Whitehorse, Yukon
Distance: 4 miles (total 375 miles)
Modest Movement!
Whitehorse sits on the 60th parallel north, alongside Helsinki, Finland; Oslo, Norway; and Saint Petersburg, Russia. Anchorage, Alaska, is just slightly north, but I’ll have to ride about 110 miles directly south to reach Skagway, Alaska—my next major destination.
The gold rush of 1896 in the Klondike region of the Yukon, 250 miles northwest of Whitehorse, drew prospectors to camp here while on their way further north.
Today, this slow-paced city is home to about 30,000 people. Some 15 percent of the population are immigrants, born outside of Canada. I’ve already met Filipinos, Africans, Vietnamese, Americans, and Indians who now call Canada home. Another 16 percent are Indigenous people.
Two days is not enough to really know a place, of course, but people here are friendly. Take Dave at Icycle Sports. Yesterday, I met him in the repair department to schedule an appointment to put Lucy back together. The shop was pretty busy, but Dave tore himself away to assist me. He was extremely friendly.
When I went back this morning to tell them I had reassembled Lucy myself (attached her front tire and pedals, and adjusted the brakes), Dave was with a customer. So Zander Conner helped me. He was equally accessible and friendly. He was born in the U.S. but is now a resident of Canada. Naturally, he was disturbed by the increasing tensions, mistrust, and disrespect our nations are showing each other. In addition to helping me select a new backlight and a tiny container of oil, he went online to help me find cabins in Carcross that he and Dave had used last year. My last stop in the Yukon will be Carcross Monday night before going on to Skagway. All the hotels are booked except one, which is $200 a night.
Afterward, I rode Lucy south through town and down to the SS Klondike National Historic Site. The sternwheeler is a type of paddle boat that initially hauled freight up to the Klondike and back and was eventually converted into a cruise ship.d
I dismounted Lucy, took a few photos of the Yukon River, and sent them to my granddaughter. As I was returning to the bike, a man and his bulldog approached.
We started talking about R4P, and I learned he was a bus driver who drives to Skagway three times a week—Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. He didn’t have a very high opinion of the U.S. right now but was very friendly to me. I asked lots of questions about the route, and we pulled up Google Maps to identify where the greatest inclines are. I won’t be able to ride Lucy the entire way because there are no hotels for the last 75 miles or so, which includes at least a 3,000-foot climb. The most challenging route so far on this trip was 54 miles with a 1,500-foot climb. The longest route I’ve ever completed was 70 miles, and I suspect that day included no more than a 1,000-foot climb.
Upon leaving, he (the driver, not the bulldog) said, “It’s nice to meet a good American.”
After I left, I called James Concepcion, the owner of the Destination Family Hotel, Antoinette’s Cuisine, and other businesses in Whitehorse. He was currently in Vancouver, and I wanted to make sure I had a little conversation with him before leaving. He won’t be back until late Sunday night, and I plan to depart Monday morning.
I wanted to get to know the man who had generously donated the hotel room at Destination Family Hotel for R4P for four nights. I knew he had earned a master’s from MIT in Finance Strategy First and that, besides being an entrepreneur, he’s also a chef at Antoinette’s Cuisine here in town. We had spoken briefly in the morning before my second interview with Zach from My Prince George Now.
The first thing that struck me about James was that he was soft-spoken. Witty. Humble. He was born in the Philippines but has lived in Boston and Vancouver. He moved to Whitehorse in 2020, during COVID-19, to seize new business and life opportunities.
James encouraged me to keep doing what I’m doing. That maybe I would spark a contagious movement that others would adopt.
Dozens of people on this journey have asked me what I hope to accomplish from this trip. And I think this is really it. I’d like to ignite a modest movement of goodwill.
Imagine for a moment if our elected officials met to tackle tough issues with goodwill—just think what they could accomplish. I realize this is too lofty a goal, and I’m not trying to influence policy. Rather, I’m trying to influence the construction worker, the truck driver, the factory worker, the nurse, the business owner, the landlord, the tenant. Let’s chuck aside our biases and political views and approach each interaction with a healthy, open attitude, with the goal of finding solutions that work for everyone involved.
James reminded me of another Filipino named James from Panama City, Florida—a chef and entrepreneur and one of the kindest human beings I’ve ever met. He advises my daughter on her car repairs and fixes what he can for her. He cooked and sent meals home with her for us when we were in town—well before I ever met him. Imagine if more people did this! And this is in our control, right? I can’t help you with prices at the supermarket, but I can afford to cook a modest meal and send it to a neighbor, a stranger. I once saw a man in Alabama buy a tank of gas for a stranger in need. Why not?
Back at the hotel, I sent emails to the hotel and the cabins, hoping to find a sponsor for Monday night. I’ll follow up on Sunday with phone calls. We’ll see what happens.