Thousands of cords of wood.

Pioneer RV Park, Whitehorse YT (1 star)

Lee notes that we got our fill of sternwheelers and their work on the Yukon River today.

First up, we visited the ss Klondike, one of only two fully intact sternwheelers left in Canada (we will see the other one, the ss Keno in Dawson City). The Klondike is two thirds the length of a football field, could carry 340 tons of freight and only drew about one meter of water when fully loaded. Sometimes, the Klondike even pushed a barge or two or three ahead of it. Parks Canada has done a wonderful job of presenting what it was like on board. As we toured the freight deck, we walked around pallets of powdered milk, syrup, oatmeal, and even gasoline. It felt very much like we were about to cast off and head downstream to Dawson City.

Further downstream we wandered the area where the sternwheelers loaded and unloaded, and where they were pulled out of the river for winter.

Things they didn't mention in the history books. The captain of the ss Klondike would leave after the season and spend the winter pumping gas in Victoria. And, when under full load, the Klondike would burn a cord of wood per hour ( about three and half cubic meters). With a capacity of about 30 cords of wood, it's no wonder they had to stop once a day to load more wood. Lee surmises there were more workers cutting wood than workers to operate the sternwheeler.

Still getting used to the lack of real darkness.

The SS Klondike is one HUGE ship! It depicts the load that would be typically carried - not just a box or two of an item, but a shipment load of items we take for granted at our local Walmarts etc.

Our later afternoon was spent in the shade of the RV - and it was cooler in the breeze. The lawn chairs are comfy, and the novel is easy reading. It's 9:30 pm as I write, and no clouds to hide the sun, which is still shining brightly.