We arrived in Whitehorse, the capitol of the Yukon in late afternoon, and determined that even the capitol had NO cell coverage for ROGER's cell phones! What kind of company has no coverage that we could find - anywhere in the Yukon? Might be time to switch services?

Fortunately, my iPhone can utilize wi-fi signals as well, but that's not the point.

We quickly tracked down the Klondike Rib & Salmon bake for a hearty meal. There was a line-up already, but we used the time to walk a bit of the downtown area and visit an ATM.
After eating, we toured on north about 30 kms and camped for the night at Takhini Hot Springs, the second and last time we would camp in a developed campground for the entire trip. We were waiting to get into the pools when they opened at 8, but found that since they drain the pools every night, they were still only about 2/3 full by opening time. Nevertheless, it was a good soak and a needed shower.
After that, the route planned by my navigator took us back south past Whitehorse, and on down to Carcross. This was an important stopping place during the gold rush. It lies at the north end of Bennett Lake, the south end of which connected to the White Pass and Yukon railroad route from the coast of Alaska.
Above is the restored remnants of a paddle wheeler used on the lakes in the area.
Many of the buildings are either well maintained or restored.

We traveled south along the shores of Bennett Lake.
The water was glassy and calm, but I suspect it is not always so mellow.
There were the remains of an old abandoned mine along the shore, but there was no where to stop for a better look, and there were no historical plaques seen in the area.

As we approached the southern end of the lake, the scenery was quite stunning.
This area is bursting with history, including incursions by the US military while the location of the US - Canada border was still unclear. Finally, the North West Mounted Police set up a check-point on the summit of the Chilkoot pass, and that remains the border to this day.
The hike over the Chilkoot pass is also a popular one, that starts on the Alaska coast at Dyea, and ends at Bennett, on the shore of Bennett Lake.


It was hard to imagine the hundreds of boats and rafts under construction and thousands of gold seekers on the shoreline around 1898 at the height of the gold rush.

Onward to Skagway!