40. I Wish for Half a Dozen Pairs of Eyes

One pair of eyes really isn’t enough when you are in Yukon, Canada. I wish I had half a dozen of them.
One set to keep eye on the road since the road condition can be bad at times.
One pair to check the wildlife on the right and another for the left. I have seen porcupine three times, but each time I was too slow so it got away before I could catch a shot. One time, I even went into the woods a little bit trying to find it. Instead of the porcupine, I found a pretty little purple flower, in a place where everything else was gray, brown and dark green.
I certainly need a pair of eyes to see the stunning scenery on my left, second pair for the right side, and a third pair for the rear. The beauty is all around me!
“Close to 80% of the Yukon remains pristine wilderness with 5000 meter peaks, forested valleys, unspoiled waters and untamed wildlife.” Robert Service, a famous poet and writer, described Yukon as “a land where the mountains are nameless”.
Oh, yeah, nameless, snow covered mountains seemed so close that I felt I could touch them just by extending my arms. It is not even a good season yet. Most of the lakes are still covered by white snow. But from the small cracks, you can tell the water is green or blue. Just imagine how magnificent it could be in warmer days with green, blue lakes surrounded by colorful wildflowers or golden colored trees!
So I wish for half a dozen pairs of eyes. Better yet, give me eyes like a fly with 360 degree view so I could take in as much beauty as possible!
I have been so busy – getting up early, returning late, trying to see everything I could. I am sorry I didn’t have time to write for the past two days, which made a couple of my friends worried since I did write constantly during my trip. It is really hard to keep up when there is so much to see. I am overwhelmed!
Don’t take my words for it. And don’t even rely on any picture, even though I am trying my best, since no picture can really capture the essence and the spirit of this world (click on my pictures to enlarge it so at least you could see it better). Being here in person is the only way to truly experience Yukon, the official description of which is “larger than life”.
Well, we often say that life is not measured by the length, but by the width. In this case, Yukon just widened the width of my life! At least, I had a “dream” of having fly’s eye, for the first time. :)

PS. If you are going to drive on Alaska Highway, stay at least one extra day in Whitehorse so that you can take a side trip to Skagway. The scenery between the Canada customs and US customs is the best, in my opinion. Don’t forget your passport! And don’t bring oranges with you (I had a bag of oranges I just bought a day before. The US Customs confiscated it even it had “made in USA” on. Bananas and apples and fine.) The gas is cheaper in the US, so it made up for the bag of orange ($4.6 per gallon in Skagway and $5.3 in Whitehorse).


PS. You can make comments and “follow” (which means you will receive an email every time there is a new post) my blog (with pictures) at http://solotraveltoalaska.wordpress.com/

Click Here for More Information