{"id":4692,"date":"2016-08-28T01:41:21","date_gmt":"2016-08-28T01:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=4692"},"modified":"2018-07-31T13:19:10","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T13:19:10","slug":"naked-lady-on-the-yukon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=4692","title":{"rendered":"“Naked lady on the Yukon…”"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

This is something<\/strong> like what I saw – unexpectedly – canoeing 440 miles on the mighty Yukon River<\/a>…<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

I just got back from two weeks canoeing the Yukon River. \u00a0(That’s also the caption for the Wiki<\/a>-photo at left.)<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0And the “mighty Yukon” is the last place on earth I would expect to see a lady sun bathing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But one moment, out of nowhere, there she was…<\/p>\n

You can see the full story below. \u00a0<\/em>I just wanted\u00a0add – at least for now – that in the picture at the top of the page, for the Yukon setting, you will need to imagine no sand. \u00a0(And no “Bikini Bottom<\/a>,”\u00a0for that matter.)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Instead, imagine a bend in the Yukon River, a canoe turned over next to a “good campsite,” and a red blanket, on which lay the “naked lady.” \u00a0(And I think<\/strong> she was a blonde…)<\/em><\/p>\n

But first, some background.<\/p>\n

\"DowntownMy last post –\u00a0\u201cMany furriners<\/a>”\u00a0– noted it was last July 26 – a Tuesday – that my brother and I started the drive from Utah to\u00a0Whitehorse, Yukon\u00a0Territory<\/a>.(Shown at right.) \u00a0<\/em>Four days later\u00a0<\/em>– on Friday, July 29 – we met up with my nephew, fresh out of the Army.<\/p>\n

From there we drove to\u00a0Skagway, Alaska<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em>The following Monday – August 1 – we started a four-day hike on the\u00a0Chilkoot Trail<\/a>. \u00a0(The \u201cmeanest\u00a033 miles in history<\/a><\/em>.\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n

And here’s a news flash. \u00a0There’s a reason<\/em><\/strong> they call it the “meanest 33 miles in history.” \u00a0I’ll be detailing that little jaunt in a later post. \u00a0(To be titled, “On the Chilkoot &$%# Trail!”)<\/em><\/p>\n

But back to the Yukon River. \u00a0Once we three finished the “Chilkoot &$%# Trail<\/em><\/strong>,” my nephew flew back east – to Philadelphia – and from there to\u00a0Penn State University<\/a>, to begin fall classes.<\/p>\n

That left two old geezers – my brother, 70, and me, just turned 65 – to paddle our canoes “up*” the Yukon River<\/a>. \u00a0From\u00a0Whitehorse \u00a0to Dawson City<\/a>, that’s a distance of 440 miles, and we covered it in 12 days. \u00a0(Not counting the full day we took off on Sunday, August 14, in beautiful\u00a0Carmacks, Yukon Territory<\/a>, to rest and refit.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Before we left I checked a web-post,\u00a0Canoeing the Yukon River – Our Time Machine is a Canoe<\/a>,\u00a0written by\u00a0Murray Lundberg<\/a>. \u00a0Some years ago he did pretty much the same trip as ours, with his son Steven. \u00a0One big difference: \u00a0They<\/em><\/strong> started at the\u00a0Lake Laberge Campground<\/a>\u00a0– instead of Whitehorse – “to cut down the still-water distance that we’d have to paddle.”<\/p>\n

Which is another way of saying that paddling a canoe on\u00a0Lake Laberge<\/a>* – shown at left – is a real pain.<\/p>\n

But that’s a story for another post.<\/p>\n

Now back to the naked lady…<\/p>\n

It was Friday, August 12. \u00a0We were a day away from Carmacks, and had been on the river five days already. \u00a0(And finally made it off “Lake &^%$# Laberge.”)<\/em>\u00a0 About 4:00 my brother was way ahead of me, when he went around a right-hand bend and looked like he was heading to shore, for a break.<\/p>\n

There followed one lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-ng<\/em> right-hand curve in the Yukon, one that seemed to last forever. \u00a0It was getting late and we were looking for the “good camp” listed in the guidebook.<\/p>\n

When I finally got to the end of the long right-hand curve, I could see something, way off, a half-mile or so ahead. \u00a0(Where the river turned sharply to the left.)<\/em> \u00a0I saw two small dots, near the bank – at what I later learned was the “good camp” we were looking for. \u00a0One of the dots was light and the other dark. \u00a0The lighter dot kept moving, to the left, downriver, and I figured it was my brother. \u00a0But I wasn’t sure which “dot” to paddle toward.<\/p>\n

So I took the middle course, and as I got close to the bend in the river, I could see the dark dot was a green canoe, turned over. \u00a0(Which we never do.)<\/em>\u00a0 Then – I began to see – there was a red blanket next to the canoe, and something light on it.<\/p>\n

That turned out to be the aforementioned naked lady – a\u00a0reprise<\/a>\u00a0interpretation of which is shown at right –\u00a0laying there in her\u00a0birthday suit<\/a>,\u00a0face down, for all the world to see. (Or at least two passing canoeists.) \u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Which brings up the current on the Yukon River.<\/p>\n

Generally the current is pretty fast. \u00a0It ranges from over four miles an hour up to seven miles an hour in some places. \u00a0(Except on<\/em>\u00a0“Lake &^%$# Laberge.”)<\/em>\u00a0 That’s the kind of current that helps you paddle 440 miles in 12 days. \u00a0But it also means that when you see something totally unexpected, by the time you recognize<\/em> it, the current is already moving you downriver. \u00a0(Creating a\u00a0flash in the pan<\/a>, so to speak.)<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0Which meant that by the time I recognized the naked lady as<\/em> <\/strong>a naked lady, the current was already pushing me farther down-river.<\/p>\n

Besides, my brother was already downriver, waiting. \u00a0(Having gotten an\u00a0eyeful<\/a>\u00a0himself.) <\/em><\/p>\n

As to the lady’s identity: \u00a0The last day on Lake Laberge we had landed – for a much-needed break – next to a couple in a tandem canoe. \u00a0They were from Turin, Italy, and later on in the trip we kept running into them, further downriver. \u00a0They pulled into Carmacks not too long after we did, on Saturday, August 13. \u00a0And when we finally got to Dawson City – a shade after 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 20 – they had gotten there a few hours before.<\/p>\n

So it was my brother’s opinion – first expressed at Carmacks, on the 13th – that the “better half” of that nice Italian couple was the mystery lady, sunbathing\u00a0au naturel<\/a><\/em>\u00a0on the banks of the Yukon. \u00a0(Besides which they took the one “good” camping spot on that stretch of the river.) <\/em>Unfortunately, neither one spoke very good English, and there seems to be no diplomatic way to translate, “Was that your wife’s naked butt we saw back on Friday the 12th?”<\/p>\n

But enough about the Naked Lady on the Yukon.<\/p>\n

This is the first of several posts I plan to write about our other<\/em> adventures this month. \u00a0And as noted before, those adventures started with our hike on the Chilkoot Trail.<\/p>\n

To do that we first had to go to Skagway, Alaska. \u00a0And at the left is my picture of\u00a0beautiful downtown Skagway, the day we got there, last July 30.<\/p>\n

This was after checking out the Yukon River, in Whitehorse, after checking out of our hotel. \u00a0Then we drove the 110 miles or so to Skagway itself. \u00a0That’s where – among other things – we had to\u00a0get a special permit<\/em> to hike the\u00a0“<\/span>Chilkoot &$%# Trail<\/em><\/strong>.” \u00a0(They won’t let just anybody<\/strong> on there!)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And among other<\/em> other things, we also learned we’d lost an hour crossing into Canada. \u00a0That’s because there’s a special\u00a0Alaska Time Zone<\/a>, one hour earlier than the\u00a0Pacific Time Zone<\/a>\u00a0they use in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.<\/p>\n

And there’s one more thing. \u00a0I took the photo at right, of one of the first things I saw at the visitor’s center in Skagway. \u00a0I thought at the time that it was unique to this part of Alaska.<\/p>\n

However, after further review – for this post – I found out that’s not the case. \u00a0See for example Footprints on the toilet seats? – Reuters<\/a>. \u00a0(“One Norwegian tourist in Malaysia said, ‘They can be very messy because people don\u2019t seem to know how to use the toilets. \u00a0You find black spots, footprints on the toilet seats, and there\u2019s water everywhere.'”)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Or\u00a0Footprints on the Toilet Seat: Guidebooks for Novice Travelers<\/a>, noting Chinese tourists – for example – who behave “in ways the locals saw as inappropriate.” \u00a0On that note see also\u00a0Travel pro-tips from the Chinese government: Don\u2019t leave footprints on toilet seats [or] spit in hotel pools.<\/a>\u00a0 All of which is – I suppose – one reason they say\u00a0Travel Broadens The Mind<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(And you might even see a naked lady along the way.)<\/em> \u00a0But one thing both a good travel experience and a good\u00a0pilgrimage<\/a>\u00a0will teach you: \u00a0“There’s No Place Like Home<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.” \u00a0(As shown below.) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I’ll be writing more about my August adventures, including the next post:<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\"Wizard<\/p>\n

As Dorothy said in<\/em> The Wizard of Oz<\/a>, “There’s no place like home!”<\/i><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Sun tanning – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0The caption:<\/em> \u00a0“A woman sun tanning on a Portuguese<\/a> beach.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0Paddling canoes \u201cup\u201d the Yukon River<\/a>. \u00a0To most people, going “up” means to go north, while to go “down” means to go south. \u00a0(With “over” meaning east or west.) \u00a0But to go “down” a river means to go downstream. \u00a0And while many rivers flow “down” or south, the Yukon – like the Nile – flows north. \u00a0So while we were paddling “up” north, we were also paddling “down,” as in “downstream…”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0Lake Laberge<\/a>. \u00a0Most people know the name as “Lake Labarge,” from the poem by\u00a0Robert Service<\/a>, The Cremation of Sam McGee<\/a>. \u00a0In the poem, “the narrator winds up hauling the body [of Sam McGee] clear to the ‘marge [shore, edge]\u00a0of Lake Lebarge.'” \u00a0So Service changed the name to “Labarge” to rhyme with “marge.” \u00a0(See artistic license – also known as “poetic license” – at Wikipedia<\/a>.) \u00a0Also, the image of Lake Laberge is courtesy of\u00a0lakelaberge.ca<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0The Wizard of Oz – Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0 See also No Place Like Home \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>, which noted that \u2013 aside from the famous line in “Wizard of Oz” \u2013 the phrase may also refer to \u201cthe last line of the 1822 song \u2018Home! Sweet Home!<\/a>,\u2019 (John Howard Payne and Sir Henry Bishop); the source of inspiration for the other references here: \u2018Be it ever so humble, there\u2019s no place like home,’\u201d and\/or\u00a0\u201c\u2018(There\u2019s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays<\/a>,\u2019 a 1954 Christmas song most famously sung by Perry Como.\u201d \u00a0For a \u201clive\u201d version, see also\u00a0There\u2019s No Place Like Home\u00a0\u2013 YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is something like what I saw – unexpectedly – canoeing 440 miles on the mighty Yukon River… * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * I just got back from two weeks canoeing the Yukon River. \u00a0(That’s also the caption for the Wiki-photo at left.)\u00a0 \u00a0And the “mighty Yukon” is the last place on earth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4692"}],"version-history":[{"count":74,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7564,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692\/revisions\/7564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}