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Thursday, September 2, 2010

Skies Along the Yukon


On the road from Skagway, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon.

We picked up my husband after his train ride, then continued to head for Whitehorse, stopping along the way to view the sights, as did busloads of tourists.

Perched high atop a tree, barely visible except as a lump against the sky, an eagle patiently waits for the fish thrown on the driveway for him every day by the staff and volunteers at Muktuk Kennels.
These dogs are so friendly they happily maintain eye contact with people, but don't try this without permission from a dog's owner because some animals see eye contact as a challenge. Here, this dog enjoys time with Marilyn.

In the background, Murd can be seen visiting with several dogs at once.

Dick stops taking pictures long enough to skritch one of the dogs behind the ear.

Volunteers at Muktuk give the animals plenty of love. That's their job, along with feeding and walking and cleaning and other chores, and the dogs return their love in abundance.

When we told our friends Marilyn and Murd Nicholson we'd be in Skagway, Alaska on a cruise with Holland America, they offered to meet us at the ship and take us to Whitehorse, Yukon, where they live, so I'm happy to present these photos of northern skies for this week's edition of Skywatch Friday.
Dick chose to ride the historic White Pass & Yukon Railroad part of the way, because he'd never been on it before. I rode with Marilyn and Murd, and enjoyed the Arctic scenery from their car. After stopping to fetch Dick after his train trip, we carried on to Whitehorse, where we were treated to a brief tour of the city, including The Barber Shoppe, which is Murd's family-friendly hair salon located in the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel. Even if you don't need a haircut, you'll enjoy a tour of The Barber Shoppe just to see all the interesting things Murd has gathered in his years in the north.
The highlight of our day, however, was a visit to Muktuk Kennels where we all enjoyed playing with Frank Turner's friendly sled dogs. We saw an eagle waiting for the Muktuk volunteers to show up with the fish they gave him every day for lunch, and we learned about the 1,000-mile international sled dog race, the Yukon Quest (which Frank and his dogs have been known to win).
It was my second trip to Whitehorse and Skagway, but Dick's first, and we definitely agreed it was a wonderful day but much too short.
Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear

Be sure to check out Skywatch Friday, and then you can see more sights and sites from around the world at My World Tuesday, plus imaginative bloggers at work on Mellow Yellow Monday as well as ABC Wednesday.

20 comments:

Gigi Ann said...

What a wonderful and exciting vacation you had. It looks and sounds like a fun time was had by all. I also missed your ABC Wednesday post this week. It was interesting also.

Kay L. Davies said...

Thanks, Ann. As you can see, I just managed to learn how to make links within the text of my blog post, which was also very exciting. But yes, I would recommend an Alaska cruise to anyone, even if they don't have friends "nearby" (as distances go in the north).

EG CameraGirl said...

How wonderful to see Alaska to Yukon through your eyes!

Sylvia K said...

It does look as though you had a fabulous vacation!! How fun! And what gorgeous skies and clouds! Marvelous captures, Kay! Happy SWF! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Sylvia

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

Hi Kay ~ your trip sounds and looks like great fun. Are the pup used for sledding or are they rescue dogs? Lindy is a beauty ♥

Kay L. Davies said...

Hi Trish -- the dogs at Muktuk are trained sled dogs, bred for speed, endurance, intelligence, loyalty and an ability to get along with one another. Occasionally Muktuk will adopt out one of their senior dogs to approved families, but usually they prefer to keep them at home, with special privileges in their old age.
Thank you for admiring our Lindy who is, we think, a very special rescue dog. We adopted her from SOS Pet Rescue in Redcliff, Alberta, a year ago and we've loved every minute of it.

Carver said...

What a great post. I enjoyed seeing your shots along the Yukon so much.

magiceye said...

a lovely post with beautiful images and cool narration

Hildred said...

A great travelogue and wonderful pictures....

Rajesh said...

Beautiful very scenic route. I just loved the first picture. The dogs look very friendly.

Powell River Books said...

That's beautiful country. We flew the trench to Alaska twice. On one trip we landed at Whitehorse and camped under the wing of our plane. I remember the taxi we took to town had a huge crack in the windshield, temperature extremes for rocks on the road I suspect. The other thing I remember were the fields of fireweed, so beautiful. It must be a gorgeous trip by car. - Margy

Kay L. Davies said...

Hi Margy -- I'm sure your trips to Alaska were far more adventurous than mine. Camping under the wing of your plane. Doesn't get more exciting than that. My old friend Murd made sure I saw everything he thought I should see the first time I went to the Yukon. Lake Laberge and all the Robert Service things, and also the desert ...did you know there's a desert alongside the road between Whitehorse and Skagway? Wonderful sand, something of an oasis in the far north (but without geothermal springs, LOL).

Ebie said...

The views are breath taking! I want to take that cruise!

Anonymous said...

A beautiful part of the World that I'd love to visit. Nice to see and read about your trip.

Pearl Maple said...

Fantastic collection of photos, do enjoy it when bloggers take us on holiday with them sharing perspecitves and views.

Linda said...

How I love these wide North American skies. Lucky you to be travelling so far north. It's one of my dreams!

jabblog said...

What a gorgeous post! How lovely to spend time with friends in such a beautiful place. The dogs are wonderful - you are so right about eye contact!

Anonymous said...

There aren't too many skies and surroundings much prettier than those. Thanks for visiting www.myfieldofvision.net.

Kay said...

It really is fun to travel with you, Kay. Lovely photos!

Lynette Killam said...

Hi Kay:

Thanks so much for stopping by to view my SSS pics. I've sent you an email as well!

I love your Northern Skies! That's a trip we'd also like to take. If you get a chance, you might want to peek at my travel blog, The Imaginative Traveler.
I started it a while ago to post photos of our Africa trip, among others, and I just did a piece for a different sky meme with photos I took on a day trip to Whistler Mountain.

Isn't blogging just the best fun!

Lynette