Whee's and zzzz's

This morning we booked ourselves seats on the 4 pm jet boat tour with Wild Wonders River Safaris on the Yukon River. After a relatively lazy day we packed ourselves into the truck & headed to the hotel meeting point where we joined with the rest of the participants. Our boat mates were on a tour from New Jersey and seemed to be absolutely thrilled to be going on a jet boat ride. I had to laugh a bit because we almost seemed the opposite (not saying we weren't excited, but definitely not to the same degree). Well, except Morgan who was craving speed. A short bus ride later we boarded the boat along the shore of the river – exactly where we had seen it on Thursday. We were at the front of the boat, which was probably a good thing for the kids, since we were protected from the wind & spray. 

The tour took us downriver from Whitehorse (upriver being blocked by the dam!) and in a short time we were in the wilderness. The boat driver provided some thrills & waves for everyone by laying on the horsepower and some quick turns. Woohoo! (as said by Morgan)  It wasn’t all speed though. A short time later we paused at a clay/silt cliff upon which sat a multitude of juvenile bald eagles, along with several in the air being pestered by ravens. Our tour guide provided a variety of interesting information about the eagles (did you know it takes 5 years before they develop their distinctive white head/dark body coloring?), and passed around an eagle flight feather (did you also know that it’s illegal for someone in the U.S. to possess eagle feathers unless they are First Nations members?  This isn’t a law in Canada.).  

We zipped downstream to Whistle bend, a fast, narrow, and winding spot in the river, where the sternwheelers of the Klondike had to pause and whistle to ensure that vessels heading upstream & downstream did not collide. With the engine off, we floated downriver for a while and asked any questions that came to mind before blasting our way through the choppy river to check out a beaver condo. Most beaver lodges are a single mound, but this family wasn't having any of that. They had a front section, currently all underwater (although when the river is low, several feet  of this is above water), and a back section built into the riverbank – no beavers were seen, but the size of their accommodations was impressive. Our tour nearly completed, we then cruised our way back towards Whitehorse with a couple quick stops along the way to see the last remnant of telegraph wire from the Klondike days, an eagle’s nest and a river view of the SS. Klondike. Lily missed this last bit because the hum & motion of the jet boat put her soundly to sleep.  (and that's the zzz's of the title)  After she woke up (outside the boat & back at the truck!) she informed me that her favorite part of the tour was her nap.  Really, kid!? It's grand to know our excursion of the day provided her some quality sleep time.
 

The awe and excitement of our fellow passengers helped confirm a sneaking suspicion I have had for a while. We (as a family) have been spoiled, especially where nature is concerned. Alberta has an abundance of nature and living near the mountains has meant that we have bears, moose, deer, eagles and a variety of other animals within a reasonable driving distance of our former home. We have grand vistas, beautiful auroras, and lots of open spaces. Don’t get me wrong. I am enjoying seeing new places and  learning things I might otherwise never have learned (and sharing them on the blog), and certainly appreciate that we have the opportunity to experience all these things and more (and really hope that my children are getting something positive from what we have seen & done so far!). But, for me at least, the most exciting things on our trip so far have been those that are different from home, or that I never experienced before. The bison walking alongside the road, salmon swimming up the fishway, and the First Nations stories & histories are what stick in my mind so far. I wonder what sights we will see next and what will make a grand impression?