Author: Rae

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Indefinite Closure of the Top of the World Highway

The continuing rains and washouts have threatened bridge integrity, so the Top of the World Highway connecting Dawson City, YT, and Chicken, AK, is closed indefinitely, with folks stranded along it and at least one person missing.

This is going to severely impact Dawson tourism. The prediction is that a season that was off to a roaring start has screeched to a halt.

I’m pretty bummed about this. I’d hoped to use one of my precious afternoons off to make a jaunt to Chicken and back, just to get out of town. There aren’t really any places to ‘go’ from Dawson within a reasonable day’s drive round trip and there’s no point in going back up the Dempster for a few hundred clicks since I’ll be doing it in its entirety in August.

But, at least I’m not stranded on a dirt track or lost in the muddy waters of the Yukon River.

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow

There isn’t much to report these days beyond the closing of the Top of the World Highway due to washed out sections between the border and Chicken. I saw pictures of some of the damage and it looks like the apocalypse, with the road stopping at the end of a wide chasm. The road on that stretch is very sandy and unstable, so add in the unseasonably rainy weather we’ve had and you have a recipe for a lot of spoiled vacations. Some folks are extending their stays in Dawson, others are avoiding the town all together. We’re busy as ever, but as we head into the biggest weekend of the season, we have to wonder if it’ll be a bust.

As for me, I am working my tail off, having taken on another contract. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, but it is much, much too soon to be making announcements. All I can confirm is that there is a pot at the end of the rainbow. The next few months will tell me if it is filled with gold or pyrite. 😀

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Watching the Clouds Come In

Today was sticky. I wound up turning on the AC for the first time this year! I thought that it was late compared to last year, but nope. Right now, there is a wonderful cool breeze and I can see some storm clouds rolling in so it’ll probably be a comfortable night.

It’s definitely been a wetter summer, but nothing like what I experienced in Vancouver or Campbell River. The nice thing about the flash storms is that they keep down the dust and forest fires. The not-so-nice thing about the flash storms is that they turn Dawson’s streets to rivers of mud. I’ve discovered that an ankle-length skirt, my uniform of choice, is not sensible fashion here on wet days!

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Still Waiting for Tomatoes

I should have called my last post on the subject GREEN Spheres of deliciousness! 😀

Using advice from the farmer who gave me the plants, I repotted the saddest looking one, have been feeding all three blood and bone meal (yuck!), and watering them consistently. The result: healthy looking (I think) plants loaded down with lots of lovely green fruit. I’m told that I may get red ones in the nearish future. I sure hope so! 😀

These were taken with the ‘flower’ setting on my new camera:

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Playing With the New Pentax Optio W90

My new camera arrived today and I am so far, a few quibbles notwithstanding, extremely impressed with it!

One of the features that sold me on the Pentax Optio W90 was ‘microscope’ mode, so that’s what I’ve been playing with the most today. I can’t count the number of blurry close ups I’ve posted to this blog thinking that they were the best one could expect with a basic, inexpensive, point and shoot camera.

Take this shot of a loonie, for example. It was taken with my Casio Exilim, about four inches from the subject, with flash on, in ‘best shot’ mode:

could be a loonie…

Here’s the same loonie taken with my Pentax, about four inches from the subject, with flash on, in ‘microscope’ mode:

definitely a loonie! and is that a towel???

My main quibble is that none of the research I did told me that the AC charger is an optional accessory. What comes with the camera is a small dock in which you can charge the battery. This means that I have to open the battery compartment door and fumble with a slick and fussy piece of electronic. It’s not a deal breaker, but I did email the seller to see if they have the charger in stock and how much it will come to with shipping.

I also don’t like that I have to open up a compartment to plug in the USB cable for uploading my pictures; one false move and that little cover will snap off easily, I’m sure! I understand why the ports are behind covers–the camera’s waterproof!–but I do wish the hinges felt a bit beefier.

Finally, the inch thick manual has me quivering in my seat. Okay, that’s not a real quibble. 😀

The controls are super easy to use, even with my big fingers. In fact, this is probably the most Rae-finger friendly electronic device I have ever played with! I thought my Exilim was good, but the Pentax is infinitely superior. I like that the zoom is controlled with clicks on a button rather than an imprecise circular slider, and there’s a trash button! I can delete pictures in two steps rather than the Exilim’s five! And let’s not get started on the dedicated flash button!

But my favourite part of the camera so far? The cleaning instructions:

(picture taken in text mode!)

I’m not sure I’d have the guts to take my camera underwater, no matter what the instructions say, but I’m no longer going to worry about taking it out in rain or snow!

I thought the new camera was going to have a ‘breaking in’ period, but I doubt I’ll want to use my Exilim again, so it’s time to find it a new home. I’ll check, first, if its battery and memory card are compatible with the Pentax and, if so, I’ll have backups. 🙂