Solo Travel
Most of the travelling I’ve done in my life has been solo. Sometimes it’s been out of necessity—but most of the time, out of preference.
Travel
International Travel in Covid Times
My husband Ryan and I continue our adventures travelling internationally, for the first time in two years, with flight delays…
Road Snacks For White Line Fever
On November 26, my sister and I pulled into the Husky gas station at Hope, just off the Trans-Canada Highway.
Travel in Covid Times: Part 2
My husband Ryan and I continue our adventures travelling internationally for the first time in two years…
So you wanna be a house-sitter …
In the coming months, just like elegant trumpeter swans, many Yukoners will flock to warmer climates in search of sand and vitamin D.
Be A Conscious Traveller This Winter
The COVID-19 pandemic stopped travel, from one day to the next, in a way that was impossible to imagine before.
International Travel in Covid Times
Over two years ago, everyone’s lives changed with Covid. Vacations and trips were cancelled; even just meeting was impossible.
When Santa’s Magic Is Not An Option
Anyone who has watched the holiday favourite Home Alone can see what some of the stresses are of travelling during the Christmas season.
Coming Back To The Yukon (Part 2)
“I cannot cross the river,” I told my friends as they were about to move on. (The truth was I didn’t want to cross the river.) We were a group of seven people hiking … two of us were staying behind on the beautiful sandy beach at Kusawa Lake, as the others went farther. I felt like sitting back and relaxing. My other friend was feeling the same. We are queens, we said. We don’t like to cross rivers.
New Adventures, Old Heirlooms
About eight or nine years ago, my dad’s cousin’s widow called out of the blue to berate me (in her high-toned British accent) because I didn’t let her know about my mom’s passing. I didn’t want to explain that I didn’t even know this relative was still alive or that she was still in touch …
Postcards from Peru – Cusco
Jessica loves being in the mountains, working with plants and exploring beyond her comfort zone. She divides time between Peru and the Yukon.
Lessons in gratitude from my life in the Andes
there are certain days of the year that are designated to remind us more strongly of where we should direct our gratitude, but what really makes a difference in our lives are the small acts of reverence. Here in Peru, for example, it’s quite common to share a bit of whatever you’re drinking.
Postcards from Peru: Cusco
The last several months have taken their toll on Peru. Experience another part of the world while you stay safe in your own communities.
Japan must-sees
If you ever have the opportunity to get to Japan, I strongly encourage you to take it. It’s safe, easy to navigate and the accommodations were all so nice it has effectively ruined me for backpacking other countries.
Japan in a nutshell
I had high hopes for Japan and my expectations were still blown out of the water. I don’t think I could be more in support of absolutely everyone making time to go explore this very special place.
Running on a postcard
After scraping to survive the half marathon on Skiathos and then eating and drinking my way through Greece, I approached the Oct. 5 run on Santorini with some hesitation.
Vanishing point in an invisible car
I have a clean driver’s slate. I mention this because it shows that most people, no matter how many goofy things they do when they were young, will finally straighten themselves out. I really try to never speed anymore and I am usually in somebody’s way on the road. What a difference from the 1970s! …
Nuts for coconuts
My fondest memory of Mexico is the availability of fresh coconut water. In the mornings, I went out to get a fresh coconut off the tree.
A tasting tour of Portugal
I’m not a real connoisseur of fine dining, but I do enjoy trying out new tastes and exploring local foods, especially when I’m travelling. Portugal provided lots of opportunity for that when my friend and I went there in late March and early April. I had heard about the Ribiera Market in Lisbon and we …
When in Faro… Portugal
Here are some of my tips on travel to Portugal as a curious 70-year-old with a “willing to try it at least once” philosophy. This is based on two weeks travelling by train with another 69-year-old woman in late March and April. We landed in Lisbon, headed south to Faro (yes, there is a Faro …
One woman’s tale travelling solo in Iran
In 2016 I was living in the Republic of Georgia and travelled to the Islamic Republic of Iran for two months solo. Where and why you may ask? Two years prior I was travelling through Eastern Europe, and while in Ukraine, I met travellers heading to Iran. My ears perked up and I thought to …
The dreaded ‘P’ word
Yes, that’s right, I’m going to write it. The “P” word. That’s right. Period. (Not the little dot at the end of a sentence, but the one that affects half the population for most of their lives.) It’s funny how a word can make people cringe, even the sex it impacts directly. Why can’t we …
Endings and beginnings
It was the end of my first camino, the ancient pilgrimage route across Spain, and I never wanted to put those dang boots on again.
Managing avalanche terrain
Eirik Sharp, owner and operator of The Sharp End: Mountain Adventures, with his extensive avalanche background, is bringing change to how the Yukon manages avalanche terrain.
Evoking kintsugi
Whitehorse artist Leslie Leong applied for a residency at the Ted Harrison Artists Retreat to work towards a large show at the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery in the fall of 2019. But she had lots of other ideas to work through first, both larger and smaller. At the artists’ retreat, on Crag Lake, she was …
Honouring and remembering sacrifice
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a great victory for Canada, but it came at a price. In this battle, there were more than 10,500 casualties and about 3,600 killed. To our knowledge, Herbert Lawless was the only known Yukoner to fall in this battle.
Saskatchewan in October
Once upon a time, “back in the days” (last year, in October) when the Greyhound bus still existed, a garter snake slithered out of the way, a pronghorn bounced over a fence, and I happened to step into cactus. This is the beginning of a most auspicious tale … In the days of the Greyhound, …
Halloween around the world
Halloween is most certainly a North American pastime, but this tradition has slowly morphed into a worldwide event for both kids and adults. I love Halloween … Ever since I was a little kid, I envied the kids I saw, on TV and in movies, who got to dress up and go trick or treating. …
Hip hip hooray! for local filmmaker Lulu Keating …
When the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) in Dawson City put out a call for a members’ exhibit with the theme of “The Age of Selfies,” local filmmaker Lulu Keating decided to submit a work about her recent hip replacement. “Anger was part of my recovery from hip replacement,” said the former Nova …
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The Northern Seduction
Sebastian Fricke and Rose Seguin share their journey, their “inner compasses” with us as they travel and write on their way through Alaska and the Yukon Having completed our undergraduate degrees, Rose and I were very eager to break free of the bureaucracy and daily grind of city life. We followed our inner compasses north, …
To ‘Looks Like a Caribou’ and back – Part 6 of 6
Driving the Dempster Highway to Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. (located on Kugmallit Bay of the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean), is no big deal..
Skagway: A ‘bluebird day’ with blue skies…
It’s May long weekend and we’re driving to Skagway, and it seems as though most of Whitehorse has decided to do the same with a queue of 20 vehicles at the U.S. border … It was a warm evening, and we went to Starfire, in Skagway, to enjoy some Thai food before camping for the …
Walk, hike, stroll …
Walk … “You weren’t in any hurry to walk,” my mother said as she showed me a photo of myself at 15 months, happily sitting on a blanket in the yard. But after a late start, there was no stopping me. I walked to school almost every day of my long student career, walked to …
Time for Thai!
The longer I have lived in Whitehorse, the more I have grown to understand that Yukoners crave Thai food and many will drive to Skagway just to taste the delicacies it offers.
Kathleen & Kokanee in Kluane – Part 3 of 6
Kathleen Lake, which is the only place in Kluane National Park you can sleep (legally) if you have rubber wheels for your mode of transportation (rather than flying machines, skis, hiking boots or birchbark).
Atlin: Boom town to burnt down … to boom, burn, bust and boom again – Part 2 of 6
Of all the cities, towns and villages in northwestern Canada, Atlin’s journey through the turbulent 20th century was more dramatic than most.
The Perpetual Immigrant
Since I was 18 years old, I have been an immigrant 12 times. My entire adult life has been spent as a foreigner to those I live and work with. Always being different. Never quite fitting in.
South to Alberta – Part I
Exploration, adventure and community are among the most important aspects of living in the North. For many Yukoners, it was the “want” to explore a fantasized part of the world and to seek adventure in discovering Canada’s North, but it was the sense of community that made people want to stay.
A Kenai kickoff to a new series – Part 1 of 6
Homer, on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula, is the farthest south you can drive and became my favourite place to RV camp in Alaska because of this surprise: it felt like California.
Living with Wildlife: Faye Cable
The Whitehorse Photography Club makes a photo trip to Skagway during June every year to photograph the field of irises at Dyea Tidal Flats. We always see bears on the road on the way home.
A new home for GoNorth Whitehorse
by Yvonne Freiderich GoNorth expands its car & RV rental business with RV service, repair and storage at its new location on Mt. Sima Road “Summertime is RV time—for locals and tourists alike! Whether you want to rent an RV or you need your own unit repaired, GoNorth is proud to serve you,” said the …
Ten days in Germany
Sherri Green won our 2018 Condor competition with her ‘pretzel itinerary’ If I were to go to Germany, where would I go? There are so many possibilities. I usually have trouble deciding what to order off of a restaurant menu! I asked some friends and they helped me narrow down the possibilities. Their suggestion? Tour …
Top 10 items needed for all camping trips
From my experience, here are the top 10 items you must have when camping
The Yukon’s Magnificent 11 – Part 6 of 6
It almost appears as if one of the great tourism RV destinations, Haines Road & Alaska Highway, happened by design—but it didn’t.
Play it loud in the car
Manfred Janssen and Jordy Walker recorded the bulk of the album in Walker’s basement studio in Hillcrest, hence the title, Basement Tapes.
Full metal and padded jacket
Many Yukoners will have seen members of the Company of the White Wolf at events around the territory. It’s hard to miss grown men and women dressed in full medieval combat armour, striking each other with swords and axes.
In search of the perfect poutine
Is it possible to find good poutine in Whitehorse – even though we’re the farthest you can possibly get from Quebec?
Cuba Impressions
Passion – that’s the word that comes to mind when I reflect on my recent Cuban holiday in January. The passion of our tour guides throughout our travels. Their devotion to sharing their love of Cuba and how Cubans are working to build a more equitable country.
Black forest cake in Namibia
In Swakopmund, Germany and Namibia come together like the Namib Desert and the ocean just outside the town. If you didn’t know that this is an African country, you would think that it’s a town somewhere in Germany.
Kiddos! We’re leaving on a jet plane
Travelling with young children is not easy; it throws all sorts of challenges at you, and your days of travelling with just carry-on are gone. Yet, after 50+ flights with my tiny, travelling companions I’ve realized there are some things you can do to make the journey more enjoyable, and less epic.
Bridging the Divide
Author Kate Harris shucked her space dreams and, with her friend, Mel Yule, picked up the courage to embark on a different trip: to cycle the Silk Road from end to end.
This is the way…
March is the perfect time of year to plan ahead for a “camino.” April and May in Spain offer green fields flecked with red poppies, storks nesting in bell towers, cuckoos calling in the woods and grape flowers smelling sweet on the vines. Camino means “way” or “road” in Spanish. The Camino de Santiago, or …
Trek Over the Top Turns 25 this Year
The 25th annual Trek Over the Top snowmobile race will arrive in Dawson City on March 8 and return to its starting point in Tok, Alaska, on March 11. The event has been organized on the Dawson end by the Klondike Visitors Association (KVA) for the last seven years, and this is the second year …
Skagway shenanigans
Early morning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, December 23 I began my journey to Skagway. The brisk Whitehorse temperatures of -27ºC would be a distant memory once I got to Alaska. I arrived to a balmy -6ºC in Skagway and I started the trek up to Upper Dewey Lakes on the steep snowless tracks, regretting …
Handmade with passion
Take a drive south of Whitehorse, using the mountain range and tall pines as your guide, you will find yourself in the lovely community of Carcross. In this little hub works a very talented jeweller, Shelley MacDonald.
From passion to success
It’s been 20 years since Thomas de Jager first discovered the Yukon. Today, he runs his successful business Yukon Wide Adventures that gives locals and tourists the opportunity to enjoy the Yukon’s outdoors. Thomas, originally from Monheim, Germany first came as a tourist through Alaska and the Yukon in 1996. His parents were avid kayakers …
The Power of ‘the camino’
It’s a walk, it’s a pilgrimage. It’s called “the camino” and it has the power to make people feel called to do it, the power to make people talk about it, the power to draw people back to do it again.
Taking the reins at What’s Up
Fall has arrived and Yukoners have all started to settle into our winter routines. This busy time of year seems like the perfect time to take over as editor of What’s Up Yukon. I’m excited for the challenge and have already had some great ideas sent my way, so stay tuned over the coming months …
There and back
The Nā Pali Coast’s Kalalau Trail is a stunning 18-kilometre there-and-back hike on the north coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Often topping Greatest-Hikes-in-the-World lists, along with Most-Dangerous-Hikes-in-the-World, it promises a rugged trek along incredibly steep rain-forest mountain-sides, long side trails to massive waterfalls, deep blue water and crashing waves, and an opportunity to sleep on a …
Go Where The Road Takes You
Many of us daydream about packing everything into a van and hitting the road at one time or another. For one Yukoner, 25-year-old Ben Barrett-Forrest, this is a dream come true, and it’s happening at this very moment. I caught up with Ben on the tail end of a brief Canadian detour, on his way from …
Flying High
To hear Hugh Kitchen tell it, operating a Northern aviation business seems a lot like trying to romance a porcupine. Besides needing opportunity, courage and excellent timing, “you have to be flexible and fast on your feet.” Kitchen ought to know. He’s been involved with Whitehorse-based Alkan Air for the past 35 years, both as …
Northern Food Fusion: Arctic Char Harvest
I can still smell the smoked fish on my jean jacket and I smile. It means I have been home to the Northwest Territories. At the end of August, I went home to my family’s fish camp. August is when the Arctic char (also known as Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma) are running through Big Eddy. …
Tel Aviv to L.A.
Tamir Hendelman’s list of players who have inspired him as a performer and composer includes unsurprising names such Evans, Davis, Corea, Hancock and Peterson. But how many other jazz musicians could also such early influences as a grandmother continuously humming everything from Yiddish songs, to opera, to Frank Sinatra in the apartment below? Or, for …
Heed the Lore When You’re on the Move
Until very recently, I had never heard the expression “hitchhiker’s thumb”. Oh sure, there was that weird guy in Grade 9 named Pete Moss, who had double-jointed thumbs. He also had a habit of turning his eyelids inside-out, a truly gory sight that the girls in the class generally found disgusting, but the boys considered …
In The People’s Voice
Ross River musician Dennis Shorty grew up in a musical family that spoke Kaska and performed at social events. Now he is sharing his love of the language through the musical duo he formed with his wife, Jennifer Froehling, is called Dena Zagi, meaning “people’s voice”. In August, they toured in Germany with their first …
Thoughts of Hitchhiking Sometimes Follow Strange Trails
One of my favourite pastimes is exploring the origins and meanings of common English words and expressions. Our language is such a hodge-podge (dare one say “hotchpotch”?) of thefts, borrowings and adaptations from others, that an etymologist can go haring down many a rabbit hole trying to plumb the depths of a simple phrase. English …
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Third Time’s the Charm
My friend, Lucy (not her real name – she asked me to call her that), is no stranger to adventure. The daring Ontario expat, who has called the Yukon home for the last decade, has twice answered the call to cycle the Dempster Highway – a rugged expanse of terrain stretching from Dawson City to …
Big City Girl Goes to the Midnight Sun
Diary of a Big City Girl’s experiences in the land of the midnight sun. Adventures from summer of 2017 in the Yukon.
Trinidad’s Carnival: Experience of a Lifetime!
Carnival is a massive street party that falls the week before Ash Wednesday, which is in late February/early March, and is observed annually in many countries around the world. It is celebrated with especially great vigor in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s basically a culturally-rich party parade, filled with beautifully diverse people in elaborate costumes dancing …
Glück Auf! A Mini-Mining Tour of Germany
I’m not a miner, but on a recent visit to Germany my friends took me on impromptu mining tours of their regions. First Clemens and I drove 100 kilometres west of Leipzig to Wangen and the Arc of Nebra (Arche Nebra) museum, where the Himmelsscheibe (Star Chart) of Nebra was discovered in 1999. Dating back …
Yukon’s Best Friend: DOG CULTURE, Don McMillan
DOG CULTURE: Submitted by Don McMillan “We’re going camping, we’re going camping!!” Sophie and Greg Meredith in their 1974 VW Westfalia. What’s Up Yukon is pleased to partner with the Yukon Transportation Museum’s Dog Culture Display, “Yukon’s Best Friend: Doggedness in Love and Labour”. Your photos will be on display at the dog culture exhibit so be sure …
Setting Forth for New Frontiers
Yukon musician Jona Barr is pumped. He’s going to Germany – and he’s going to be playing his first set outside of Canada. “I’ve traveled to a few upper American states while touring Canada, but this is my first international festival,” says the Old Cabin frontman. “It’s surreal being 30-years-old and never having been somewhere …
Vimy Ridge to Tuk
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a great victory for Canada, To our knowledge, Herbert Lawless was the only known Yukoner to fall in this battle.
Experiencing the Beauty of Canada
Heather Newman graduated from high school in 2007 from Robina State High School on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Not exactly in 2009 and definitely not in Whitehorse. All the Whitehorse kids from the class of 2009 seem to be busy this summer; as I haven’t been running into any of them lately. Some …
The Yukon is Great for Summer Travelling
Summer, with its long daylight hours, is a great time to travel around the Yukon. We started our travels the summer after we arrived, trading up from a VW Beetle to a Ford 150, and loading a second hand 8 ½ foot camper on the back. Over the next several years we covered all the …
Fresh Fast Food
Culinary queen and DIY entrepreneur Katie Thom might be flying by the seat of her pants, but when she sets her mind on something, she does it, and with force. Though operating a food truck has been on her mind for the last 10 years, it was a decision Thom only made, and fully committed …
From the East to the Beautiful South
Keen on history? The Castle Wartburg in Wittenberg in Eastern Germany offers an opportunity to learn about the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation. The castle is the place where Luther translated the bible and lived with his family. The castle’s origins date back to 1067. The castle is hosting an exhibition until November called …
Visiting Fort Selkirk
As someone who has always been very interested in Yukon history the Fort Selkirk Historic Site was definitely on the list of places we wanted the visit during the year we lived in the Yukon. But how to get there since there is no road access? Located near the confluence of the Yukon and the …
Orchestra at the Edges of Canada
“Come as you are, bring a friend or a parent or a daughter or a nephew, and be prepared to be blown away by NYO Canada’s talented and passionate young musicians,” says Blanche Israël, external relations manager at the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) of Canada. The August 10th concert at the Yukon Arts Centre will …
A Bumpy Road to Citizenship
November, 1972. California-born musician Mike Stockstill and two friends packed their instruments into the car and headed for Alaska. The car was a 1942 Dodge truck that had six months earlier been a chicken coop. Mike, a mechanic, and his friends turned it back into a truck. “It broke down every 300 miles so we …
Too Curious George
He was a foundling on the streets of Edmonton – a golden cocker spaniel whose hair was so matted with burrs that much of it had to be shaved off. It was my 6-year-old daughter and two of her friends who brought him home, after he had attached himself to them on the playground. Of …
A Naturalist’s Guide to Spirituality
His Naturalist’s Guide to Spirituality, The Road is How, is a lyrical account of Trevor Herriot’s three-day, 40-mile journey
Who knit you?
In 2015 my husband, Roger, and I visited Newfoundland; we rented a vehicle and hit the road. The breathtaking western shore drive took us through Gros Morne National Park and along the coast to L’Anse aux Meadows. A knitter for most of my life, I was struck at the knitting industry alive and thriving on …
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The history of how we move is full of wild and wondrous stories about survival, romance, perseverance and everyday life. It’s also a great lens through which we can explore science and technology. Two new summer programs at the Yukon Transportation Museum will explore stories and science with kids and seniors to celebrate Canada 150 …
Experiencing Theatre in Namibia
It’s 15 minutes before our performance starts and one of my actors has a meltdown. “No, I am not gonna play,” he says avoiding eye contact. Philo is 12 years old and usually confident. I would never have expected that from him. It’s Valentine’s Day and we rehearsed for our little performance the whole week. …
High Adventure
At the age of 82, Peter Steele says he has very little memory of his own parents. That’s partly why he decided a few years ago to write his autobiography. “I didn’t want my own kids to able to say the same,” he explains. “I thought I had enough interesting stories that I’d like them …
Life Lessons Through the Lens
You can learn a lot by studying animals, just ask local photographer Minnie Clarke. Her passion for capturing northern creatures was borne on a remote trapline in Johnson’s Crossing, Yukon. Clarke has been photographing Yukon’s wilderness for 20 years, but one stunning subject in particular is the focal point of many of her studies: the …
Women in Whitehorse – Part 3
From the river to the mountains, Whitehorse is a picturesque place. However, it’s the people that make Whitehorse truly breathtaking. Beauty is found in Yukoners weaving their unique skills and talents into the tapestry of the north. Below is the third in a three part series about some particularly extraordinary women of Whitehorse. Larra Daley …
Start South, GoNorth!
Winter in Whitehorse is beautiful, but long. By the end of April 2016 we traveled down south to find Vancouver fully in bloom already. A reasonably priced and very scenic train ride along the coast brought us to Seattle. After discovering this attractive city for a few days, we took over a truck camper at …
Coctel de Camarones
Having recently spent some time in Latin America to attend a friend’s wedding (congrats again Mr. and Mrs. Spinks!) my head is full of vibrant fruit, spicy seasoning and lovely fresh seafood. While the food in that part of the world is a trove of fantastic recipes the one I kept ordering again and again …
CAUTION: Bison bison athabascae
The first time I saw this sign, I had to stop and pull over on the side of the road to make sure I had read it correctly. It was early spring in 2012 and I was travelling up the Alaska Highway for the first of what would be uncountable times. The decision to come …
An Accidental Alien
With the world’s longest undefended border it’s not difficult to become an accidental illegal alien, especially between the Yukon and Alaska. After all, the last time there was a serious passport control on the Chilkoot Trail was during the gold rush. And not so long ago, a person could float down the Yukon River from …
Look Who’s Parking in Whitehorse
Dr. Katie Aitken, an ornithology instructor at Yukon College, says it’s “unknown” if Yukon’s house sparrow population will expand to become a problem downtown or with bird lovers. She admits she has a soft spot for them. “It was the first species I identified when I started birding as a child down south,” she told …
The Long-Awaited Day
I sit on the 10K seat. For the first time in my life, I travelled middle class and it’s pretty cool, I have to admit! Tons of space for my legs, despite the big bag at my feet, and even more attentive hostesses. This was Condor’s last flight of the summer, the plane was half …
Erik Nielsen Gets a Long Overdue Facelift
Manlig says he’s excited about the project and looks forward to seeing it through to completion. He’s worked on similar projects before and brings a wealth of experience and a dynamic skillset to the table. The space on the main floor has been reduced slightly for the time being and there are a few construction …
Let Me Get to Know You. How About a Little Bicycle Trip?
When Hélène met François, she’d been dreaming of a long-distance bicycle trip for years. I think the fact that François was an experienced cyclist just maybe added to the attraction. Within 18 months, they had sold almost everything they owned, and loaded what they couldn’t or didn’t want to sell into their car, parked it …
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The Long-Awaited Day
This day, I woke up at 6:45 a.m. I must say I was surprised to have such a good night’s sleep. No stress, no sadness. But the anxieties arrived as we get closer to the airport. My fear of the plane finally bit the euphoria of departure. We quickly found a parking space, tested the …
Border Lines
If I were to search out the exact opposite of local, homegrown food, I would pass through the security gates at an international airport. The sportsbars, food courts and even neo-eco-healthy cafés are part of an isolated microcosm that I’m sure has allowed for evolution in isolation of the trends towards local, fresh food that …
Yukon Pilgrims Gather
Whitehorse resident Dianne Homan knows people make the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage for many reasons. So on March 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., she and the Yukon chapter of the Company of Canadian Pilgrims are hosting an informal presentation about “the Camino experience” at Hidden Valley School. Located in western Europe, the Camino …
Experiencing creative writing in Namibia
I am sitting in the Lemon Tree Restaurant in Windhoek, Namibia, waiting for my fellow writers to show up. It is raining, and everybody is happy about that. We write in 10 minute sections to a prompt and then we share what we have written. We only give positive feedback to encourage each other; this …
A Home Away From Home
Stepping into Johnson’s Crossing Lodge nestled off the Alaska Highway at historic Mile 836 feels more like walking into your mom’s living room than a highway lodge. Vintage tins and rusted relics line the shelves overtop a cozy room with tables and chairs. A table top is scattered with hundreds of puzzle pieces waiting to …
Riding Motorcycles for a Good Cause
Along with Cause Canada’s founder Paul Carrick and a local guide, the men will visit the projects and activities they are helping to fund. In the meantime, they will also be breaking in the bikes that they will later donate to the local men and women who work for Cause Canada and visit the communities …
Home for a Yukon Spell
When my parents drove the Canadian Shield to Whitehorse 34 years ago in a rusted, steel blue Pontiac, they were unaware of the lifelong curse they were casting upon me. No, my parents are not wiccan worshippers, or practitioners of the Craft, just a couple of Ontario born kids who had a dream of carving …
Like the Beauty of the Yukon? You’ll Love Hiking Japan
He would leave home at 6:30 a.m. and return at 10 or 11 p.m. When Japan’s economy faltered, he wanted a change. He came to Canada, trained as a mountain guide, and moved to the Yukon to set up its Yamnuska branch in 2007. Today, he still works in an office, marketing and organizing. “But …
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Unexpected Awesomeness
After 15 countries, 34 cities and 99 days backpacking through Europe I can honestly say that it was not the big name cities that ended up being our favourites. It turned out to be the smaller cities and towns that we had never heard of. These were the gems that other travellers recommended – or …
No Farmer Left Behind (Iceland Age part 2)
A square, two-storey guest house with bare, small rooms and a simple kitchen is snugged in between the trailer-cum-farmhouse and the sheep barn. The collection of buildings looks tiny against a sweeping backdrop: a deep valley that winds away from the mouth of the fjord, hemmed in by high cliffs. A woman perhaps in her …
(Hot) Water Water Everywhere (Iceland Age part 1)
Although Iceland has been getting a lot of press lately as a hot – metaphorically and geologically speaking – tourist destination, it hardly seems a likely go-to spot for an agricultural experience. That however is exactly what landed me in the middle of the blustery North Atlantic in October along with seven other Yukoners. We …
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DIDEE & DIDOO: I’VE NEVER BEEN EVERYWHERE
I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ENGLAND BUT I’VE BEEN TO CARIBOU LOOKOUT. IHAVE NEVER BEEN TO FRANCE BUT I’VE BEEN TO RAMPART HOUSE. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO CHINA BUT I’VE BEEN TO CROW FLATS. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO TIALY BUT I’VE BEEN TO KLO KUT. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO GERMANY BUT I’VE …
Learning About Ubuntu in Namibia
My African friends think that Yukoners are cannibals. When I told them the story about the Sourtoe Cocktail I expected the usual reaction: laughter and amusement. But instead I got wide-open eyes and mouths asking me: “You did this?” they asked me. “You drank this human-cocktail?” I did my best to explain the history behind …
Loco for Mangoes
Perhaps my Yukon upbringing prevented me from eating mangoes during my formative years. Especially in the grateful, sticky chin kind of way that I eat mangoes now. It’s a graceful gorging of sorts. There could not be enough of the sweet stone fruit trucked North to satisfy my Mexican mango addiction. I’ve got it bad. It’s been …
Interview at the Embassy
The status of one’s permanent residency quickly becomes the crux of conversation among the Yukon’s new Canadians. And it’s the crux of this column. No two people have the same story to tell. Not only are there various ways to immigrate, each person’s reason to immigrate is different. Some are poignant, others humorous, like this …
Sew Lovely
From the moment that Jacquelyn van Kampen stepped off the plane in Whitehorse, she felt that she had arrived in a magical place. Growing up in southern Ontario, she thought of the Yukon as a cold and dark place that she would likely never visit. But that was before she saw an application form for …
Family Vacation
As children are once again back in school — practicing their writing skills by reporting on the topic “What I did last summer,” — it is a good time to reflect on how effective the opportunities for family-related memory-making were over the past couple of months. This is also a good time to think about …
On Simple Pleasures
There is a microwave placed awkwardly in front of the little, old fashioned split-glass window. The curtains are open and on the other side of the window freight ships move across the bay slowly, deliberately, as if the water was thick as muskeg and they had to work much harder than they expected to get …
Four Years on the Road and Still Going Strong
We Found Roads is their latest album – and also the personal story of Cie and Karisa Hoover. They are a two-person indie rock band called You Knew Me When, currently singing, playing and camping their way through Alaska and the Yukon. Their road trip is one of growth for their music, their relationship and …
Final Days and Thoughts
The final week of Icelandic adventuring saw us completing the Ring Road, which encircles the whole country and has tourist spots dotted along the way. We followed it east and gradually north through glacier-domed mountains, bucolic sheep folds, thundering waterfalls and glistening black alluvial beaches that stretched along the coastline for miles at a time. …
Summer Vacation
A question that pops up every now and again is, Would students be better off without a summer vacation? This stance claims that the luxurious two-and-a-half month summer break should be replaced with shorter and more frequent breaks throughout the year, since the summer break’s original purpose – of collecting the harvest – is no …
Eastward Ho, at Last
They’re on the road again. Bruce Barrett and Judy Forrest, the Whitehorse couple whose van was torched by an arsonist in British Columbia last month, are rebounding from the major setback in their retirement travel plan. Barrett retired last December after 30 years as a heritage sites project officer with Tourism Yukon. Forrest’s last day …
Petting Cheetahs in Namibia
The cheetah appeared suddently, and instantly I was overcome with fear. I saw it walking slowly on the porch of the farm house. I froze and my heart was racing. “It must have come in from the wild,” I thought, “and now it will eat us.” There were three of us looking at the cheetah: …
From the Ashes of A River Fail: Two Cocktails
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about heading off on a trip down the Wind River. I was concerned that our group, with all our goods and chattels for the 17-day journey, was going to be overweight for the flight to the put-in at McCluskey Lake. Well, turned out there was no need to …
Searching for Inner Truth on the Chilkoot Trail
Whitehorse resident Maureen McCulloch wrote her debut novel to bring a message into the world. She wrote the book under the pseudonym, Maureen Senecal. “I used Angels and Aliens to bring the message that mankind needs to work together for the survival of our planet,” McCulloch says. “The book also points to the critical need to …
Vestmannaeyjar Voyage
The road that encircles Iceland, called Highway 1 or the Ring Road, offers access to many of the sights on the tourist track, called the Golden Circle. We explored the usual postcard sights; geysers, rift valleys, craggy ocean shores, and flat, glacier-formed black alluvial plains. However, there is one place in particular, our first overnight …
Journeys That Open the Heart
Whitehorse musician and adventurer Thorin Loeks is off on another journey. On June 4th, Loeks started to hitchhike from his home just outside of Whitehorse up to Dawson City where began a cycling trip. His initial plan was to bicycle south to Montana. There, he was going to switch his bike for a paddle, and …
For the Love of Northern Art
Every year for 10 days, northern artists and art lovers gather in Inuvik, a small town of 3,400 in the NWT, to celebrate culture and creativity. Entering its 28th year, the Great Northern Arts Festival features almost 60 artists from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Running from July 15 to 24, the activities …
On The Benefits of Hot Pools, Mostly
Spring in Iceland is a mostly cold, grey affair, strikingly suited to the harsh, rugged landscape. The road into the capital city, Reykjavik, from the airport in Keflavik, cuts through rocky, volcanic terrain, reminiscent of Martian landscape in its arid, reddish desolation. Tall, snowy mountains rise behind the city, which itself is an organic sprawl, emanating …
Sharing Words
In 2015 Victoria-based poet Yvonne Blomer paid a visit to Whitehorse and did a reading of her poetry book, As If a Raven. In her poems she described various types of birds and also amused the audience by imitating the call of a peacock. Blomer is returning this month and will read at the Atlin …
Not Precisely Iceland, More Like Montreal
I would like to revoke the claim I made in my introduction about being a seasoned traveller, because I have made an embarrassingly rookie mistake. Today I write you from a vibrant cultural hotbed, as per the plan. Unfortunately, it is not Reykjavik – my expired passport has necessitated that my three-day layover in Montreal …
Know Thy Microclimate
I’ve put a lot of miles under me this spring between Victoria, B.C. and the Klondike Valley, and had thought I would be riding the green wave north. It is true that there were more leaves out on the Gulf Islands than there were when I arrived at home in Mount Lorne, but in between, …
Yukon’s Best Friend: DOG CULTURE, Shirley Dawson
DOG CULTURE: Submitted by Shirley Dawson Remington Our dog’s name is Remington and we believe he is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix- we got him through the animal Shelter here in Whitehorse when he was just a pup. Remington just turned 7 years old in January 2016. Since we got Remington he has been with us …
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Three Weeks in Iceland
Hvernig segir maður, “I’m completely lost” á íslensku? What’s that, you say? Icelandic is one of the most difficult languages to learn? On second thought, perhaps I’ll just fall back on the old standard; hand gestures and a confused, perpetually apologetic expression. Hi, I’m Willow, a fairly well-travelled Yukoner who will be guest-writing this column …
The Other Side of a Light Story
A few weeks ago, in a light-hearted piece about bucket lists, I mentioned a trip to England with my father 20 years ago this month. I’m a little hesitant about writing a sequel some readers may find a bit too personal, or even disturbing, but you know what they say about rushing in where angels …
Venturing North
Born in 1950 in the Philippines, Socorro Alfonso travelled halfway around the world to live in the Yukon. Socorro was born on the tiny tropical island of Bacacay Albay southeast of Manila. Her mother named her for the Spanish word meaning “help” and throughout her life she has been a caring helper for people of …
Sake!
Yukon Spirits launched two whiskies while I was skiing in Japan. I have not tried either yet (one of them is sold out, I hear) and in Japan, where whisky has been winning international awards since 2001, I drank whisky only once, from a 200 ml bottle of 12-year-old single malt purchased at 7-11 for …
How’s Retirement Working Out for You?
The other day, I overheard a couple of guys in a coffee shop talking about their impending retirement. One is about to pack it in at the end of this month, the other hits the magic R-day later this year. Perhaps it was excessive politeness that kept me from offering my thoughts on the subject. …
My First Yukon Winter
I’ve been living out the season as the idiot to winter and the dunce to darkness. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming.
Making a Difference
In January 2013 Daniel Adamson first travelled to the Philippines. It was the wish of his sick mother whom Adamson had been looking after for several years. After years of caring for her she wanted him to take a holiday. A Yukon wildland firefighter, Adamson decided to join a fellow firefighter for a vacation in …
Newspaper-Making in Namibia
Murder, betrayal or New Year celebrations – these are the topics on the list. It is December 30 and we have to decide which story will be on the cover of tomorrow’s newspaper. Unfortunately, there will be blood leaking from the newspaper on New Year’s Day. The murder of a German-Namibian farmer is breaking news. …
Avoiding Lemons
Up until mid-July of last year, I had always had the same car – a 1999 standard transmission Honda CRV. When the rear CV joint went, I was cash strapped and just needed a vehicle to get me home to the Yukon from Naramata, BC, where I was working as a cherry picker. I wound …
Next Stop, Serab
I love to travel; seeing new places, meeting new people. Experience, after all is priceless. I also love to knit. Imagine my delight when I purchased Silk Road Socks by Hunter Hammersen, with 93 pages of history and knitting. The book is published by Cooperative Press, Cleveland, Ohio, 2010. Hunter Hammersen has designed 14 sock …
Fusion of fun and authenticity
A weary traveller can be forgiven for expecting typical food in a highway restaurant, even in a nice place like the Skky Hotel in Whitehorse. Instead, at the Hue Oasis Asian Fusion Restaurant and Bar, they find a passionate dedication to South Asian cuisine in an elegant and warm atmosphere. Heavy cherry-wood chairs sit upon …
Visiting the Glaciers
We always said that when the kids were old enough we would take them for an Alaskan kayaking expedition, just like the one we had gone on before the kids were born. So last summer we did just that, and what we learned is that an eight-year-old and a 13-year-old are awesome ages for such …
Living Within Your Emotional Means on Valentine’s Day
Some have a knack for the Grand Romantic Gesture Then, there are the rest of us, Romantically-challenged, who just can’t get it right.
States of Inebriation
We gratefully dropped our packs in the well-appointed bedroom of the houseboat. After one hour and five boats we had settled on the first we had been shown, and, not having found anyone with whom to share, were looking at two nights of what seemed like ridiculous indulgence: an entire houseboat complete with air-conditioned bedroom, …
Minimallusion
After months of slowly working on my camper, I pull an all-nighter on the last day of April, frantically paring my possessions down to what can fit inside my new miniscule home. Innumerable donated garbage bags later, my bedroom is stripped to its bones and inside my camper sits a very pleasing little pile of …
Hostel Hostility, Part 2
Before coming to Nicaragua’s beach mecca of San Juan del Sur, I had undergone a hostel scare in Granada – a polite-seeming colonial city with awe-inspiring architecture, nouveau cuisine and two sports bars. I had returned from dinner and was enjoying a rare private moment in my empty eight-person hostel room. Before long, an athletic …
Hostel Hostility, Part 1
Early in my trip to Nicaragua last spring, I lost my bank card. I had a large sum of money in the bank, but no access. After frantic calls from a phone booth as claustrophobic as a confessional, I got through to the bank. As I waited anxiously UPS to deliver a new card, two …
Working for Free: Gaining so Much
There was a time in my life when my father called me a professional volunteer. Working for a handsome wage was much less of a priority in my youth. It started with summer camps, and continued to take me all over the world to share pieces of myself with others; yet, I would argue I …
Becoming A Role Model in India
One of the very first things that Yukoner Liam Campbell did when he arrived in India was land himself an invitation. “Within two hours of me landing in India, I was invited to a wedding,” he says. He very well couldn’t say no to an opportunity like that. How often do you get invited to …
Mindfulness is a Traveler’s Best Friend
We go traveling so we can have new experiences. So we can see new places, experience new tastes and be exposed to new smells and sights. The greatness of traveling lies in the fact that it can stretch our concept of what is normal and regular and bring us the opportunity to be immersed in …
Laughter Is The Same In All Languages
Temperatures were in the mid-30s while we were in Munich. Many of the people spoke English, but many others did not. Neither Joanne nor I speak German. We did experience moments of frustration because of miscommunications, but some of that kind of thing was to be expected. In the late afternoons we would retreat to …
A Walk in the Park
Whenever I travel to cities I seek out green space for the familiarity of trees and the relative quiet. While Day 1 in Delhi was a lesson on how it’s true, everyone is trying to scam us, and the best artists make you feel like they’ve done you a favour, on Day 2 we gamely …
Marching in remembrance of things past
Mark Zuehlke was a writer-in-residence at Berton House in 2003. At the time he had just finished several books on the history of the Canadian Forces actions in Italy during World War II and had brought along copious file boxes full of material for his work on the D-Day offensive on the other side of …
Thinking Like a Global Citizen
Many Yukoners are involved in global issues and a series of talks at the Kwanlin Dϋn Cultural Centre brings their international experiences home. The Yukon Development Education Centre is hosting the free lectures in Whitehorse called the Sustainable Global Development Speaker Series. Presented on Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m., themes include climate change, gender …
My Story as a Special Olympics Athlete
Mallory Ellen Pigage has been a Special Olympics Yukon athlete for 16 years. “Is a time for me to socialize and do sports at the same time.”
Freestyle Beading in Dawson
Dawson City resident Debbie Winston has a love of making art with beads – including antique glass and china chickens. A child of the sixties, Debbie first arrived in Whitehorse on July 1, 1967. She was traveling with her boyfriend. His father had paid her way – traveling in style on CP Air, Debbie remembers …
Taking His Music Around the World
Homegrown singer-songwriter Gordie Tentrees is releasing his sixth album, Less is More, with a Northern tour this month. Tentrees is playing in Skagway, Dawson City,Keno City, and two shows in Whitehorse. This Northern tour follows his recent tours through British Columbia, the United States and Australia. In the next six months he plans to tour …
Another Christmas without my family
Living far away from your family means that sometimes your strength and persistence will be tested. It’s Christmas 2014 and I am in Montreal. A cold wind is blowing, the sky is grey and it’s raining. I wander rue Sainte-Catherine, watching people with shopping bags rushing from store to store. I already bought my gifts …
Cuisine for a cause
Off the southeast coast of Africa lies the beautiful island of Madagascar. While the children’s Madagascar movies paint a nice scenic picture of the island, there are serious issues taking place. Rachelle Czerwinski was born and raised in the northwestern region of Madagascar and now lives in Vancouver. She left the country in 1984 when …
The Magic of Mushrooms
Jean Francois is a chef. I met him at a B.C. heli-ski lodge on Highway 5 — The Yellowhead — in the early 2000s. He cooked pastries and cakes and cookies and yelled at the breakfast servers at six in the morning. I was a person cleaning rooms, chopping wood, listlessly dusting big stone walls, …
Folk Art in the Forest
From the northwest to the farthest eastern point, I have seen Canada. Last month, Roger and I travelled to Newfoundland. We left our cozy forest home and set off for St. John’s on July 14. On the northernmost tip of the province’s Northern Peninsula we visited the historic village of L’Anse aux Meadows, a tiny …
Not Just Heineken
I recently re-visited Holland, the country I grew up in. I have learned over the years, in speaking to fellow ‘Dutches’, that how I experienced things in my childhood – or, for that matter, when I go back to the place I spent my childhood – these are just my experiences, not necessarily something uniquely …
From East to North
“Never heard of it!” That was my first thought when my aunt said Yukon Territory. Other than knowing it was part of Canada and that I had family there, I was clueless about my possible new address. So I did my homework; I Googled. Since then, “more or less two hours away from Alaska” has …
Write from the Soul
What’s an English teacher to do once she retires: take a trip through the Northwest Passage? Ruth Armson did that, and wrote about it. Compile an autobiography, perhaps? She did that, too. “I’d been away from home since I was 15, and I thought, ‘What’s a better way of letting my family know what my …
Dancing in Denmark
Destiny Clennett, 13, was one of eight students from Northern Lights School of Dance (NLSD) to attend the 13th World Congress of Dance and the Child International (daCi) in Copenhagen, Denmark in July. I was five when I started dancing, and ballet was my first dance class. It was fun and exciting. When I was …
Lucy Come Home
Living on a knife’s edge isn’t as exciting as it sounds. It can actually be downright tedious, and that’s what Wendy and Lucy captures — the daily grind of staying upright in a treacherous situation. On the way to Alaska with her dog Lucy, Wendy’s car breaks down and it becomes apparent that this trip …
No Exit
It’s mid-winter when I finalize the tentative plans I’ve carried with me since leaving Ontario to drive to the Yukon a year ago. This summer I will leave again: the myth of an uncle I’ve never met pulls me to New Mexico. I’ll slip down the West coast, visiting friends as I go, then cross …
Head in the Clouds
The motto on the Montana licence plate is Big Sky Country. I went to Montana before I knew the true meaning of ‘big sky’ — I was raised on the slope of a mountain in the narrow-valleyed interior of British Columbia. I had a déja vu-like inkling of the meaning, though. The Pacific Ocean gave …
Joanna Lilley Shows Her Love for the North in The Birthday Books
Joanna Lilley’s craft extends beyond poetry. With the publication of her new book, The Birthday Books (Hagios Press), the author shows she can write prose too. Lilley’s short story collection is a book like no other. It touches readers and makes them fall in love with the North, but it also shows people in relationships, …
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The Mystery Man
As we age do we revert to the simpler pleasures of youth? Perhaps all the way to the diaper? The symmetry of the baseball diamond and the unique strategy of this game-of-inches have inspired poets and hooligans alike. As middle age moves on, I find myself indulging more in the sport, recalling its obscure and …
Bonding in the Ballpark
This past summer I had the unique opportunity to meet former New York Times columnist Richard Kinzer in Leon, Nicaragua. During my time there I inhaled his account of the slings and arrows of the Sandinista revolution and made sure I was within handshaking distance when I attended one of his speaking events. Flanked by …
Cocktail Hour on the Tsirku Glacier
I first encountered Campari in 1980 at a hotel bar on Alonissos, a small island in the North Sporades group of islands in the Aegean sea, halfway between Athens and Thessaloniki. Camparisoda was the favourite beverage of a group of northern Italians who returned to the island year after year, and it soon caught on …
“Domingo! Domingo!” Baseball in Nicaragua
In his classic account of Sandinista era Nicaragua, Blood of Brothers, Richard Kinzer notes, “With the sole exception of Roman Catholicism, no institution is as deeply rooted in Nicaragua as baseball. More than simply a pastime, it has for generations been a way for Nicaraguans to define themselves and hold themselves together as a nation. …
Learning from the Locals
Returning home after traveling can bring culture shock that’s just as discombobulating as that experienced when heading off to the far side of the globe. I’m learning that staging the return helps ease the transitions of climate and jet lag, as well as culture. One of my main reasons for traveling is the fresh perspective …
The Big Top Comes to Whitehorse
The circus arts are some of the oldest performing arts: acrobats, contortionists, the bearded lady, bears pedaling bikes, clowns, and juggling. The big top, pennant flags waving in the wind. The smell of wood chips and animals. It’s mysterious, glamorous. Magical. From the outside. In reality, “everyday is the same” — a new town a …
Exploring the Bittersweet Beauty of the Juneau Ice Cave
The Zhange Danxia landform in Gansu, China; The Great Blue Hole in Belize; Tulip Fields in the Netherlands; Mount Roraima in Venezuela, Brazil, and Guana, and 23 more places make up a Buzzfeed list of “27 Surreal Places to Visit Before You Die”. Most of the time these placesto-see-before-you-die are oceans away in remote and …
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Inspirational Cocktails in New York City
There was fog hugging the ground at La Guardia Airport. Flights had been cancelled all day. My companions and I sat in Ottawa, checking the board and watching our fl ight get delayed. We sipped Pinot Grigio. We ate nachos. Finally, finally, we boarded our plane. Two of us were supposed to be in New …
Destination B.C. and Destination Tennessee!
Two teams of Yukon students will travel outside the territory this spring after strong performances at the Destination Imagination Yukon tournament on February 28. Destination Imagination (DI) is an extracurricular program where teams of students solve openended challenges and present the solutions at tournaments. Alex Gray is in Grade 5 at Hidden Valley Elementary School. …
The Encounter
The following story was my submission for the 1994 Yukon Young Authors’ Conference. There, I got to work with acclaimed Canadian playwright Guillermo Verdeccia, who first sparked my interest in dramatic writing. Happily, 21 years later, this important conference is still going strong. The 35th annual version is being held from April 23-24 at F.H. …
Learning is Everywhere
‘Road-schooling’ is the concept of using travel, either by itself or in concert with a curriculum, to educate a child. It brings learning to life and is grounded in the belief that learning is all around us, waiting to be explored and embraced. We began our road-schooling journey 18 months ago when we decided to …
The Social Traveller
Want to be a part of a reality show that you can influence? Just hop onto Bjorn Troch’s website, The Social Traveler, and you can have a say in what he does while he travels the world. Troch, a communications major originally from Belgium, first had the idea to become a social traveler while he …
Lessons the Ocean Taught Me
When I was 16 years old I went to Hawaii with my family. We stayed in a modest but clean hotel with easy access to the beach. Because I hadn’t spent much time by the ocean I was hesitant to try surfing, but bodyboarding seemed learn-able so I made haste for the beachside rental shop …
Tea Time with Nicky
I arrived in Whiterhorse in the middle of the night after riding Greyhound buses across the country for five days. The last thing I wanted was to sit again, but at 4:30 a.m., feeling cold just because I was tired, Tim Hortons seemed like the only place I could go. I sheepishly dragged myself accross …
Human Interaction at the Library
It’s not a dating service, or a counselling session. It’s a conversation. It might lead to other things, who knows? It’s the second time the Friends of the Whitehorse Library have hosted a Human Library at the Whitehorse Public Library. The first time was in March; there wasn’t a theme but it was very popular. …
An Odd Family: The Art of Bus Travel
At 3:45 a.m. we hear the local bus driver over the loudspeaker: “Good Morning. We will be arriving in Whitehorse shortly. The only restaurant open 24/7 is not…” I didn’t make arrangements to be picked up, but I am not worried. I live here. We get off the bus, an odd sort of newly made …
Can I Come Along Again?
Germany is green and clean — there’s not much garbage, and there are recycling bins everywhere. The people are friendly. Being on a train is fun and comfortable, and riding in a first class compartment is better than flying. We went to a Catholic all-boy school in Mainz for a day, which was different from …
Parking Lot Cowboys: off the grid in Whitehorse
rri Johnny Paladin says, “Have you ever been to Montana? Why is the sky so big there?” He’s trying to explain the allure of the Yukon; he keeps interrupting himself to talk about the air and the grandeur of the sky. He compares it to Montana, and makes a circle with his thumb and pointer-finger …
Between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
A welcoming smile greeted me through the glass, the face of the Kazakhstan immigration officer lighting up as if I was a dear friend. Striding out to meet me, he grabbed my hand warmly and invited me into his office. Offering a chair, he asked if I was tired and pulled out a bottle of …
One Autobahn, Many Stops
If you win the Take Me To Frankfurt contest, here are some suggestions for what you should do in Germany. Fly to Frankfurt and take the InterCity express-train (ICE) to Stuttgart. Stuttgart is famous for its car manufacturing industry, like Daimler and Porsche. Visit the Porsche Museum, the Mercedes Benz Museum and the Art Gallery …
Northern Romance, December 12, 2013
Hi Juniper & Johnny, My roommate’s boyfriend of three years claims to be in the process of separating from his wife, however I believe it’s a big lie. My roommate has never been to his house, he has never spent the night, they never see each other for more than an hour at a time, …
Beer in China
I wanted to write something positive about drinking beer in China. After all, they are the world`s largest consumers of beer and a major hop-growing nation. They also have the fastest-growing beer market in the world. Their beer production doubled in the past decade to around 48-billion litres of beer per year. That’s about twenty …
Roy, The Kindred Spirit
“How’d you get here? Why’d you stay?” Ubiquitous phrases heard in the Yukon indeed. With the sheer number of transients coming through the territory, it’s a natural inclination to pose these questions to the ever-increasing population of the North. The getting there. Some people have long stories, grand tales of wanderlust adventuring, where they suddenly, …
Looking for Ludwig
In September 2008 I visited Scotland with Casey Lee McLaughlin. I was almost killed on the slopes of Ben Nevis and I nearly went to heaven in the Oban distillery, but before we made tracks for the highlands, we had a couple of days to kick around London. Sure, Trafalgar Square was neat and Buckingham …
Guatemala’s greatest asset is its people
Guatemala has so many great elements to it, but the highlight of our trip (if you’ve read my other stories you may notice a common thread) was the people. Every country has exotic “ethnic” foods that are critical to a good vacation. There is always beautiful, unique scenery and “traditional” entertainment. But the make-or-break element …
The Dempster adventure
In 2002, I embarked, with the love of my life, on a Yukon adventure I never experienced in the 29 years I lived here. Here, I confess, we were sort of living together without a “shack-up permit.” Wonder what happened to that great old tradition … progress? We decided to go to Dawson City. Right; …
A Recipe for a Lasting Memory
What makes a vacation, at least for me, is going to a place different than what you are accustomed to. This could be a change in your physical surroundings, your schedule and even what you explore and taste. The last several weeks have been all of that for me and for my children. Even with …
You Say Goodbye, I say Hello
This Christmas I had the great fortune of visiting Guatemala. I really enjoyed answering the question, “Why did you decide to come to Guatemala?” which I was asked by locals more than I had expected. I always answered that Guatemala was the centre of the Mayan civilization and that I wanted to have front row …
Belgian Street-Meat Heaven
Mitraillette: it’s the world’s most perfect food. Without a description of its component parts you may mistake this culinary art form for a simple hot-dog covered in French fries. Trust me when I say this is well beyond your common hot-dog doused in chips and ketchup. A mitraillette is started with a baguette. Nobody can …
Hurry Up and Relax!
If anyone deserves an equatorial break from winter, it is us, the North-of-60ers. Other than those living above treeline, we have been darker and colder for longer than any other Canadians. And, justifying a warm break is not hard, if one is fortunate enough to have the opportunity. So when the tropical portal presented itself, …
Tour of Canadian Organic Farms Starts Here
Tana Silverland didn’t ask for any attention, but she’s learning quickly that it has a way of finding her. The British ex-pat, who used to be a university administrator in Cambridge, England, is about to embark on a two-and-a-half-year bicycle odyssey across Canada. Attention seems to be a natural consequence of doing something interesting and …
Flash freeze-up: Speculation and rumours
There is excitement in the air, at least for those of us living on the west side of the Yukon River in Dawson City. Freeze-up is coming, and it’s only a matter of time before the ferry, our only connection to town, will be pulled. Speculation and rumours abound. Judging by the slush coming down …
Last-Minute Christmas and New Year’s Thoughts
I can’t believe I am writing my last wine column of the year! This is a time when I reflect on what I have experienced in the year, and what I hope for for the next one. I have seen the departure of friends, the meeting of new ones, changes in my personal life, and …
Witnessing Arctic Change
On my second day on board ship we saw a cow and calf blue whale,” says Emerald Kains. “The opportunity to share a moment with the largest animals on the planet was so surreal and moving.” Kains, a recent graduate of Vanier Secondary School, was part of the Students on Ice Arctic Youth Expedition that …
To Gas or Not to Gas?
We here at Beer Cache have just returned from a three-week brewery tour of the great craft brew state of Alaska. We were lucky enough to stroll around bright tanks, peak into mash tuns, hang out in chilled serving fridges and pull nails from barrels to sample back-room casked ales with the generous owners and …
Tropical Beer
While most of you poor sods were busy clothing and sheltering yourselves during the month of February, I was deciding how best to hydrate myself on a sailboat off the coast of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. The St. Lucia flag is blue (for the sky and sea) with nested, variably-sized triangles of yellow, black …
Great Beer, and a Star Sighting to Boot
Phew! After two columns dedicated to near beer, I’m so glad I can trade in my Holsten 0.0% for a beverage that doesn’t make me feel bloated yet empty at the same time. It’s time to start writing about real beer again. Yay! My autumn was enlightened by a beer journey to British Columbia (yes, …
Atlin is Great for Young Explorers
We drove down to Atlin for the May long weekend for some family time. Atlin is one of my favourite getaway places. The town is so quiet the birds make more noise than the people. The Saturday we arrived it was a bit cool and grey during the day. We pulled in to top up …
