RubiKon: Yukon Quest '09

Concluding Thoughts

It is time to go back to work and thoughts of the Yukon are still on our minds. The country, the wonderful people and all the treasures we saw and experienced are unm-matched in all of our travels.

“Rational or not, raw, untamed wilderness is a vital part of each one of us . There is a sub conscience connection with the world around us. When this wilderness is tarnished, we feel it on so many levels; from the air we breathe, to the water we drink and the emptiness we feel in our souls. Somehow we feel that a sin has been committed, but we can’t place our hands on it. There is little left. This century will tell us how much of ourselves we are willing to destroy. We all know and feel it.”
- Moose Lee -- July, 2007

Many thanks to our new friends:
Barbara and Linda (River Gals from St. Louis), Vic , Sage, Shawn, Markus, Dick & Sandy, Numerous 1st Nations People.
All the people we met were absolutely wonderful, friendly and helpful in our travels. We hope to meet them again.

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Some links of interest:
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If you plan to ever paddle any of the rivers in the Yukon, "Kanoe People" is a good place to start, rent, buy gear and get some great advice:
http://www.kanoepeople.com/

See the movie Being Caribou and read more about husband-and-wife team Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison and their fantastic journeys.
http://www.beingcaribou.com/

Good homegrown music.. you can't miss Kim Beggs and her genuine heartfelt ballads.
http://kimbeggs.com/home.html

Like traditional native music with modern arrangements. Look no further. Jerry "Keeper of the Songs" Alfred is a member of the Selkirk First Nation of the Northern Tutchone. He lives in Pelly Crossing, a village in central Yukon. Jerry Alfred and his group "The Medicene Beat" provided very inspirational music and songs. A great backdrop for our travels.
http://nativedrums.ca/index.php/Showcase/Jerry_Alfred?tp=a&bg=1&ln=e
Also try:
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/FortSelkirk/english/content/prologue-alfred.html

Visiting Bowron Lakes? Visit Dick & Sandy (Bear River Mecantile)
http://bearriver.bizland.com/
or Becker's Lodge http://www.beckerslodge.ca/

We'd like to thank everyone for joining us on our journey and all the support. Special thanks to Lori, mother and dearest wife of the RubiKon Team.

If you ever need a low cost, reliable, Adventure vehicle that gets great gas mileage, we can highly recommend these Toyota V6 micro-mini motorhomes. We have had a great time traveling in our "RubiKon" Warrior. No problems whatsoever. We averaged 14-17 mpg and hit 18 and 19 mpgs a couple of times (Unbelievable, but true!). She took us over 8,000 miles there and back; up beyond the Arctic circle (1300 miles of gravel roads). Unfortunately, these great litle campers were discontinued 14 years ago as Toyota discountinued offering the 1 Ton chassis for sale.

Stay tuned for more tales and pictures of our adventures on our forthcoming Website: http://www.rubikonadventures.com/

Lone Paddler - Sunset Bowron Lakes