8-27-07 Skagway

 I was really impressed with Juneau and didn't think it could be beat. Then we got to Skagway the next day and I was even more impressed! The port of Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and the tourist trade is a big part of the business of Skagway. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862. However, the population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with more than 900,000 visitors. In 1896, the Klondike gold rush started and Skagway was a stepping stone into the Yukon Territory.

 I was awestruck by the towering mountains.  Even on the 10th floor of the cruise ship, the mountains right next to the port towered over us.

 Looking down at some of the passengers waiting for their excursion.

 We did another expensive cruise ship sponsored tour in Skagway. This one was a 7 hour bus tour/White Pass Train tour that went up into the Yukon.  The first part of our tour was by bus.  Along the way we saw many amazing sights!---Such as this waterfall.

 looking back on the road and bridge.

 We rode past many lakes and rivers. The scenery was unbelievable beautiful!

 As soon as we would pass one amazing view, we were treated to another.

 And another!

 And another!

 Even a couple mountain goats.

 we finally reached Cariboo Crossing trading post where there was a bar b q lunch set up for us. The bar b q was ok, but the fried doughnuts were the best!  There was also a little museum there with lots of stuffed animals of the Yukon.

 Also in this trading post were activities such as dog sled rides (for a fee). I thought these were some pretty skinny looking sled dogs.

 After lunch, our tour bus took us a little further into the Yukon.

 Up to Emerald Lake.  The colors of this lake were stunning. I sure wouldn't mind having that log house to the right of the picture (at least during the summer months!)

 Another stop on our tour was Carcross. This was a short stop where we visited an icecream parlor and walked around the streets a bit.

 Loved this view of this church in Carcross.

 Then we continued on our way

 looking back on the sign to the entrance into the Yukon.

 a map of where we went----Skagway-Whitehourse and back

 Coming back down the Alaskan highway to Skagway we stopped at the train station for the White Pass Railroad (right by the border of the Yukon and British Columbia). This is from the parking lot there. We took the train back down to Skagway.

 Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow gauge railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. From sea level it climbs nearly 3000 feet in just 20 miles and features steep grades of up to 3.9%. Again the views were unbelievable!

 It made a stop along the way to pick up some hikers.

 Back in Skagway, we still had time to check out the town a bit. We saw there was a brewery there and went and tried their beer and spiced nut snacks. Both were excellent. We were able to catch the local bus there.

 On the way back, we stopped in town and shopped some of the gift shops. I even bought myself a set of tlingit indians matryoshka dolls.

 From town, we walked back to the ship.

 The mountains made the ships look small in comparison!

 While in Skagway, some locals had mentioned that it was suppose to be a perfect night for catching the northern lights. I had read that we weren't going far enough north to see them, so was excited about having the chance to witness them. So about midnight, we wandered through the deserted ship to the lido deck and watched and waited. There was also a total eclipse of the moon going on that night.

 About 1 am, we and about 3 other people were on the deck and watching the northern lights dance across the sky. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. It only lasted about 20 all too short minutes. The next night I had asked some of the ship employees if they'd ever seen them and they didn't even know what I was talking about.

 the photos don't do them justice!

As wonderful as I thought the day was, I wonder now if the jostling of the bus and train was bothering Dad.  shortly after the cruise we found out his cancer was advancing and had metastasized to his bladder.  I noticed he had really slowed down on his photo taking.  I figured something was going on, but didn't want to say anything.