Well, as I sit in Whitehorse airport I start to reminisce about the time I had and what I’m going to take back home to Ontario. As a disclaimer there will be many more Posts on the race and beer reviews etc.
Just sitting here in the airport which seems to hold maybe one plane at a time, I look towards Grey Mountain and just the beauty that this town and territory holds. Grey Mountain is where the 24hr of Light was held and overlooks the town of Whitehorse.
With this year being Canada’s 150 birthday, down by the indigenous centre there was 4 boat being built infront of our eyes. There was a birch bark canoe, seal skin kayak, moose skin boat and dugout canoe. All were amazing to watch and to meet and talk to the people working on them was so moving. We met one gentleman named Danny who lived in town and was always there with a smile and an update for us as to the progress. He will be one person I will never forget.
For the folks that want to visit for the wildlife there is plenty from Eagles to deer to bears. And you will see them all for sure, whether you want to or not. During the race I had a run in with a black bear and Cubs as well as a grizzly bear. That will definitely wake u up after 12+ hours of riding let me tell you. But even if you are out for a hike there are bad and golden Eagles to watch soar above you and just put you in awe.
We did luck out as to how many activities were going on in town with the start of the Yukon river canoe and kayaks race, aboriginal day and Canada 150 activities but there are so many more hidden gems that I didn’t even get a chance to see. That makes Whitehorse a must again for a travel destination for sure.
Yukon has so many diverse cultures that you need to experience. Myself I love the local artisans, the different media’s, the different styles. We visited several local art shops and studios each were unique to Yukon. At the end I did end up picking up a limited edition print of a Raven and Sun. It was quite difficult to only take one piece home as there were so many amazing pictures and paintings.
Overall I just spent so much time looking at mountains and rivers and taking everything in that I feel so relaxed which I guess is the point of a holiday. Not only was it the scenery but the family and friends I shared the trip with.
This is just a small snapshot of my experience. There are so many more it is just to hard to put it all down on paper.
Am I a changed person, I think so and I think it was for the positive.