The Inuit people inhabit a vast Arctic area stretching nearly 6000 kilometers, from the islands of far western Alaska to the east coast of Greenland. They were previously called “Eskimos,” which was a name applied to them by the Algonquin Indians meaning “eaters of raw meat.” The name “Inuit,”...
Dawson City – Paris of the North
It was time to take a detour off the Alaska Highway, heading up the Klondike Highway toward Dawson City and the Top of the World Highway. Dawson City is located at the start of the Top of the World Highway near the confluence of the Klondike and the 2200...
Sternwheelers – Navigating Whitehorse to Dawson City
The very interesting and very colorful mining history of the Yukon and Alaska deserve separate and more descriptive posts. The sternwheelers and dredges used in the Yukon Gold rush make for very interesting history. Mining equipment and other freight taken by train to Whitehorse were still a long way...
Alaskan Arrival – Skagway
Skagway – yes, I made it to my first Alaska stop! It was a white knuckled ride but low gear and the grade brake got me over the pass and down the 11% grade into this seaside Alaskan town known for its gold rush history. “I must admit that...
Bucket Lists & Jasper NP
Do you have a bucket list? You might be surprised to know that I don’t! Well Banff NP, the Icefields Parkway & Jasper NP are amazing and must see places. If you have a bucket list and this isn’t on it I would recommend you add it now. I...
The Icefields Parkway – Mountains, Waterfalls & the Science of Glaciers
Well the drive from Banff NP to Jasper NP over the Icefields Parkway has to be one of the most beautiful mountain drives that I have ever taken. I don’t know that my photos or description can do it any kind of justice. “You know more of a road...
Banff NP – Creation of a Canadian National Park System
It was here in Cave and Basin National Historic Site (located in Banff) that Canada’s first National Park was born. Back in the 1880’s the Canadian Pacific Railway was stretching it’s way across Canada opening in its wake a path for pioneers (very similar to US history). Although Aboriginal...
Presidents & Parks – Great Basin National Park
Great Basin is probably one of the least known national parks, partly as it was created recently, in 1986, prior to which only the caverns were officially recognized, as the Lehman Caves National Monument (established in 1922), and partly as the area is far from any other famous landmark,...
Colorful Tree Fossils – Petrified Forest NP
Although a couple hours drive from Cottonwood it was time to visit Petrified Forest National Park and check another NP off my growing list. After meeting up with some knowledgeable Arizona friends in Holbrook we ventured off to spend the day exploring the park. Petrified Forest was set aside...
Organ Pipe Cactus NM – Desert bloom & border wall
About 2.5 hours from Tucson, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument isn’t terribly easy to get to but definitely worth the drive. March and April are great months to be here as all around you the desert is blooming. “The earth laughs in flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson In 1937 President...