We headed out of Skagway, back through Canadian customs and up the long steep grade over White Pass. Several times during the whole trip we have noticed varying amounts of smoke from the many fires in Canada and Alaska. Today we passed several distinct columns of smoke from nearby fires. It is reported that British Columbia currently has over 800 separate fires, and the Yukon and Alaska fires are also tops in the news. Near Teslin, Yukon, we stopped at the Teslin Inland Tlingit Heritage Center, where we were able to observe tribal ladies making a traditional hat from woven strips of cedar. The resultant hat looks quite oriental. This community has two moieties (tribal subdivisions), Raven and Wolf. Within each moiety are clans, such as frog, beaver, otter, eagle, etc. A person from one moiety must marry someone from the other, never from their own. All this was explained to us by a museum docent, who also told us of the method of distribution of wealth after a member's death. She remarked that she does not need a will, because everything about the funeral, burial and distribution of belongings is completely prescribed by tradition. The center has an excellent set of 5 totems in front, withe outer two (eagle and raven) representing air, the next inner two (frog andbeaver) representing water, and the center one (wolf) representing land.

We stopped briefly at the Continental Divide Lodge to pick up two of their famous huge cinnamon buns, which fueled us until our overnight stay at the RV park in Northern Beaver Post.

The first stop the following day was a hit with the ladies - Jade City. The jade here, from giant boulders to intricate jewelry, comes from the Princess Jade Mine 82 miles east. This is one of the largest jade deposits in the world. The store nicely offers a 10% discount, before applying a 12% tax! Then on through a mixture of paved and dirt/gravel roads to an excellent lunch stop at Mama Z's restaurant just before the next overnight stop at Dease Lake, Yukon.

As we plugged in to the park's electric outlet, the Cheetah's electrical management system objected, showing "no ground". I verified that with a separate tester, and noticed the campground owner standing nearby. I mentioned to him that my outlet had no ground, to which he immediately replied "Yes it does". I explained that I had confirmed it with two devices, and he said "Do I have to go all the way to the office, get my meter, and open the box, just to prove to you that there is no problem?". I acknowledged that this would be nice, and he grudgingly did that, immediately finding a disconnected ground wire. No comment or apology was tendered. My mood was much improved by an excellent potluck dinner that evening in the park.