Day 29: Whitehorse - Comeback of Summer Heat

We arrive at the Fraserway yard at 10 AM - only to find ourselves in the wrong yard. The nice lady in the building informs us that the Fraserway rental is no longer here. They have expanded; this location now only handles sales, while the rental is next door. We drive around the back of the property and are immediately approached by an employee. The station is tiny...

The RV needs to be washed first, which is something every customer must do; otherwise, they won’t accept the RV (there's no dedicated wash station like at Fraserway in Vancouver, etc.).

Ok... We've paid thousands of euros to rent for 4 weeks, and now we have to wash it ourselves 🙈 No one told us this... 

The wash station is at the end of the street, and as a Fraserway customer, we get a 25% discount. So off we go.

Luckily, we’re early enough. There’s a big queue at the wash station. In front of us is a Fraserway C-Medium, and behind us another Fraserway C-Medium  Compared to the RV in front of us, ours is really dirty....😬

After washing, returning the RV is a breeze. We get back the $40 we paid to the Swiss guy for the flat tire. 

We are charged $500 for the damaged tire, but that should (hopefully) be reimbursed by the insurance.

(Edit: As of October 2024: we're still debating with the insurance!) The shuttle driver takes us to the hotel (I’ve booked the Best Western Gold Rush Inn for today), where we can drop off our luggage and explore Whitehorse.

Oh yes: the sun is back!

Blue sky, sunshine, and a solid 26 degrees, feeling like 30 degrees in the sun, sweeten our day in Whitehorse 🥰🤩

We start directly in the city, passing cannabis stores, rainbow crosswalks, monuments, and more, walking to the Yukon and then upstream.

Short stop at the Visitor Center (huge place, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi), then on to the S.S. Klondike.

Unfortunately, it’s a major construction site. They are restoring and remodeling, and we can only catch a glimpse over the fence. At the info center in front, the red chairs invite us to take a break. Meanwhile, my son and husband are tossing rings 🤣

Then we continue across the bridge to the Millennium Trail.

Along the river, there are 'memorial benches' with nameplates commemorating deceased or sick individuals who enjoyed walking here. A lovely idea! We’ve seen quite a few of these along the way.

The trail leads along the Yukon until we reach the fish ladder (Whitehorse Rapids Fishway aka the Fishladder). We check out the fish ladder and visit the small information center. There are free cupcakes, and different game stations and food trucks on the yard. Today they are celebrating 'Appreciation Salmon 2024 Day'.

We walk up to the dam above the reservoir and then back. The weather is quite warm, we’re sweating quite a bit and I’m already longing for the air conditioning of the Visitor Center.

We take the same way back (more shade than on the other side of the river) and observe some brave kayakers trying to surf on a wave under the bridge. One of them is shirtless (except for the life vest)! The water of the Yukon is ice-cold - I dipped my hand in a shallow spot earlier. Wow, the Canadians are really something!!!!

Off we go. We take a second breather in the air-conditioned Visitor Center before heading back to the hotel. The shower is calling me!

We check into our hotel room (1 double room with 2 queen beds). The room is surprisingly large and offers enough space for the three of us along with our travel bags.

To cap off a fantastic holiday, we want to go out for dinner this evening. Since we are pretty exhausted, we barely manage to walk a few meters further and pop into the first restaurant that appeals to us: G&P on Main (it promotes itself with the slogan 'Take a bite of the Yukon life').

We open the door and step into a dark room. Um... spooky. All in black, neon-lit bar, super-modern design.. we certainly weren't expecting this after the stuffed moose grinned at us on the wall in the hotel and the hotel restaurant had more the charm of a saloon.

OK, unique, but good. Definitely something different.

For our son, there’s a giant pizza; my husband and I treat ourselves to a cocktail (I had a 'Cosmic' bowl), salad, flambéed feta, and vegetables. Very delicious.

At 9 PM we collapse into bed - it’s bright outside. Our night will be more than short, as the alarm goes off at 2:30, the airport shuttle arrives at 3, and the flight leaves at 5 AM....ugh...

After the vacation, I probably need a vacation again 🤣

 And 'boom' - 4 weeks of vacation over

For the statistics:

Hotel: Best Western Gold Rush Inn

(189 €, double room with 2 queen beds, room only)

Distance traveled: 8 km

Distance walked: 14 km

Photos taken: 100

Weather: Blue sky & sunshine, +26 degrees (felt +30 degrees)