Foodies in the North

When we really sit down to think about it, I'm not sure we could have moved up here 10 years ago, 5 years ago and, well, between now and then is questionable. There have been remarkable improvements to the Whitehorse culinary experience even within the past year which culminate to make this a very, very livable city. And while there are undeniably dining experiences we all crave for when we go outside, the day-to-day experience here is so much more than livable.

There is, in town, very good sushi, authentic and Americanized Mexican, as well as pub food, Swiss/German food (yumm...fondue) and 3 fabulous coffee shops with delicious, delicious food. This has recently been joined by very good Thai and Middle Eastern food and there remains good pizza and very edible Pho. In summer, there is, of course, Klondike Rib and Salmon and all of their fabulous offerings.

This past week, we had an exceptional "fancy dinner" - steaks, king crab, pasta, etc. which was worth every penny. While the presentation might not be up to Southern standards, the far more important taste was (as was the amazing array of veggies on offer). Both Mike and I had been to Giorgio's before for an ok dinner, so this was very good news. And of all the very tasty Chinese restaurants in town, this week we found our Mecca (thank you Carmen!), the place that will allow me to live between opportunities for DimSum.

Recently, a cake shop was added in town - I should specify an affordable cake shop - and Mike's test run of their wares was positive. The owner has offered to try and make sugar-free treats for me.

And amidst all of this, there remains a great many places I have not yet tried - the Caribbean restaurant, Henriette's Taverne, the Wine Bar at the Edgewater and I feel obligated to try Antoinette's new restaurant, Volaire. I am debating a return to the Indian restaurant - a horrible experience our first time, I have heard better reviews and wondering if I can rationalize a second chance (it was that bad).

All in all, it makes for a very enjoyable city with many potential culinary adventures.

Part 2 coming: Shopping for Foodie Ingredients.

More New Gear

Sometimes I think Mike agrees to try new things just so he can buy new gear. Last week, it was snowshoeing. This is something we've been talking about all winter, but thought we'd start with skiing.

Anyway, last week we decided to go out to Log Cabin. Log Cabin is nothing more than a parking lot en route to Fraser, BC and is a bit of an unofficial

access point to the Chilkoot Trail. We went to the store to rent snowshoes for

the trip and, "fortuitously" they were out of rentals! They did, however, have one pair of male and one pair of female snowshoes. Sigh. You all know where that went.

We tested out the 'shoes behind out house and really, really liked it. Then Sunday we hit the highway and drove 1.5 hours south into Northern BC. Unlike Whitehorse where we mostly need our snowshoes to cut through the ice, Log Cabin had gotten 30+cm of snow the day before. Lucky for us, our friend Steve cut the entire 8km trail (yay Steve!!). The day was gorgeous - sun shining, very mild temperatures and incredible views, Clare made delicious hot chocolate and we brought homemade soup. We were pretty exhausted by the end - especially Maui!

Snowshoeing is so nice in its simplicity, we just strapped them on and went for a loop through the hills behind out house. They really helped cut through the crust on the rapidly melting snow and made for a lovely Saturday walk.

Skiing

This fall, all I could think of was cross-country skiing. I don't know why, because it has always seemed to be altogether too much work. Downhill, with the benefit of the chair lift and the ability, usually, to simply glide back to the chalet seemed so much more desirable.

I think, because of the beauty of the terrain up here, the endless trails, a sense of "everyone else skis" and the need to get out in winter made me change my mind. Even Mike was onboard, which was very surprising. He has long banned ccs, some childhood nightmare (although I suspect he still secretly harbers those memories given his moderate to less than enthusiastic willingness to actually go out)

Anyway, I bought us skis during some package sale just before the holidays and gave them to Mike for Christmas and a thank you for all the work he does for me at the preserve. It took us nearly a month to finally get them on (lots of reasons) and now the season if more or less over (unless we get more snow!)

Getting a bit of a groove on pretty flat ground turned out to be pretty ok, it felt pretty good and Mike said it looked good - even in areas without tracks set. Naturally, because I'm me, I don't bend or stretch nearly as much as I should. But rather quickly, my brilliant husband got the brilliant idea to head into the hills behind our house. Having only ever seen them through eyes of a walker, I agreed.

Grrr...

The terrain was just fine for him (those childhood skills coming back from the depths). For me, not so much. Again, flat is fine, VERY minor downhill is fine, uphill is relativ

ely ok (save the BIG hill), but downhill was terrible! I keep expecting to be able to treat them like my downhill skis and, at the very least, have the opportunity to snowplow. I used my backend far too often as a brake, and my head once too. A moderately less exciting adventure, I have since kept to relatively flat ground.

While it seems positively mind-boggling, I am sure, to our friends in the East, I would love another dump of snow, something to last us until April. That will give me time to keep working on my form, and perhaps tackle those hills with somewhat less pizzaz!

Here is a photo from a shoot we did at the preserve. Not right for using, but fun!

Slow Going

It has been really tough to get started again after Christmas. I think by then, we were both exhausted and we took the holidays to rejuvenate. Then we whisked off to Ontario for a couple of weeks, and came back to a slew of work and the increasingly frenetic pace that occurs when Spring is in sight.

Having said all of that, taking time to consider it, I think there are two other reasons we haven't written too much. There have been several times over the last many months when I have simply not felt there was much to write about. I think a lot of what I do day-to-day, the stuff that fills 9,10,11 hours has become, well, become day-to-day. Even with my job, and that hardly seems worth writing about.

Recognizing how quickly we were slipping away from the exploration and adventure we'd moved here for, and how much my work was demanding from me, we have been trying to get back exploring the territory and really focussing on establishing a life here. And so, I have been trying not to spend too much time on the laptop (which inevitably leads to checking work email or remembering something I didn't do) and am trying to get out and do more stuff. Ironically, as we begin to have more to tell, we have less time for writing about it. But we'll try. Please be patient.

Better Late Than Never?

So, it has definitely been a while since we've updated, so here are a few words on what's going on. The weather has been practically tropical with highs near or around 0ºC for a couple of weeks now. There is a good base of snow on the ground which was actually sticky enough to build a snowman by rolling it in the time-honoured way. How unusual is that for the Yukon you ask? Unusual enough that a neighbourhood kid asked "how did you do that?". He had never made a snowman before.

We finally test drove our new cross-country skis along the nearby trails and had a great time. We could not have ask for better conditions, even if the terrain is a bit hilly for those of us who are a bit out of practice.

Another nice bonus was the live Dungeness crab for sale on 4th Ave. Fresh caught crab is a great winter treat no matter where you live so we feasted and froze our fill.

That's all for now. Enjoy the pictures!

Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! And many happy holiday wishes to you all!

We have been thinking of you, our family and friends often. For those who got a Christmas card this year, I hope it arrived in time. For those that didn't, our apologies, Christmas arrived far more rapidly than we were prepared for! Yes, I realize it happens the same time every year, but 2009 has certainly flown by. We even took a special photo for an e-card, and even that didn't get sent!! So here it is.

I don't think this week has been a "typical" Christmas, but it was a lovely couple of days. Good food, good friends and great company. We enjoyed old and new traditions and way, way too much food. We've played games and taken doggie walks. We've probably had more to drink than we should, and we definitely gave each other too many presents! (yay!). The weather has been perfect - blue, sunny skies, a bit of snow and moderate temperatures.

It was definitely different without our family and friends back east. But as we sit here at the end of a very, very lazy Boxing Day, I can't help but be grateful for all of the hospitality we have received over the last few days. And am grateful for how lucky we are.

Best. Christmas Tree. Ever!

Last night we went and cut our Christmas tree from the woods behind our house. While surrounded by trees, finding a Christmas tree is no easy feat. For starters, several of the varietals up here smell like cat pee which, essentially, one just has to accept. Also, we're in the very northern boreal, so trees are generally very, very skinny and sparse, so you are really looking for the least sparse as compared to a full one. Finally, it is dark by like 4pm, so you are nearly always looking in the dark.

The alternative is a traditional tree for $60 at Canadian Tire. Sixty!! Again, we're like 90% boreal ecosystem.

And so, for several dog walks this week we scoped out trees. Few were even contenders, but we did find two and decided on one. We went out to cut it last night and Mike changed his mind - we were going after the other, significantly more challenging to reach, tree.

So off we went so Mike could hand cut a tree on the side of a cliff from underneath - with essentially no method but holding the tree to stay in place. Fun! Until the hand saw snapped. We trecked home, got the reciprocating saw and returned with a tree. Dragging it through the woods all old school and fun!

I would never suggest that looking at a tree from underneath, particularly one in a somewhat dense patch, may overstate how many branches there are on the top of the tree. I wouldn't say that, but I will add photos.

Regardless, this is our tree and we love it! And the hunt was a lot of fun!