Chuck:
After two days in Caribou RV Park, we are back on our way north. Ten miles later we are parked in front of “Kanoe People Outfitters” in Whitehorse. We have arranged for Bruce from “Glass Magnum” to meet us there to repair some cracks in the windshields of both the RV and the CRV; three long cracks, one short one and several “dings” that could develop into cracks. Meanwhile, I step into Kanoe People to renew my acquaintance with Scott the owner. Scott helped my canoe partner, Bill Quayle, & I get started down the Yukon River, ten years ago. It was good to chat with him again. Ok, visiting done, glass repaired, we are on the road by mid-afternoon. About 7pm we start looking for a likely place to dry camp. As we are entering the little town of Haines Junction, we see a large new parking lot by a large new building, a cultural center. The staff was closing as I asked if we could stay overnight in their lot. Kim said they would make an exception for us, if we promised to visit the Cultural Center the next morning. Great!
Later in the parking lot we met Artes & Jorge, an energetic young Spanish couple. They are on a Canadian “Work Visa” for a year and have the summer off to travel. They are car camping out of a Subaru Outback (I think) and Artes had just cooked their supper. We invited them to join us after-dinner for wine or beer. Great folks, they are loving the great outdoors of the North. Hiking, climbing, skiing, exploring; and all on a very tight budget. We swapped lotsa stories. Our conversations about the economic conditions in Europe, especially Spain were most informative. Bren is a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University majoring in economics and got really involved discussing conditions in Europe. Very brief recap: Due to current economy and lack of employment opportunities, young college educated professionals are leaving their home countries (esp. Spain, Italy & Greece) and going to countries that need their skills and that will legally accept them: South American countries are most promising, Canada and US are desirable but their poor job market for young grads and the red tape of their immigration procedures makes them very difficult for permanent relocation. As they departed for the evening, Artes gave us a Spanish omelet that she had made.