Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Day 35...A Little Gold Panning...The Dempster Highway to Tombstone...and...A Postscript Regarding Last Night's Meeting with "Tradition"






Well...first a word about last night. There is a Dawson City tradition...you can read about it by "googling"...Dawson Jack London cocktail severed digit...it is so "tasteless" that I am unable to write about it here. Nonetheless, you can see my "induction" into a club of approximately 30,000 equally crazy people in the attached photos.
Today, I set out at 10:00AM for Claim #6 on Bonanza Creek Road. It was along Bonanza Creek Road that George Carmacks and two others discovered the gold that set off the Klondike (and, later, the Alaska) Gold Rush. Claim #6 is owned by the Dawson City Tourist Association, and you can pan there for free. I went back in the hills, dug out some dirt with my pick and trowel, and panned for about an hour and a half. Alas, I was not successful in finding any gold...but the experience alone was fun and relaxing.
After the panning, I set off for Tombstone Territorial Park on the Dempster Highway (all dirt and gravel). As I approached my campground, I could see the colors that amazed me in the Fritz Mueller photo...wow...it is truly spectacular here!
I regret that the photos just don't do it justice...the colors are so much more vibrant when you're actually there.
I'm camping here tonight and, tomorrow,I'll be hiking the surrounding area in search of some great photos.

More later...

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