Michael's Meanderings: Always admirin' Atlin.

Ah, Atlin. You have been called the "Switzerland of the North". I think it would be more appropriate to call Switzerland the "Atlin of Europe", Atlin is just that great.

It's got stunningly stupefying views, hordes of history, gracious and grin-inducing inhabitants, and more than enough quirkiness sprinkled on top of that to keep me endlessly entertained.

I always enjoy my trips to Atlin.

A hint of Atlin's history.

Teresa Island, which has the distinction of having the second highest elevation of any fresh water island in the world (1,875m/6,153ft). Not that you can see the peak in this picture.

More history in the harbour.

Oh, Quirkiness, it seems like you're on every corner in Atlin!

Yup, I love visiting Atlin. I also enjoy the drive to and from the community. Minto Mountain is one of my favourite sights along the one.

The imposing Minto Mountain. Or at least part of it.

Oh, Minto Mountain, one day I will mount thee.

Atlin Lake has the esteemed distinction of being British Columbia's largest natural lake - even though part of the lake is in the Yukon. It has a surface area of 791km² (491.5 miles²), a known maximum depth of 289m (2,595 ft), and is over 100 km (62 miles) long when measured from tip-to-tip and, since you can't actually travel the lake in a straight line, is much longer than that. Is it any surprise then that I'm really, really, really looking forward to getting the sailboat onto Atlin Lake?

Great sailing when the ice is gone.

The mountain views on the drive in an out of Atlin are gorgeous. There is world-class hiking out there.

View from the road.

More Minto, because you can never have enough.

A dark shot on a warm and sunny day.

For the most part, the road is in great shape - although there are a few well-flagged permafrost heaves. I've often wondered what is was, specifically, that inspired this creek's (and lake's) name when the road was built in 1949.

TARFU Creek. You can look "tarfu" up if you dont't know what it means.

Maybe it got its name from something like this, which also inspired the old expression "It's all water ~~under~~ over the bridge".

Not familiar with Tarfu? Maybe you've heard of Snafu. This is the entrance to the Snafu Lake Campground. If you think these names are crazy, check out something even crazier.

Yup, it's a gorgeous drive. It only a takes a couple of hours between Atlin and Whitehorse, but it's worthwhile to take longer.