say goodbye to the palm trees, the ukuleles, the sand and the surf and head North to Alaska, going north the rush is on.
