This summer, one of my dreams came true. I took my first research trip as an author and visited a gorgeous destination. My family joined me. Since I’ll be setting my next few historical novels during the Klondike Gold Rush, I wanted to see the area—Yukon Territory in Canada, and Alaska in the USA. Here are the top 3 things that surprised me.
1) The smell of the air. It’s what I’ll remember most. It was incredible! Every step brought a new scent: mountain flowers, clear glacier water, pine trees, cold rivers. On the first day we arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, it was raining and the sun was shining at the same time. There were 3 rainbows!
2) The high price of food. Most food is imported, as I had imagined, but I was still surprised at paying $8.00 for a bag of small oranges. Wild salmon from the Yukon River tasted heavenly, but costs almost as much there as it does here. Worth every penny.
3) Around-the-clock daylight feels strange. We were so far north that in the summer, the sun never sets. There were two or three hours in the middle of the night where the sky was a deep twilight blue, but otherwise, the sun was bright enough to get a sunburn at ten in the evening. It was hard to fall asleep. Very exciting, though!
The two photos of the Yukon River valley were taken just outside the city of Whitehorse, at Miles Canyon. The photo of the sign was taken on top of the world, on the mountainous border between Yukon Territory and Alaska. What an incredible view. These are the mountains the stampeders crossed on foot to get to the gold in Dawson City, Canada. For more info and pics, please visit my website. http://www.katebridges.com
12 comments:
Incredible photos, Kate! I could imagine walking along that path and hearing the rush of the water. It's an unbelievable shade of blue!
Wow, Kate! Fantastic doesn't begin to describe the photos. The dh saw them and got that "look" in his eyes. Too kewl!
Kate,
Lovely pics. I loved the interesting facts you posted too!
Your trip sounds fascinating.
Hi Cheryl! The color of the water was stunning. There's a little steel bridge--a footpath--that crosses over it and allows people to walk the trail. The trail is over 100 yrs old--the original one the stampeders used to haul their supplies instead of shooting the rapids. I brought home some spruce needles and they're sitting on my desk, reminding me of the area.
Denise--that look in the eyes can be very expensive, once you catch the traveling bug, as I found out! :-)
Charlene--Thanks, it was a remarkable trip. The only problem is there's no way I can possibly describe the scenery in black and white type. I wish we could include photos! I'm trying to include some of the details in my novel, but it's difficult when the book also has to have characters, a plot, and dialogue!
Thanks for posting your comments!
That's incredible. Thanks for sharing!
Kate, I just finished Klondike Doctor and it is wonderful, I loved it from start to finish. It was giving to me by my daughter Kim for Mother's Day, she couldn't have picked a better gift. The photos are beautiful and add a lot to the story.
Joann,
Thanks for dropping in. I'm really thrilled you enjoyed the story. It was a fun one to write, and incredibly beautiful to travel through the area myself. You sure read fast, if it was given to you for Mother's Day. :-) Thank you for your lovely comments.
Kate
Kate
Thank you for sharing such beautiful and peacful pictures. I can only dream of places like these.
I myself is a romantic and enjoy reading "The Klokdine Doctor" very much.
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for your comments! I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures and so happy you liked the novel. It was fun to write and fun to explore this part of the world.
Kate
I just love love love your writing! I finished reading the third Klondike book right now...all three were wonderful! Don't know if I can say this but you are "up there" with Woodiwise, Lindsey and Miller.(I hope you know who I mean)...:)...
Dear Anonymous,
Wow! What a lovely comment! Thank you so much. Yes, I do know who you mean by those three authors:-) and what an honor! You've made my day. I just had the pleasure of meeting Linda Lael Miller last week at a charity event, and she's one of my favorite authors. Thank you, it's really a pleasure to write for people who enjoy reading. I'm thrilled you liked all 3 books!
All the best,
Kate
www.katebridges.com
"Pam Ch--thank you for your post. Please email Kate Bridges directly on her website for a response. www.katebridges.com Thanks."
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