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Today we spent a lazy afternoon driving up Bonanza Creek Rd. First stop was at Dredge No. 4 where we viewed the outside of the dredge used for mining gold in Dawson beginning in the 1910s. It was the largest wooden-hulled dredge in North America and was in production on the Klondike River for 30 years before being moved to Bonanza Creek where it spent another 18 years before sinking to its current location. The dredge’s function was to dig out and sift through the dirt and rock to free up the placer (loose) gold that was found in many of the hills throughout the Klondike. It needed both water and electricity to operate so location was critical.

As we drove further up the road, we saw many examples of current day gold mining. Huge sides of hills have been dug out and are being put through a tumbler looking for placer gold. It certainly leaves behind an eyesore. We met a modern-day miner in the laundromat. He has been working his mine for 5 years, having been told he was getting “too old” to drive truck any more. So he headed north to Dawson, bought himself a gold mine and spends his day mining. I don’t know if he is getting rich, but he is enjoying himself.

Tomorrow the “Top of the World”!

The Dempster Highway is mostly gravel, and lots of shale pieces that make their way to the surface to slice your tires. It is also 750 km to drive up to Inuvik, a trip that will take two days of driving in each direction. The second day includes two car ferries to cross the Yukon River since there are no bridges built. Although it was appealing to Joyce to make it to the Arctic Circle and Inuvik, we decided not to make the trip and risk either tire or windshield damage. Instead, we compromised with a trip to Tombstone Territorial Park, just 70 km up the highway. We saw few vehicles at this time of the season but we had a nice, sunny day for driving and some nice views of Tombstone Mountain.

We also took advantage of a ranger-led hike after lunch to see wild flowers and edible plants. It was a great, educational experience and we collected some Labrador Tea leaves and spruce buds which we then attempted to make tea with. It wasn’t the most flavourful; not sure if we didn’t have sufficient leaves, or if it is a milder tea than we are used to.

lupines

dwarf raspberry

Our campsite we’ve been staying at is full of mosquitoes. We certainly can’t have campfires here; it is a boggy, swampy area so we aren’t surprised by the bugs. However, there weren’t a lot of choices in town. Mostly gravel parking lots either right in the centre of town, or right beside the highway. We moved across the river to another government campground. This one is much larger and right on the Yukon River. The mosquitoes were much less and we enjoyed campfires. The only downside was having to take the ferry back across into Dawson. However, it is a free ride, constantly running 24 hours/day and if you chose your time right, there isn’t much of a line up.

Next, a drive up Bonanza Creek Road to see historic mining as well as modern day operations….