Day three - Watson Lake to Whitehorse

Day three dawned again with beautiful bright sunlight and I was eager to get on the road and meet some of our business partners and discover what it is about the Yukon that the people who live here love so much.

After breakfast with Dewey at Kathy's - a cafeteria style restaurant with decent food, I saddled up and off I went.

The first stop was 20 minutes out side of Watson Lake at Nugget City...WOW
What a place! It is enormous - and sooooo clean!

The Northern Beaver Post - the Gift shop at Nugget City

Dewey standing beside my bike - it is ALWAYS good to see old friends!

The Restaurant - at one time Ride Yukon had a Motorcycle Friendly Program and Nugget City and many businesses here were a part of that program.

Linda and Scott gave me the tour of the place and I was so impressed. These people are only the second owners of Nugget City - they have expanded it over the last number of years and have added many cabins - some of them with jacuzzi and jet tubs, all with covered decks and boards for your bike's kickstand.

Clean, bright and well appointed rooms

 Jacuzzi Cabin - the perfect room after a long day in the saddle!

They even have camp style rooms for the rider on a budget - you can rent a room with no bathroom, TV or shower - there is a wash room and shower shack right across the alley way - so if all you want is to get off the ground from camping as a change of pace or get out of the weather - you can do that here easily!

Camping Rooms

Wash Shack with bath rooms and showers

The RV Park has both a dry camping area and  full service hook ups, a church on site and gas but one of the biggest features is their chef - man can this guy cook!

Church on the hill above the RV Park

The Dry RV area complete with was station

Some of the other amenities that they offer are a motorcycle trailer to rescue you with - they are in the process of overhauling their tow truck - they have a big shop and a mechanic - so some basic repairs to your motorcycle can be done should the need arise. They also have a great laundry facility.

The Work Shop

The Trailer for hauling your bike if the need arises

The laundry facilities

Linda and Scott have a ton of future plans for Nugget City that they are working on - the have a huge area that they are cleaning up to provide motorcycle camping and are working on becoming the U-Haul dealer for the region.

These people have worked so hard to make their dream come true. I asked Linda why the Yukon - what was it about this place that made them stay here and her answer was simple - the land and the connection they feel to it. Linda and Scott have a home in Summerland BC that they winter in. Linda told me that the Yukon is in her blood and that she can not imagine not being connected to this land.

Linda's parents had deep roots in the Yukon having been prospectors and although as she grew up she moved away - this land keeps tugging at her heart and making her come back.

If you find yourself anywhere near Watson Lake and want a great meal, a clean comfortable room no matter the budget - this is the place to stop!

Next stop - Rancheria for fuel and then Dawson Peaks Resort just outside of Teslin

Rancheria is an institution on this highway, old and shabby but warm and inviting all at the same time

Dawson Peaks Resort –
Teslin YT at Km 1232,
Mile 797 Alaska Highway

Owned by Riders Dave and Carolyn Hett – Dawson Peaks Resort is one of two properties that is owned by the same people who started the business on the Alcan (Alaska) Highway – many on this highway have trade hands, some several times over.

Carved out of a dream, Dave and Carolyn have built the most amazing resort and all of the cabins have lake views. The motel style rooms at the top of the hill also have a view of the lake. Dave is a carpenter and was a school teacher & principle – he built all of the cabins, the lodge and the motel style rooms. When they first started out to build this resort, they had raw land and a dream. Their cook house was a 14” x 32” canvas tent and is still part of the resort as it is housed in the gist shop; they cleared the land and built some cabins.

The Cabin

Inside the Cabin

The restaurant is Carolyn’s domain and my word is that woman a great cook. I had the chilli and bumble berry pie for lunch, all I can say is MMMMM Good! The prices were very affordable too – that is not always the case along the Alaska Highway.

Everywhere you look in the restaurant there are antiques of all kinds. It sure brought back some great childhood memories looking at the old commercial wood stove – my grand mother had one of these and I can still remember the smell of flap jacks and bread being made at the same time.  The camera collection was very cool as were the old irons – I remember ironing cloths with those!

The big deck off the restaurant affords you a fabulous mountain and lake view.

The place is peaceful – serene and utterly wonderful.

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Again I asked Dave and Carolyn, why the Yukon, the answer – “It’s in our souls, its part of our roots.” Carolyn’s great – great – great grand father is none other than Robert Campbell of the Hudson’s Bay – the man they named the Campbell highway for.

Dave has lived in Teslin for 38 years.

Dave and Carolyn have built a business – yes – but more than that, they built a lifestyle – they would rather have 5 really, really happy customers who enjoy what their resort has to offer than be the busiest resort on the highway. Their customers often tend to become their friends as a result of their customer service philosophy! And as a result – they are a very busy destination. As Dave said to me – “When money is not the driving reason that you do what you do – people know. We care for them, we want them to enjoy, relax, unwind and THAT is the most important part of what we do here – give people a place to unburden, unwind and find them selves again. It’s very gratifying and we have many repeat visitors as a result.”

The original cooking tent from the early days

As world travellers themselves – Dave and Carolyn have looked carefully at what other places in the world offer travellers and have taken the best ideas and philosophies and implemented many of them in the running of their lodge.

fishing in Teslin Lake

The fishing in Teslin Lake is amazing from what I am told

Tenting will run you $14/night

Cabins start at $104

$40 for the camping rooms – bring your own bedding

Motel rooms start at $74

RV sites start at $16 for the dry sites – with water and electricity $27

Rent a boat, a canoe, go on a river trip – this is truly a resort that offers so much for the visitor do – and if none of those appeal – just kick back and unwind and let the Yukon seep into your soul!

The resort is clean, and the owners are friendly and I recommend that you check this place out for yourself – I know I would love to spend some time away from computers and the world and just hang out here!

Dawson Peaks Resort and RV Park
KM 1232 Alaska Hwy. on Morley Bay
Teslin YT Y0A 1B0
Latitude: 60.168088
Longitude: -132.710132
PH: (867) 390-2244
Alternate Phone: (867) 390-2310
Toll Free: 1-866-402-2244

Email: info@dawsonpeaks.ca

Web Site: http://www.dawsonpeaks.ca/

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