Sea Kings and Buffaloes and Skyhawks! Oh, my!

Wow!  Am I ever behind on my blog entries!  Today I saw Canada's equivalent to "Air Force One", which reminded me that I was overdue for this blog entry.

About a month ago, the Royal Canadian Air Force did air shows in a number of northern communities, with Whitehorse being one of those communities.

We rode bikes down to the airport, which was a good call because the whole city (and then some) turned out to see the show.  It was the first time I've ever seen an honest-to-goodness traffic jam in Whitehorse.


There were Buffalo search-and-rescue aircraft...


... and there was a Griffon...

... and one of the fire trucks...


... which was shepherding a little yellow plane that had lost its way...

... and a few Hercules aircraft...

... one of which took to the air...

... and flew higher and higher and higher...

... and dropped a bunch of these guys out.  They're the Skyhawks Parachute Team.  And if two guys getting in each others' parachute rigging doesn't impress you...


... maybe two guys with chutes open free-falling straight to the ground will.  And if two guys with chutes open free-falling straight to the ground don't impress you...


... maybe three guys connected to each other flying a giant Canadian flag will.  And if three guys connected to each other flying a giant Canadian flag doesn't impress you...


... maybe three smoking guys disconnecting from each other just before they hit the ground will.


When the Hercules got back, it was time for the next feature of the show.


The Snowbirds!


The pilots did a little bit of prep work...


... and the ground crew waited to usher them onto the tarmac...


... where the Snowbirds lined up on the runway in groups of three...


... and took to the air!


If the pictures aren't enough, here's a little video for your viewing pleasure.



I think the girls enjoyed it.  I know I did.

Kids Climb!

We had some beautiful weather this weekend.  Instead of taking out the sailboat, though. I did some yard work, ran some errands, and took the girls rock climbing.

And I have absolutely no pictures to show you from their first climb of the season!

We went to one of our local climbing areas and set up the rope for a climb that I thought the girls might be able to handle.  I think I underestimated their abilities, though.  They both scrambled right up to the top, with absolutely no fear of heights - until they had to come down.

For some reason, they didn't want to sit down in their harnesses and walk down the wall.  They both said they just wanted to stay at the top, clinging to the rock.  Fortunately, with a big of coaxing, encouragement, and instruction, they started to get the hang of rappelling down an uneven rock face.

Fawn had a quick climb and then I moved the rope to another rock face; one I hadn't tried before.  I now have a new favourite local climb.  There's enough variety on the climb that it's interesting, and enough variety that I can make it as easy or as hard as I want.

I'd like to find some more kid-friendly climbs, though.  Does anyone out there have any suggestions for kid-friendly climbs in the Whitehorse region?

The City of Whitehorse. Branded.

To All Whitehorse Residents:

I have to give credit to the City of Whitehorse.  They were told that they needed to develop new branding for the city and they've embarked on that process.

It's hard to capture the essence of a city like Whitehorse through a brand, especially when it isn't clear what the branding is supposed to achieve.  Is it a rallying cry for city employees?  A badge of pride for current residents?  An enticement for potential residents as a place to live?  An enticement for investors as a place to invest and do business?

While the debate rages about the proposed logo, I'd like to focus in on the City's tag-line - something that ultimately affects the visual branding that the city uses.

The City of Whitehorse is often referred to as "The Wilderness City".  Perhaps a great tag line at first blush, but who does it really appeal to beyond locals and tourists?  The idea of living in a wilderness city is appealing to many, but I could think of a dozen other cities that could make similar claims.   It also implies that Whitehorse is all "bush" - that we are lacking in amenities.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Why would we downplay the incredible services that we have?

The city has also used "Striving for Excellence".  It's a great internal mission and could be considered a call to action for city residents - but what does it imply to people from elsewhere?  That we're below par?  That's we're not good enough to be considered "excellent"? That's not a good message for potential residents and investors.  We're not below par, so why would we imply that?

The Ontario firm that was hired to develop the new brand has proposed "Above all Expectations".  Ooh, clever.  It plays up the whole "We're north of 60 so we're above most other places" thing.   It taps into that whole north vs. south thing that tickles the pleasure centres of people from Outside.  And it's true that anyone who has visited Whitehorse will say that the city exceeded their expectations.  But for anyone who has never been to Whitehorse, the tag line is... well... generic.  Bland.  Without any real substance.  It just doesn't mean much.  "Above all Expectations" falls far below my expectations.

So, how does one capture the great lifestyle we enjoy, the tremendous business and investment opportunities that are available, and the joys of having a wilderness playground at our doorstep? I'd like to propose a fourth option for the city's new tag-line - one that I believe will appeal to residents, prospective residents, tourists, and investors alike.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration, my proposed tag-line is...

"Wild Opportunities"

Talk a walk through history.

This photo was poached from the YHMA website.  I hope they don't mind.

If you visit downtown Whitehorse in the summer, you might see somebody dressed in old-fashioned clothes being followed by a flock of people (locals and tourists alike), Pied Piper-style. If you do see this, you have just spotted the Yukon Historical and Museums Association's summer historical walking tour.

But walking tours? That's so... old-fashioned!

That's OK, though, because the YHMA is hip.  They're with it.  They've got walking tour podcasts!

And they're good.  Like, really good.  So I just had to spread the word.  Because of how good they are.

So, if you're visiting downtown Whitehorse at any time of the year, download the YHMA's audio walking tours and enjoy!

It's all in the numbers.

I saw it on my friend, Yukon Dame's tweet:

Whitehorse Foodbank 500 Club - $20/month x 500 members equals sustainable revenues - helping hungry people... Merry Christmas everyone!

Oh my goodness. Could it be so simple? I phoned my friend, Stephen, at the Food Bank Society of Whitehorse to find out more. He informed me that, if 500 people donate $20/month then the Food Bank will be sustainable. They call it the "500 Club". The club already has just over 200 donors.

The Food Bank gives out over 450 food hampers every month. They give the hampers to people who are trying their best to get by but really, genuinely, need that help. They give the hampers to people who have to choose between feeding themselves and their children or paying their rent. They give them out to people who are dealing with issues of addiction and mental health who could really use a decent meal from time-to-time.

When you think about it, $240/year really isn't that much.  Not that much at all.

If you'd like to join the 500 Club, please call Stephen at (867) 393-2265.

YWY to YXY (2 of 2)

The flight from Whitehorse to Wrigley was great, but the flight back was phenomenal. We flew somewhat eastward of our original route to avoid the weather. We were flying deep in Nahanni country.

Of course, the pictures that I "snapped on the fly" cannot come remotely close to doing the scenery justice. I want to go back there and explore the country by foot so badly.

Take a look and you'll see why.




























































It was a great flight back to Whitehorse. When we got back over the city, everything looked like it was part of a model.





We had flown over so much country it was hard to believe that we had left just that morning.

I've done a fair bit of flying, but I have NEVER seen country like that before.

I am a lucky guy.