Farsighted Fly Girl

There is no place on Earth like the Yukon. I had no idea what to expect when I visited this striking and unconventional region of Canada and that was probably a good thing because you just have to experience it. Descriptions and expectations just don't measure up. So when I sifted through the hundreds of photos I took of all of my out of this world experiences--glaciers! elk hearts! human toe cocktails! a real caveman!, it was hard to choose a singular image of how to sum up the Yukon. But this pic of a Yukon wedding does a great job of capturing the spirit of the place. This wasn't posed or set up, this is the real wedding party on a vintage fire engine, rolling through the dusty streets of Dawson City. It was actually the first of two wedding parties that I witnessed, the other was on a pickup truck. They waved and invited me to join the reception as they rolled off.  They didn't know who I was, I didn't know who they were but they didn't hesitate to invite me ...

 The TBEX travel blogger conference always delivers great information and experiences. I always learn a lot but this year, my favorite discovery had nothing to do with blogging ( I'll list those in my next post) but symbolized contemporary Canadian culture. I was enjoying myself at the TBEX Toronto opening party when a blogger friend alerted me to the delicacy pictured above. What is it? Well it seems, local chefs have taken classic Canadian ingredients and created something unforgettable. I'm familiar with the tradition of pouring fresh maple syrup onto snow after it's just been tapped from the tree. Canada has a lot of snow and a lot of maple syrup but I've never seen the two come together quite like this. The chef drizzled pure maple syrup on layers of snow. Then he speared a piece of local cheese (smoked Gouda, cheddar or blue cheese) and twirled the snow covered syrup around the cheese. I know, it sounds bizarre. I chose the Gouda and when I stu...