Kluane National Park and Reserve – Yukon Territory, Canada

Kluane National Park and Reserve are two protected areas in the southwest corner of the territory of Yukon. The National Park Reserve was set aside in 1972 to become a national park, pending settlement of Native American land claims. It covered an area of 8,499 square miles. When agreement was reached with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations over an eastern portion of the Reserve, that part—about 2,300 square miles became a national park in 1993, and is a unit of the national park system administered co-operatively with Parks Canada. The larger western section remains a Reserve, awaiting a final land claim settlement with the Kluane First Nation. The park borders British Columbia to the south, while the Reserve borders both British Columbia to the south, and the United States (Alaska) to the south and west.
The Reserve includes the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan at 19,551 feet of the Saint Elias Mountains. Mountains and glaciers dominate the park’s landscape, covering 83% of its area. The rest of the land in the park is forest and tundra—east of the largest mountains and glaciers—where the climate is colder and drier than in the western and southern parts of the park. Trees grow only at the park’s lowest elevations.
The bi-national Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek park system comprising Kluane, Wrangell-St Elias, Glacier Bay and Tatshenshini-Alsek parks, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 for the spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes as well as for the importance of grizzly bears, caribou and Dall sheep habitat. This is one of the largest areas of protected land in the world and is immensely wilderness with limited access except by foot or snowshoe. You can still enjoy the expansive vistas from the road.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Whitehorse and the SS Klondike National Historic Site – Yukon Territory, Canada

Whitehorse is the capital and only city of Yukon, and the largest city in northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at Mile 918 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse’s downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in Alaska. If driving the Alaska Highway make use of this town which has any amenity you may need. I had to make car repairs and upgrades here both going north and again coming back down south.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The city was named after the White Horse Rapids for their resemblance to the mane of a white horse, near Miles Canyon, before the river was dammed.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The SS Klondike National Historic Site is in Whitehorse and preserves a sternwheeler that has been restored. These sternwheelers plied the upper Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City in the days before the railroad.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Signpost Forest – Watson Lake, Yukon Territory Canada

The Sign Post Forest is a collection of signs at Watson Lake, Yukon and is one of the most famous of the landmarks along the Alaska Highway. It was started by a homesick GI in 1942. He was assigned light duty while recovering from an injury and erected the signpost for his hometown: Danville, Ill. 2835 miles. Visitors may add their own signs to the over 80,000 already present.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Trans Canada Highway – Montreal, Quebec to Edmonton, Alberta

The Trans-Canada Highway is a transcontinental federal-provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the Atlantic on the east. The main route spans 4,860 miles across the country, one of the longest routes of its type in the world. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-on-green maple leaf route markers. On our road trip up the Alaska Highway we made our way from our home in New England to Montreal where we caught the Trans Canada Highway heading west. Driving through Quebec and into Ontario we reached the midpoint of the Trans Canada.

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A truly awe inspiring part of the drive was going along the north shore of Lake Superior. Realizing that you are seeing a freshwater lake and not an ocean gives you even more of a sense of wonder.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Many scenic wonders in Ontario but we couldn’t stop as we were on to Alaska.

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Into Manitoba and through Winnipeg,

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we reach the longitudinal center of Canada.

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In from of us are the Canadian Plains and the endless fields of crops and pasture as we enter Saskatchewan.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Alberta is where we leave the Trans Canada and head north into British Columbia to catch the Alaska Highway,

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but first a stop at the West Edmonton Mall which at the time of our trip was the largest mall in the world. Today it is not even in the top ten!

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Someone once said the best way to see a country is to drive through it and I wholeheartedly agree. We really did not do the trip justice as we were on our way to Alaska but it was still an experience I will always cherish.

Alex Goes to Brazil

In 2010 Rita took Alex to Brazil to see his grandparents. Rita’s hometown is Arapongas which is in the state of Paraná. Alex is getting used to plane travel early, but first the long wait in the terminal,

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but what’s this someone smaller than me!

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New video by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Finally settling in for the long plane ride, may he always keep his curiosity.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Time to wash up before seeing Avo and Vovo.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Time to have fun in Brazil,

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

but best of all spending time with his Vovo.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos