From the road

LIFE IN THE YUKON (Part One)

  

This is our car during the first days of fall. I'm not quite sure why we had icicles on the car, I just know that we did and it looks crazy! We either don't get them anymore or I don't notice them anymore, not sure which. The lead, which is hanging down kind of mid-right, with an extra long icicle hanging on it, is where we plug the car in at night. Not because it's an electric super-modern vehicle, but rather because that's what all Yukoners do when the temperature drops below -10 celsius.  If you don't, the oil pan freezes and your car won't start. Most car-parks have poles for every two car-park spaces, so you can plug your car in during the day while you're at work......if you don't like someone.....you know what to do to THEIR plug.....

This is one of my new lovely friends, Maggie. She too is a new teacher in the Yukon. This is on a road trip we did to Alaska for the weekend. It was during the fall (pre-snow) and as well as highlighting the fun-spirit of aforementioned lovely friend, please note the "studs" in her tire. Instead of just getting normal snow tires (every Northerner has two sets of tires - normal and snow) Maggie got the studded kind which help dig into icy roads. If you look closely you can actually see the studs sticking out of her tire. The mechanic who put them on said that having these tires on a Subaru would make her an "ice-racer."

And finally, still in the fall, this is wild cranberry picking with Shea. It's quite a sport, Cranberry picking. People have their secret-special spots and they honestly won't tell anyone where they are. This is one that we weasled the location from a friend. She said we couldn't even tell Shea's Mum about it! hopefully you can't tell where I am by the picture.....

We got about two of these pots full and dehydrated some and froze the rest. Now, in the deep of winter, we use them for muffins and smoothies and pancakes...delicious...

Shea says to mention that I wanted to pack it in after "only ten berries." I maintain I have very bad circulation in my fingers; it was quite chilly; I didn't have gloves and look how many I already had....ten berries indeed...

When Maggie sends them through to me I'll post some pictures from this weekend's Marsh Lake Loppet. Now, I don't really know what a Loppet is, but it involves a whole bunch of people cross-country ski racing and then prizes at the end. I'll write more with the pictures, though I must preface it with a warning to not expect to see me receiving any of those prizes. I had a lot of fun, but, unfortunately, did not receive any prizes this year. 

I did however, want to jot down a quick tale before I sign off for the night. Yesterday Shea and I called past one of his old university mates Berwyn. He and his partner Sylvia live with their 2 year old daughter Selwyn near Dawson City. They make the birch syrup that is so popular around these parts. Shea refers to Berwyn as one of the Yukon's 'colourful five percent.' It was Berwyn who told me last night about the time he was hitch-hiking from Edmonton back to Whitehorse. His truck had broken down and he caught a lift with a woman who assured him that she and some friends would be going almost to Whitehorse the following day. Unfortunately on the following day, it turned out the car was too full to accommodate Berwyn. Instead, the woman's partner offered to give Berwyn a lift in his tiny private plane. This plane was so small it took regular diesel petrol. This plane was so small that one tank wouldn't last the whole distance of the journey so periodically Berwyn and the pilot would land the plane on the highway, taxi into a petrol station, re-fill and then take off on their way again. Thus hitch-hiking, Berwyn made it back home to the Yukon.