Our team landed in Dawson City shortly after 9 a.m. and it started off a day of truly regional activities that can be enjoyed by an international crowd, as proven on the flight here. There were people from several countries taking in the festivities during the holiday weekend.

From the tiny Dawson airport we went to Gold Bottom Mining Tours and met the Millar family. The third-generation mining operation has deep roots in the community and gives visitors the opportunity to get hands on while learning about gold mining.

As Justin, our tour guide, shows us the various equipment and outlines the gold mining process I can't help but hope I find some real gold... so I can retire.

As 20-year-old Justin holds up the largest gold nugget found at the family's operations, the visitors are even more motivated to slip into some rubber boots and go panning. Remember: finders keepers.

Confident I would find the most gold -- and be the first to fall in the shallow water -- the gold panning process proves to be harder than I thought. In fact, I was the last person to empty their pan and head up to the tented area for an analysis of my haul.