48 FOCUS - JULY 2018 restored and were released in 2016 as a documentary entitled, Dawson City: Frozen Time. Dawson City is a great place to spend a few days (in summer). The short nights make for lots of activities. The city boasts a mixture of First Nations Heritage and Gold Rush history, blended with an active gold mining and tourism Industry as well as a thriving arts scene. During my four days there I found the city was buzzing with activity. I hired a tour guide dressed in gold rush era garb, and he lead me on a very de- tailed walking tour through downtown Dawson City. I then boarded an elegant paddle wheeler to experience the mighty Yukon River in style.There are even daily shows at Canada’s oldest gambling hall, featuring boisterous dance hall girls. For a quieter activity, the area’s captivating past comes to life at the Dawson City Museum, where you can experience a taste of Yukon culture. Another fun activity, which really brought me back to the days of the Gold rush, was a tour to the Klondike Gold Fields where I marvelled at the size of Dredge #4, which in its heyday was the largest wooden-hulled dredge in North America. A drive up to the Midnight Dome was a real treat, and offered a top-of-the-world view. There are plenty of nature trails and walks, all of which allow you to get in touch with the beauty of our natural world. One thing that is a definite must is a taste of the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail, certainly not for the faint at heart, but the bragging rights were worth it, I think. The Sourtoe Cocktail is a rite of passage in town – it is a shot of whiskey, garnished with a mummified human toe. In order to gain membership in the Sourtoe Cocktail Club, you must drink the shot (supervised by Toe Captain Terry) and follow one rule: “You can drink it fast. You can drink it slow. But your lips must touch that gnarly toe.” In 2013, a man named Joshua Clark swallowed one of Captain Terry’s favou- rite toes, on purpose. He was run out of town. But now he’s back, seeking forgive- ness from the toe captain himself. Combining Dawson City with White- horse makes for a very memorable trip. You can even fly to Anchorage, which is what I did. Then visit Denali and Fair- banks and make your way to Canada’s Great White North. However you choose to experience Dawson City, the midnight sun ensures there’s plenty of daylight to fit it all in. Dawson City (continued from page 46) Downtown Dawson City still looks like it did in days of old. The road goes on for hours without encountering another human. Lakes are pristine in the Yukon. Jonathan van Bilsen is a photographer, author, columnist, keynote speaker and can be followed at photosNtravel.com Last month’s ‘Do You Know’ was … Where and how old is the world’s oldest living tree? The answer is, a Great Basin bristle- cone pine in the White Mountains of California is 5,062 years old. TRAVEL TIP: When you land in a foreign coun- try and you want to make sure you blend in, grab a local news- paper and carry it under your arm. Everyone will assume you are from there. Why else would you carry a local language paper? Much of Dawson City is preserved from the way it was.