Carmacks, Yukon to Dawson City, Yukon

Sunshine greeted us this morning and stayed for the whole day. Temps were in the upper 70's later in the day and here at nearly 10 pm the sun is still brightly shining and it is pleasant.
The drive today was only about 220 miles but the Klondike Highway is no interstate and as soon as you got going above 60 you had to slow down for bumps and bad spots in the road.
The scenery in places was spectacular and other times so boring that it was a good thing the road was rough to keep us awake. On this road unlike the Alaska Highway the trees grow close to the road and block what would be a nice view . . . we thought as we were driving along river fronts and couldn't see the river. There were also a few nice views that I didn't get because my camera battery died and needed charging . . . . I realized much later that I have a pretty good camera in my phone. I guess someday I will get used to having a smartphone. I did use it to find the cheapest gas in Dawson City though. Cheap is relative though since it is well over $1.10 per liter most places  . . . which translates to over $4.00 per gallon.
The 1st pic I took today was of the beautiful purple flowers that are growing everywhere along the roadside

Fireweed

Next up 5 Finger Rapids from the Lookout View

The camera was recharged enough for this pic at the start of the Dempster Highway. The Dempster goes up to the Arctic Circle and beyond. Just to the Arctic Circle would be 240 miles further North from here.

After arriving in Dawson City and setting up our camper for the night we decided to do a Yukon Parc Service Guided Tour of the town. There was a lot of history and current information which we thoroughly enjoyed. Dawson City was a hub of the Gold Rush in 1898-1899 with over 35,000 people in town. Today in the winter there are 1,500 residents. Tourism is very big here in the Summer.

Te Yukon River from the boardwalk in Dawson city

Two buildings that were built on the ground and are now sinking into each other due to the permafrost

The Mason Hall all restored 

All buildings in Dawson City have to look like period buildings. Parcs Canada owns 17 buildings in town, the remaining are privately owned and all are required to keep the look whether by false fronts or by restored architecture.

Tomorrow we cross the Yukon River on a ferry and take the Top of the world Highway to finally reach Alaska!