Month: July 2010

by

The Drunken Goat Taverna

I have a little secret: for five months now, I have been directing Dawson City visitors to one of the best restaurants in Dawson, the Drunken Goat Taverna… without having actually stepped foot inside. Oh, I have had their food; wonderful people have shared their take out with me, but that’s not really the same.

Since I wasn’t working this evening I decided it was time to go to the Goat.

The menu is rather small, featuring the typical Greek appetizers as well as platters of roasted meat with rice, potatoes, and salad. The average price of a dinner is $30, but there is a ‘platter for two or more’ option that offers very good value as it includes spanokopita, cheesy phyllo thingies, shrimp, pita with tzaziki, rice, potatoes, salad, and a HUGE skewer of meat (lamb, beef, or chicken) per person.

Being alone, I decided to go for the chicken breast dinner with Greek salad, which would have come to about $31 with the tip. I made my decision while standing in a corner with a glass of water waiting for a table to open up. When one did it was a four seater and there were three solo diners waiting for a seat. The restaurant is quite small and very busy, so we were fine with dining together. As the fellows perused the menu, I suggested we split a platter for three. I can’t believe how bold I’ve become! They estimated the quantity of food and cost per person and realised that my suggestion was very good one. We didn’t regret it! There was so much food that we wound up giving some to a fourth person who joined us just as we were finishing up the appetizers! The cost per person was only $31, including taxes and tip.

The food was delicious and very fresh. I even liked the potatoes (very sweet and flavourful) and spanokopita (spinach isn’t my favourite thing in the universe). The phyllo cheese things are addictive (I had some this week from a friend’s takeout) and the chicken was so moist and flavourful. Add sweet shrimps, chewy rice, and perfectly dressed Greek-style salad! The service was okay and the atmosphere quite cozy. I doubt I’d go back to the Goat alone, it’s just not as good value when solo, but I’d happily join a group!

by

Living in Her Car

The other night, I had the chance to meet an incredible fellow blogger. She’s a gal who just a few short months ago was dreaming of a more connected and less materialistic life, of driving an RV to the Arctic even though she’d never RVed before. She downsized, took a crash course in mechanics and RVing, and finally quit Texas, with the Arctic in her sights. She pushed on through fear and the sometimes impassable muddy stretches of the Dempster highway and emerged triumphant at the very edge of the world where a photo was taken of her frolicking in the Arctic Ocean. Her name is Jennifer and she is living in her car.

Our meeting was much too brief, as such meetings are, but how incredible to have met here, in Dawson City! I had a chance to show her a few sights and we talked a little. Meeting her in person was like welcoming home an old friend and a true kindred spirit. It was the kind of meeting where you are grateful for the time you had instead of bemoaning how short it was. Here was the only logical place for our paths to intersect, and they did.

Thank you for coming out on Saturday, Jennifer. I wish you many happy miles!

by

Two Kinds of Northern Travelers

There are two kinds of travelers to Yukon, Alaska, and the Northwest Territories.

The first type are those like myself who consider the northern roads like the Dempster and Top of the World as being part of the adventure. Sure, it can suck to drive in thick mud or have a rock ding your windshield, but you at worst accept it and at best consider the experience the adventure of a lifetime. Those folks are prepared for the worst, respectful of the roads, and flexible. If the road is bad today, they will go tomorrow. If the roads are in good condition, they know that means they still cannot drive like they were on a highway in the south. These folks come off these roads with mud an inch thick on their rigs and a huge smile on their face, accepting any vehicle damage as a badge of honour.

The second type are those who become angry that they have to be inconvenienced by such road conditions in order to visit the north. They resent the mud, the dust, the slow pace. They have many more damaging incidents than the first group; broken hitches, flat tires, and other issues because they refuse to slow down and drive for the conditions. They are on a schedule and the road is in their way. They will go today even if locals tell them to wait, and they will curse every rutty mile.

That’s it. The only distinction between northern travelers is how they handle the road conditions up here. The size, age, or shape of their rig has no bearing. I saw two people pull into today in huge several hundred thousand dollar motorhomes. The first guy’s rig had about an inch of mud on it and he was so proud that he’d ‘conquered’ the Top of the World Highway. And he had the cracked windshield to prove it! The second guy’s rig also had an inch of mud on it and he was so angry that his beautiful rig was so sullied and that he’d have to waste an hour washing it. He was only staying in Dawson a night because he was ‘sick of the roads’ and scowled when I told him there are a few gravel patches and frost heaves on the way to Whitehorse.

To the first group I say “Welcome!” To the second “Why did you bother coming?”

by

Internet Usage

I have a week left to my current internet billing cycle as well as 500mb of bandwidth remaining. It seems that a 2GB limit is my magic number. It’s enough so that I can do pretty much anything I need or want to do, but not so much that I can surf blindly. I think twice about downloading and streaming (I miss Youtube!), but otherwise bandwidth is not my foremost concern. 3GB would definitely be the number for me, but the next plan up is 5GB, which is way too much, so I’m sticking with 2GB for now. I am also considering moving to the ‘flex plan’, whereby I would be automatically moved up or down a plan based on my usage, but I don’t trust Telus enough to do that yet.

So far, I am very satisfied with both my internet connection and Telus customer service. Internet independence is awesome!

by

Sam ‘N’ Andy’s Restaurant, Whitehorse

Tuesday night in Whitehorse, I had dinner  at Sam ‘N’ Andy’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant. The food and service were ho-hum, but much, much better than at the ‘authentic’ Sanchez Cantina.

My chicken enchilada was flavourful, but the sides of rice with vegetables and a boring garden salad were uninspired, which was a shame. Why bother with a good main course and neglect the sides?

The server was brusque, but attentive. I didn’t have to wait long for service even though the place was busy, and my drink and food came promptly.

If I’m ever desperate for Mexican or Tex-Mex in Whitehorse, I’d definitely go back to Sam ‘N’ Andy’s… if only for their giant delicious two-ounce mojitos!