Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Whitehorse area tour

We carpooled this morning to areas around Whitehorse. First we visited the area where the rapids looked like the tail of a white horse and therefore gave Whitehorse it's name. The area is tamer now than it was then due to a dam upstream.

Whenever dams are built on rivers like this where salmon return to breed in the summers, something needs to be built to allow the fish to get to their home breeding grounds. Wayne and I have seen fish ladders along the Columbia River and in Grand Rapids but nothing like this one. Not only does it go a long way up

but it turns corners as well.

This chart shows how far the salmon go to get to this location.

The dam itself provides power for the city.

Next we drove to the Yukon River. Spike called this the "Scary Bridge."

Here are some more of the people on our tour:








After we crossed the bridge you could see where the river had cut columns in the rock. Also this area had a double whirl pool. Jack London used to guide miners and other people through this dangerous area.

Time to go back to the camper for lunch. More pictures are on our Picasa web album.

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