The Yukon Experience Part 6

We are driving back to Whitehorse today, we want to meet Tom and Simon again. I think I mentioned already that Tom is a crazy dude. Somehow he heard about our trading idea (remember the last trading in Cumberland – I have a seafood book from the 70’s now) maybe we told him but anyway he has a trade for us. In his opinion we have to trade up, like big guys….so he offers us to open a treasure chest of his father with him.

Old bottles of high class wine are stored in this house in the Yukon. Big Bordeaux from Chateau mouton Rothschild from 1977 or old Rioja’s from the 60’s. Some bottles are to find in the internet for several hundred dollars. We drink together Rothschild Bordeaux (unfortunately not so great anymore) and open also another big Red from France, 1970 Grand Vin de Leoville, Saint Julien Medoc. And this one is great!!  Tom gives us in total three bottles, I don’t want to name the wine – just let you know that we have a Chateau mouton Rothschild from ’67 now. Tom gets the shady Edible incredible book, and asks for a cookbook of our travel experience after this trip, on dish per province  – A culinary Canada Tour cookbook for Tom and Simon, no problem we are already working on it. We are going to send him a copy after the trip in September. This was a real trade up….I am excited to know who our next trade partner will be and what we will get for these great bottles of Wine History!

Thank you Tom and Simon, hope to see you again one day!!!

At the end I want to recommend an article in the Up north magazine (all about the Canadian Territories). The author and filmmaker Mitch Miyagawa, citizen of Whitehorse tries to bring the 100 mile diet to the Yukon, with moderate success…

http://uphere.ca/node/382

We are Dawson!! The Yukon Experience part 5

We have a really relaxed time here, there is not much food related to do here. Even restaurants are only average, a Chinese place is maybe worth a recommendation but only because it’s so hard to believe that you find the Chinese classics on a menu in the Yukon, actually it is not surprising at all, the Chinese came here with the Gold rush, and they still do what they can do best: open a cheap restaurant with pretty decent food. We meet our friends Stacey and Rob again, travelers united and one for all and all for one! Check out this picture, we melt our two travel vans together as the rain disturbs our cooking plans….

The sun came back 5 minutes later. Other activities in Dawson: There are two Cabins of two famous writers – Jack London and Robert Service, two totally different life stories but both good inspired to write big literature here!

We also visit the dredge No 4 a reject industrial gold mining dredge. And then we try our luck on the bonanza creek, here is free gold mining and you can keep what you find…the only thing that shines at the end of the day is the sun and a golden beer in my hand.

The Yukon Experience part 4 – Up to Dawson City

The city of the last great Gold rush in history. 1898 and the City of Dawson became world famous. Under extreme tough conditions about 1 million people moved to the Klondike area in the middle of the Yukon Territory. Dawson city was like a little Paris and had more than 30000 citizens, today around 2000 (in the winter way less)

Here are some reasons why you could like Dawson City!!

Two rivers meet in Dawson – the bigger and dirtier Yukon River and the clear Klondike River. These two rivers made it possible that Dawson could grow so fast even it was far away from the highly populated areas.

Dawson’s main industries are Tourism and (still) gold mining. Even it is a historical town, Tourism is not as massive as you might think…this place is just too far away from the ordinary tourist route. Mostly Americans on the way to Alaska stop by and leave some dollar here.

The museum is pretty nice, many restaurants and bars are here as well – nightlife is fun here and you can be sure you are stunning when you leave the bar at 2 in the morning and the sun is still shinning! Dawson doesn’t sleep and every summer it looks like the town is celebrating itself and the great times from the past. Many young people are on the street, especially during the summer, a reason could be the Art school in town or the long party nights in the summer.(the roads are still gravel, the citizens of Dawson demonstrated against the plans of the government to build proper streets – Dawson still has  gravel roads like a hundred years ago) Should I have once a feeling in my live again that everything pisses me off and I need a little time for myself somewhere else….this place could be Dawson, just one summer in a almost unreal fantastic place!

And I found this in case I need a job….

Highlight on the Camping Stove # 4

Even this dish has no spectacular products, It was so tasty that I have to post it as a Highlight.

A Salad Made out of Daikon, Radicchio, red Pepper, carrots and bean sprouts. Vinaigrette with roasted Sesame, Ginger, Cilantro and Soy sauce. (I am sorry that most products obviously imported from California or even more south, incredible what you can find here up north, to open a traditional Thai restaurant in Whitehorse wouldn’t be a problem at all)

Some crunchy potato julienne and a spicy Mayonnaise

And all that work to surround in a  perfect way the fried Haloumi from Brian the Cheese maker from Whitehorse!

Lucky was also that we meet two great people from Edmonton, they were cooking on bench beside us. Also traveller with an even more professional rebuilt Van set up and a bed in the back. Stacey and Rob travel the Yukon and Alaska and we will hang around with them for a while on the way . They get a sample of our dinner and also a Native guy who came by for a small talk and is actually a very funny dude. His Smirnoff Bottle falls out of his pocket a couple of times. But like I said he was a very nice dude and we had fun to talk with him. His name is Lui!