The scones from Johnston’s Crossing were great!

We drove to Integra Tire to get our valve stem replaced again with one compatible with the tire pressure monitoring system. This was done quickly while we waited. We met a German couple who had rented a car in Vancouver and had driven it up the Dempster Highway with four kayaks on the roof. On the way they had shredded two tires and possibly wrecked a wheel bearing. We’re sure the rental car company is eager to get their car back before it gets trashed anymore. The nerve of some people.

The rest of the day was spent touring Whitehorse. We started at the Visitor Reception Centre where we got our Yukon passports stamped and lots more information on the Dempster Highway trip and options to get to Tuktoyaktuk. An extension of the Dempster from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk is set to open in September but unfortunately won’t be done before we get there. There are options to fly and do a day trip. Hopefully this will work out for us.

We visited the White Pass and Yukon Route Depot, the Whitehorse end of the former narrow gauge railway that ran to Skagway and dates back to the Gold Rush time. These days one can take a tour by bus to Fraser, BC and then the train to Skagway.

After this we visited the MacBride Museum of Yukon History. Here we learned about some of the colourful characters that were part of the Yukon’s history, saw some more animals, beautiful native craftsmanship, and really enjoyed a special photographic exhibit on the the building of the Alaska Highway which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Tired from walking we enjoyed a rest at a local coffee shop, sitting outside in the warm sun.

On our way back to our campground we briefly visited the S.S. Klondike, a stern wheeler that had transported goods and passengers along the Yukon River between 1937 and 1955. The S.S. Klondike was restored in 2005 and is now a museum.