mush

one theory about the origin of the word "mush", for getting dogs to pull a dogsled: it might be a corruption of the French word "marche"...as in, "en marche" or let's get going, from "marcher", to walk. that's on the theory that the first Europeans to try dogsledding were probably French coureurs-de-bois, and the anglos arriving later decided that "marche" was a Native word.
so there...a connection between Paris and Dawson City...which during the Gold Rush was called "the Paris of the North". I'm still looking for a cafe.

Mineral glacier

couldn't resist checking out the glacier today...fed by an underground mineral spring, the ice sheet has been growing visibly in the month since i first saw it. but it's surprisingly difficult to get a good photograph of it...partly because it's really slippery, being sheer ice, so most positions don't give me enough stability to take off my mittens, dig the camera out of my pocket, and shoot before the battery or my fingers freeze.

it looks like muddy water in the photo, but it's frozen solid...and moves very very slowly when nobody's looking. further down the hill, below this overwhelmed little bridge, there's a car that was parked for the winter, which is now completely surrounded by the glacier.

Yukon Quest

this Saturday, Yukon Quest dogsled mushers leave Whitehorse for their1000-mile race to Fairbanks, Alaska. it's a 2-week race, open to both men and women, that comes right through Dawson.

lots of discussion here about the Jamaican musher, Devon Anderson, who's being sponsored by Yukon Tourism...people aren't too optimistic about his chances (this being his first visit to the north) but supporters remember the Jamaican Bobsled Team from the 1988 Winter Olympics, so ya never know. on the Quest site, Anderson isn't officially listed as a racer, so i'm not sure if he's planning to get to Dawson City.

however, i'm hoping to see defending champion Lance Mackey (he's a cancer survivor, like another popular American athlete named Lance...is it mere coincidence that the Tour de France is the only other international sport i've actually watched live?) this file photo shows Mackey's super-light racing sleds and travel-hutches for his "Comeback Kennel" huskies. during the Quest, i'll try to get a photo of the huskies inside their hutches, with their heads sticking out. it's quite a sight.

ravens

i'm getting used to the ravens. they're all over town, sitting in trees, on buildings, and flying around, often swooping very low down the alleys. ravens are more than just big crows; they make more interesting sounds (including a beautiful surprising watery cooing noise). they can live to be 50 years old--though many of the birds in Dawson are missing tail and wing feathers, so i suspect kids take pot shots at them, which might interfere with their longevity. raven claws aren't equipped to actually tear up an animal (which is why all the Corvidae birds are gruesomely famous for eating eyeballs), so they scavenge. stories abound of ravens following wolves & hunters; some stories argue that ravens will even lead wolves to game, in order to eat.
a few years ago, i watched ravens teasing a few dozen sled huskies--the huskies had just been fed their daily meal of frozen fish. a raven flew in and grabbed one small piece of fish, dropping it carefully between two husky doghouses. the two huskies immediately rushed for that piece of fish, then got into an argument with each other. meanwhile, the ravens descended and ate the other fish the dogs had abandoned. you'd think the huskies would eventually figure this out--the owner said it happened almost every day to one dog or another.
we've put out stale bread for the ravens, just to watch them; they're very wily, sitting on nearby posts to make sure it isn't a trap, swooping very close to our windows to see if we're watching them, and putting out the message to other ravens so that a half-dozen eventually turn up to eat together.

Ice bike

now it doesn't look much like bicycle weather, i know, but i've seen a few people riding bicycles around town. i've marvelled at their bravery/insanity. but while walking the dog, i met Tim, who runs the local bike shop--isn't his sign great?-- and he explained that he customizes tires for the winter by carefully driving screws into the rubber. this actually works, and the screws create spikes that bite into the ice, which means he can cycle along skidoo tracks and take off on long rides across the frozen river. i'm impressed, though i think i'll stick with my sled...

The King

for anyone wondering if Elvis is really dead, i bring you news: he's actually living in the Yukon. not only does he perform --recently a friend spotted him playing in a bar in Whitehorse-- he also runs for office. this photo is from his Oct. 2006 campaign for the Yukon Legislative Assembly--Pelly-Nisutlin riding; unfortunately he didn't win, and he had a heck of a time keeping people from stealing his fabulous signs.

known as "Tagish Elvis", Gilbert Nelles legally changed his name to Elvis Aaron Presley years ago, saying that he became the true reincarnation of the King after being hit by a UFO beam.

hey, don't scoff...anything's possible...including his pink cadillac and documentary film.

ODD

last night, went to the new show opening of the ODD gallery downtown--members of KIAC showing their work. lots of people, also food (fudge & chicken wings, classier than some of the food offered at New York gallery openings...) LOTS of good work, including a painting by Michael Mason, whose does "continuous line" works. he might be giving a talk at the Tr'ondeck Hwech'in community centre here later in the month.
there was also a great spoof of Yukon gov't and mining companies by gallery curator Mike Yuhasz

sled success

total success! i pulled the fully-loaded new sled up the hill...though the dog seems dubious of my future plans.

the photo was taken during a spectacular sunset, while the moon was rising. these days, the full moon reflecting off the snow has been making the long nights bright enough to read by.