Dawson City

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Back to the Beginning

After much option considering, I have decided to spend the fall and possibly part of the winter back in the Okanagan, in Osoyoos and I’m optimistic that this fall will be different. One of the motivating factors for going was that I will be joining my friend Donna. I miss you! Osoyoos is definitely more appealing than was Oliver, being a slightly bigger community with better stores and restaurants.

I have a firm booking starting October 1st, so I am thinking of heading out of Dawson early this year so as to be able to take a partially new route. I’ll be in better shape financially than I was last fall, I’m better at mountain driving, and I’ve worked my tail off this summer. So, I’d like to take two weeks to get back south and see new things.

The cold season is going to shape itself as it goes along because of something I’m not ready to divulge yet, so I don’t know yet if I’ll be looking for work in Osoyoos. I’ll focus on getting there then regroup.

It feels like I only arrived in Dawson yesterday and now I’m already making plans to leave. Where did the summer go? It’s August tomorrow!!!

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Frankanstan in Dawson City

This weekend, the vaudevillian Winnipeg-based comedy group Frankanstan is doing four shows at the Palace Grand theatre. It sounded like fun and right out of the Gold Rush era, plus the 3PM shows fit in with my work schedule, so I decided to fork over the $14 this afternoon and check it out.

It was okay. I’d heard most of the jokes before, but the original songs were quite good and the audience interaction was great. In fact, it was audience members who got the biggest laughs. One young girl gave them a run for their money! The most cliched act was one one of the best–the ‘who’s on first’ Abbott and Costello routine. They really nailed it. But the best moment of the show was when they asked audience members where they’re from so jokes could be made about the locale. The first person was from Ontario. The next three from Dawson. I could see the comedians were faltering and they finally pointed at me and said “You, where are you from?” and I just smirked and said “Dawson!” Ha ha ha ha ha!

I came out happy that I went, but not filled with glowing praise and a need to send everyone I know to see one of their shows. I have a feeling that the success of this kind of act depends on the audience and there just weren’t enough of us even though we participated fully and laughed till our bellies ached when the joke warranted it.

What I especially enjoyed was watching a live show at the Palace Grand, an authentic Gold Rush era building dating back to 1899.

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Impromptu Mini-Road Trip

I went into town today to check my mail and to look for frames for the toilet room pictures. En route, I saw two hitchhikers on Front Street looking for a ride south. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and I found myself thinking “Gee, I wouldn’t mind having an excuse to run to the Dempster corner and back…” And just then I caught a glimpse of their sign. It said… Dempster Corner.

I pulled over to get a feel for them and to assess how much gear they had. They were a French couple, him from Quebec, her from France, with two huge packs, a smaller bag, a guitar case, and a very large dog. I figured we could just squeeze into the car. So, I told them to hang on while I ran my errands and that I would be back for them shortly.

We had a great (if cramped!) drive down as they regaled me with tales of their adventures. Last year, the guy came to Dawson and hitchhiked across the Top of the World Highway, getting stranded for five days! He ran out of water and after two very thirsty days he began to prepare for the worst, writing out his last wishes in marker on his air mattress. Shortly thereafter, he was picked up by a wonderful elderly couple that took him into Dawson and insisted on giving him $100 to help him out!

Another thing we discussed was the state of hitchhiking in Canada. Both are like me–they would never hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers anywhere else but in the Yukon, and especially not in northern BC along the Yellowhead highway! But it’s part of the culture here and everyone does it then pays it forward or has it paid forward.

The pair was heading up into the Tombstone mountains to hike and I would have been tempted to drive them to the trailhead had the Dempster not been closed due to flooding. I’m two weeks ahead of my trip to Inuvik and have already conceded that the trip is most likely to NOT happen. 🙁 It’s hard to be optimistic when faced with reality.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies and Beer

One of the dancers from Gerties commented on my post where I shared pictures from one of the shows and asked for copies of the photos.

Tonight, I finally burned them to a disc and dropped them off at the casino for her. Since I was there, I figured I might as well have dinner and bought a slice of pizza, a big chocolate chip cookie, and a glass of Yukon Gold. There is just something about the combination of the sweet cookie with the slightly spicy beer! I’ve gone to Gerties quite late on occasion just for a midnight snack of a cookie and beer, sometimes going for chocolate chip and sometimes for macadamia. Doing so is a nice change from all that ice cream. 🙂

I didn’t hang out long since I need to be up early tomorrow. The next couple of days aren’t going to go as planned. I was supposed to be off again tomorrow afternoon through to Thursday morning, but the manager took off for Whitehorse and I’m covering for her. This means I have to be in the office for 9:30 tomorrow and Wednesday mornings! I’m quite happy with the arrangement; the extra responsibility will be just what I need to shake up my routine a bit. Plus, I’m looking forward to getting a pineapple!!!

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Needing an Evening Out

I’m still very much under the weather, unheard of for me after almost a full week, but I have my appetite back now that I can taste food again. I haven’t been out in a week, other than to check my mail and run a few errands, and I was starting to feel mildly claustrophobic. Moreover, my fridge’s offerings were positively unappealing. So, this being a Sunday night I thought the Drunken Goat might be quiet and a good place to catch a bite. After all, isn’t garlic good for the immune system? 🙂

I wasn’t ravenous, so I thought of just ordering an appetizer rather than a full platter. But then I noticed that there was a wrap available for a very reasonable price, under $20, even made up as a meal with a salad, rice, and potatoes. I decided to try that, confident that I would have leftovers for a nice lunch tomorrow, which I did. It was all very tasty and just what I needed. The best part? A wonderful person I know picked up the tab for me!

Since I had a relatively light dinner, I had room for dessert, so off I went to the ice cream parlour where I confounded the server by asking for cookie dough instead of Rolo. 🙂 I took my cone up to my favourite bench by the river and watched the muddy eddies of the mighty Yukon mix with the clear waters of the Klondike. The day had started off very grey and nasty, but the sun was finally out in full force. I took my time enjoying my ice cream, savouring the cold treat and the warmth on my face, knowing that my Klondike days could very well be numbered and that such evenings remaining might very well now be counted on one hand. I have a lot on my mind right now, but my plans are taking shape.

When I finally headed back to the car I ran into one of my friends and we gabbed for a bit. I cannot believe how impossible it is to go out in Dawson without running into someone I know!