Skagway

We’re feeling like bears just coming out of hibernation and slowly getting ready to jump start our travels again.  I don’t know what got a hold of us, but it has been the lost week of our lives.  My friend Barbara dubbed it the AAWF (Alaskan A**-Whooping Flu)  “Right on!” as they say in Canada.

Got My Reflections

The lakes along the way have been just stunning, but I’ve been hoping for an opportunity to capture perfect reflections of the mountains.  So far that stillness is only early in the morning and I haven’t been inclined to get my butt up to take pictures at that hour.  The drive to Skayway was another beautiful day and I got my wish for reflections at Tagish Lake.

This one was my favorite.  Even some locals stopped to take pictures with their phone since they said the water is never this calm.

Lunch timed out right at the Carcross Desert.  An interesting mix of the typical snow-capped mountain views with northern sand dunes at the base.  Yukon boasts this as the smallest desert in the world.  It’s the work of the last glacial period when glacial lakes deposited silt, and lots of it.

Back Across the Border and Gear Down!

Back in the USA again and the border guard is all business.  Still only interested in alcohol and weapons, so no big deal for us.

We are loving seeing all the tippy tops of the mountains.  Cannot ask for better weather for this drive into Skagway.

The sub-alpine area is so interesting.  Stubby trees and lots of snow and rock.

Pat crosses the road and climbs up the hill to take the shot of Lucy, Bitsy, Jax and me.  Jackson is flatly refusing to get back in the RV at this point and Pat has to start the engine and threaten to drive away to get him back on board.  He’s a little travel weary at this point.

It’s a windy steep roll right down the mountain into Skagway.  The signs for truckers say to gear down!  And we do the same.  Pat doesn’t get to see much when the drive is like this since he’s focused on the road.

White Pass Railroad

When we were in Skagway on a cruise back in 2000, we didn’t ride the train.  It is touted as the thing to do when in town, so this time we made it our big outing.

Early on the in the ride we are able to look back at Skagway in the distance.  You can even see a few cruise ships in port.

It is all green and full of waterfalls until we get up to White Pass.  Tons of snow and a 150ft deep glacial lake is at the very top.  Also, quite the crack in the earth.  This ride took a bit longer than expected since we were chugging along on one and a half engines.  It was very stressful for quite a few cruise ship passengers who were supposed to be pulling out before we were due to get back into the station.  Fortunately they had safety in numbers and we had all the time in the world.

Different Than the Cruise Ship View

We opted to stay at the campground on the opposite end of town and not in the middle of the port.  It was a quieter spot in the middle of regular neighborhoods.  Jackson liked the walks and we saw some fun things along the way.

Get a load of Sleddie Van Halen!  Someone has a sense of humor.

Great garage door painted as the Alaskan State Flag.  Skagway is known for very high winds, especially in the Winter.  We found it to be windy for us, too.

We’re finding it fascinating how everything gets used and re-used here.  Building materials and everything else are at a premium we’re guessing.  Loved this example of the trailer room off the side of the house.

And a sign you don’t see everyday.  Fortunately no tsunami scares while we were there.

Finally, a look from our side of town on the left with the Skagway River and the tourist side of town on the right.

We also do a little shopping since I’m hot on the trail for a replacement bracelet.  I bought one here when we were on our cruise and I loved it, but lost it.  It was made of amber, jade and wooly mammoth fossils.  So far no luck finding that combo, but I’m hopeful at some point during this trip.  We also manage to have dinner again with our friends Cheryl & David who overlap with us at the campground.

At this point we’re so excited since we’ve booked all our worldly goods on the ferry to Haines.  Stay tuned for tales from the ferry and how we got ourselves into a little hot water….

See you on the way!