Hi, everyone

I had a great time at a bar last weekend. Surprisingly, it was with the presenters from the Yukon Young Authors Conference. I have to admit, since I was the only popular fiction author at the event, and since the other presenters were poets, playwrights and literary authors, I expected the conversation to take a turn for the sophisticated, perhaps even the pretentious.

Not at all. We had a great time sharing stories and swapping writing techniques.

The bar was in Haines Junction, a town of 450 people two hours west of Whitehorse and near the Alaska border. It sits at the edge of Kluane National Park–a magnificent wall of glacier choked mountains jutting into the sky. It’s home to Canada’s highest mountain, Mount Logan.

We had planned to go hiking, but the trail was slushy and muddy. After a quick discussion of the conditions, we adjourned to the Kluane Park Inn. The KPI is positively rich in ambiance and atmosphere. Okay, admittedly, some of the atmosphere was in the form of cigarette smoke. But the ladies room vestibule was lit with a pink light, and the men’s room was lit with blue. There was absolutely no danger of getting too drunk to read the sign and wandering into the wrong restroom.

What I liked the best was the wall décor–a moose, a caribou, a mountain goat and two musk ox. The people were friendly. The music was country. And our table wobbled until we fixed it with a discarded cigarette package. My hat is off to the poet in our crowd. Turns out he’s also a handyman.

We only had time for one drink. Then we adjourned to the convention center for dinner, readings, music and just about the friendliest, most hospitable people I have ever met.

If you’ve got time to click through, take a look at http://www.hainesjunctionyukon.com/ Click on Community then on the St. Elias Convention Center. Don’t forget to hit the image gallery.

This conference center is phenomenal for a town of 450. And the mountains outside are breathtaking. We were a week too early for the bakery, but I know it’s legendary in the north. If you get a chance, don’t miss it!

I’d like to send a big thank you to the town of Haines Junction for all their hospitality. I’ll go back there anytime!

Barbara