Whitehorse. A fantastical mythical place where Andrew supposedly comes from. I'm a little ashamed to say I know next to nothing about the Yukon, the location is even a little fuzzy. Turns out, it's a real place, and it's very cold, but contrary to my personal beliefs, I did not drop dead gasping for air upon arrival. Don't get me wrong, it's still the coldest I've ever been, but I'm surviving just fine.
We arrived at night, so aside from whatever the headlights lit up, and the inside of a pub, I didn't see much. Andrews friend Buck picked us up in his car which had "ice on the inside of the car!" To which buck replied, "....frost? Yeah... Get used to it..." He was right.
Day two, we took a drive around town so I could orient myself and actually see where we are. Andrew tells me they called it Whitehorse because of the rapids in the river looking like running white horses, but I think maybe it's just cuz it's snowy and EVERYTHING is white... And maybe they just really like horses. Apparently they had an unusually warm week recently and lost about two feet of snow, everyone was worried the bears would wake up... It was very confusing. So now they keep telling me how much it looks like spring here, but for me, it's still about as much snow as I've ever seen in my life. The river is at it's smallest in town, but still huge. It's mostly frozen, with a thinner part in the center flowing. Big blocks of ice jet up in spots, they look like big sinking ice ships. Almost everything blows my mind at least a little bit.
This week is a festival called "Rendezvous" which no one can really explain to me. Everyone dresses with garters and feathers and suspenders and such. There are all kinds of shows and events on all week... Really funny stuff, actually. Here's a few of my favorites:
I can't help but think of my mom with the scrabble championship....
Last night the northern lights came out and danced a bit. It seems to be a recurring theme that things aren't as extreme as they usually are, but I was completely blown away. We threw on boots and coats and hats and walked to the end of the street... Well, I stumbled... Sinking and falling into unexpectedly deep snow because I wasn't watching my footing. I felt like a five year old. I don't remember the last time I saw something for the first time. I mean sure this whole place is new to me, but you see photos, movies, all kinds of hints to prepare you... No matter how many photos I've seen of the northern lights I was not prepared.
Anyone who knows me knows how surprising it is for me to find myself in the Yukon. Sometimes I wake up forgetting where I am, but this place has a way of reminding me. In a big way.
