Dawson Report

Well before I get into the Dawson report, here are my veggies from last week:


M and I took a long weekend and took a road trip to Dawson by way of Chicken. I took a ton of photos, so I'll post them over the next several days.

The Taylor Highway is always a gorgeous drive:


Succession--fireweed follows fire!




This dog's name is Arvay! Well, not Arvay, but my real-life name. I looked every time someone called her.


Autumn and Linden are very good about being left outside of shops and restaurants:


The Chicken post office:


It hasn't changed at all since a historic photograph was shot in the 80's:


In Chicken, M and I were invited to pitch our tents right in the bustling downtown. We did so, then cooked up dinner on our camp stoves. After a while, the cook from the local (and lovely) restaurant came out, and the following conversation transpired:

Cook J: "Would you ladies like to join us in the pub for a beer?"

Me: "Thanks, but we're pretty tired from our drive. Maybe later. Would you like some kohlrabi?"

Cook J: "What's a kohlrabi?"

Me: "It's kind of like a broccoli that's nothing but stem. A giant, spherical stem. This one's awesome. My neighbor Mike grew it. I brought it all the way from Fairbanks."

Cook J: "Uh... no, thanks. Maybe I'll see you later in the pub..."

Later, after M had gone to sleep (M's an early sleeper), I joined Cook J and the crew of seasonal workers who come in just for summers to work in the tourist trade, cooking and bar tending. The young women were all in their early 20's and shared stories of their conquests among the foresters and miners. At one point, the young women all turned to me aghast. "Aren't you a tourist? Are we appalling you?" To which I replied, "Nope. I was young once, too." :)

As we drove out of Chicken, I told M the story, then realized... it's not normal to turn down beer and offer kohlrabi in return, is it?

Chicken Creek:


Visitors panning for gold, which still runs pretty constantly in the river. Chicken keeps an official roster of the "One ounce club".


The Chicken fire truck. Note the solar panels in the background. Not only is Chicken not connected to the power grid, it doesn't even have its own power house. Each building has its own generator.


Autumn admiring the fireweed. It's been a great year for it all over Alaska:




Top view of part of Chicken:


Chicken motifs:




Moose!


Dawson report to proceed tomorrow.