Archive

 

---

Current Tours 

Niagara Lights

Jan 11th, 2020

 

Costa Rica

February 2020

 

Antarctica Tour

February 2020

 

Morocco Tour

May 2020

 

Kenya & Tanzania Tour

October 2020

 

Galapagos Tour

November 2020

 

Machu Picchu

November 2020 

 

New 2019/2020 Tours

Tour Brochure

---

 

------------------------------------

September 03, 2016 at 1:11 PM

September 2, 2016 - Emerald Lake, worlds smallest desert & Klondike Hwy

Our first stop today was at Emerald Lake on the South Klondike Highway. The blue/green color is caused from light reflecting off white deposits of marl, a mixture of clay and calcium carbonate,at the bottom of the shallow waters.

Just a few kilometers south of Emerald Lake, we stopped at the smallest desert in the world; at least according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In fact the climate is too moist for this area to support a true desert. The Carcross Desert (or sand dunes) are a result of a glacial process where the sand from a large glacial lake settled to the bottom and as the glacier melted, the lake drained leaving the dunes we see today.

Our next stop is the village of Carcross. The village was originally named Caribou Crossing because of the twice a year migration of large herds of caribou just east of the town site. When railway construction through the White Pass was completed, the final gold spike was hammered into the track here on July 29, 1900.

Matthew Watson’s General Store across from the rail station is the Yukon’s oldest operating store. Enjoy day ten's selection of images.

Albert, Val, Kwang and Sue lining up their shots at Emerald Lake

Emerald Lake

Using the fall colours to frame the lake

The Carcross Desert

The clouds are still with us, even in the desert

 

Lots of truck and ATV tracks throughout the desert

Some of the delicate flora growing in the sand

Fractus clouds swirled just above the sandy ground

Sue shooting back

The fall leaves have started to drop

 

Some of the ground cover around the edge of the desert

 

Rosehip flower in a sheltered area of the desert

The fall colours are just about peaking this week

 

This Carcross bakery had a great selection of scones and the soup was really good too.

The truck’s driving days are over, but it adds a nice splash of vintage colour to the scene.

A great way to recycle old bicycles

 

Carcross is located at the end of Bennett Lake.

The trestle used by the White Pass and Yukon Railway (WPYR)

Another view of the trestle

Although they appear grown over, these narrow gauge tracks see trains several times a week.

This ground squirrel was making his home beside the trestle.

From the poster it doesn’t appear that being a Pony Express rider was a long-term career 

Albert with the WPYR moose.

A juvenile eagle perched on a hydro pole beside the river. There was also an adult bald eagle on a pole across the river.

Albert, Godfrey and Claude photograph WPYR train as it arrives in Carcross. Tomorrow it will be our turn to ride the train.

Here are more images from our guests reflecting back over the entire trip.

Thanks Albert for sharing your images ... Muskoxen at the Yukon Wild Life Preserve.

Grey Fox at the Yukon Wild Life Preserve.

Elk at the Yukon Wild Life Preserve

Dall Sheep at Kluane Lake

Quill Creek south of Haines Junction

Panorama looking northwest toward Haines Junction

Thanks Godfrey for sharing your images… View from of Dezadeash Lake from the Rock glacier.

Kathleen Lake

Thanks Sue for sharing your image… Emerald Lake

Thanks for sharing your image Betty Ann… View from the top – Carcross Desert.

Tomorrow is our last full day and we are taking the White Pass and Yukon Railway from Fraser BC to Skagway Alaska then return to Whitehorse for our farewell dinner. Good night from all the Trekkers in Whitehorse.

Please add a comment