I was telling my colleague that my cousin will be in Anchorage in August and I said I would drive over to visit him, then we could drive back to Whitehorse. First he was looking forward to a road trip, then he looked at the map. He didn't realize that it would either take me 2 - 7 hour days to reach Anchorage or one very long 14 hour day, weather and road conditions permitting ... it is just over 800 kilometers away. He then decided he would fly to Whitehorse and emailed me saying "do I really have to fly down to Vancouver, then up to Whitehorse??" My colleague laughed and said "welcome to our world".
I thought of this today as we were talking about a contractor who advised that his classes begin at 8:30 AM and end at 6:00 PM. We all laughed. Yukoners don't sit anywhere for that length of time, unless perhaps there is a 3 hour lunch break (or perhaps we're on a plane to Australia). Only in the Yukon, eh?, came up again today when we were without long distance telephone service and internet service for the afternoon as a fibre-optic cable was cut by a backhoe working on the Alaska Highway. That also meant no shopping unless you carry cash, as credit card and debit card service was out as well. Also today, cell phone service was disrupted apparently by the smoke in the air from the 17 forest fires that are burning.
Many businesses live for the tourist trade, but come summer most still close up shop at 6PM. And even in the summer, you can roll a bowling ball down the middle of the Main Street on a Sunday.
I guess we're a different breed up here. We get used to the have and the have not. We get both. Currently we are cut off from the south by the closure of the Alaska Highway between Watson Lake and Ft Nelson (the 2nd time this season) due to forest fires. By the way, that is the route our food comes, so some of the shelves may be a bit emptier these days, but that's the way it is. So, as Sue says, "welcome to our world"!
1 comment:
Welcome to my world OR Heres what-up in my corner of the WORLD! You actually did not say it like it was a bad thing.... and indeed it is not. Y'all are blessed to be in such a beautiful place. Snow capped mountains, clean streams, a main road that shuts down in the evening, a sky that is beyond words as it dances before you, visual stars, peculiar flowers that you call your own, a gratefullness for a short season which brings out the best in all of you, a hibernating people who excell visually, musically, creatively - come out of the woodwork and into the light which you have more than most in the summer. Hats off to you Yukoners and count your blessings. You are truly a rare breed! ....and having lived their for a very short time, I have to confess I covet your simple lifestyle - and dream of the time that I lived up there and try in my small corner of the world to continue to be a little bit YUKON! - MJT
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