SKAGWAY

Monday, June 24 - Yukon Gold

We had reserved a van tour into the Yukon with Dyea Dave in Skagway. It was another gorgeous day, warm and sunny - perfect for a road trip.

Radiance and Rhapsody were at the Railroad docks (farthest south), and here is a photo of HAL Amsterdam and Silversea Silver Shadow at the Ferry and Broadway docks, closer to town:

We met Dave (easily recognizable because of his top hat) outside of security, and he directed us to where the vans were parked waiting for everyone who had signed up for the tours today. He had two tours going out, and we were with four other couples, in a comfortable shuttle van. Our guide was Janeen. She was great, a self-described vagabond with a refreshing sense of humor. We had a good group, including an exceedingly cute honeymooning couple whom the rest of us did our best not to disillusion. We gave them some good-natured ribbing, too, of course. They handled it with aplomb.

As much as I try to avoid generalizing groups of people, we noticed some commonalities among many of the Alaskans we met on this trip. Pragmatic and unpretentious, and most with a dry sense of humor that appeals to us. Who knows if the reality of living there makes people that way, or if they choose to live in Alaska because of the type of people they already are. Either way, we enjoyed learning everything we could about life in the Last Frontier.

As we left the dock parking area, we passed the burned shell of the Skagway Fish Company restaurant, which had burned earlier this spring. Janeen told us they had determined that it was arson, but that no one had been charged. As you can imagine in a small town like Skagway, she told us that theories are plentiful.

As we drove through town, we asked Janeen where the summer workers - tour guides and other seasonal types - lived. She said, "Anywhere they can." She even showed us the tiny house (more of a big box!) she was renting. She said it had everything she needed, but was so small she had to "step outside to change her mind."

Our first stop was the gold rush cemetery, from where it is a short climb to Reid Falls.

View from the cemetery parking area, with the White Pass and Yukon Railroad morning train headed our way.

We headed out of town to an overlook providing a nice view of the port. Janeen was great about stopping often for the wonderful views, and she did her best (mostly successfully) to avoid the large tour buses which are everywhere.

It was just one beautiful vista after another, and Janeen included informative commentary along the way. The history is fascinating -- the thousands of Stampeders trying to cash in on the gold rush, required to carry 2000 pounds of supplies up the White Pass or Chilkoot Trails to gain permission to enter the Yukon; the criminal element in Skagway led by Soapy Smith, and much more.

Train track across the valley:

 The one-sided suspension bridge, constructed on a geologic fault:

Next came one of the coolest encounters of the trip. Janeen spotted a bear up on a rocky rise to the left of the road. We passed the spot without seeing the bear, but Janeen wasn't going to give up that easily. At this point we were very glad we were in a small shuttle van instead of one of the big tour buses. We turned around, went about a half mile, still with no sight of the bear. Then Bruce spotted her back just behind us, so we turned BACK around, and it turns out she was not alone. The momma bear and two cubs came ambling down the hill and crossed the road right in front of us, then ate some dandelions and posed right beside our van! An awesome experience!

After they ambled off into the bushes, we marveled at our good fortune and headed farther up the Yukon Highway for some even more beautiful views. 

Passports are required for this tour, but neither border crossing was a big deal. On the way into Canada, the officer came on board, asked us all to hold our passports up in the air, and then said we were good to go. Returning to the US, the officer in the booth asked Janeen a few questions, and we were sent on our way. By that time we had gone through the usual "excursion bonding" process, so we joked with Janeen about not declaring those elicit cinnamon rolls from the Chilkoot bakery she had stashed in the cubby above her head.

We did a quick stop in Carcross for a restroom break, then drove up to Emerald Lake before returning to Carcross for lunch. Photos cannot do Emerald Lake justice, it is so stunning in person. Janeen told us the natives say it is where the Northern Lights reside for the summer, and it is clear they are right.

Just wow.

We drove the short distance back to Carcross to have lunch at the Chilkoot Bakery. Well, we weren't forced to eat there or anything, but it was so good we were very happy Janeen steered us there. It was not overly expensive, and the food was all homemade. I had cabbage and ham soup and an egg salad sandwich (on delicious fresh baked bread), and Bruce had corn chowder and a roast beef sandwich. Of course we had to split a dessert - fresh apple crumble. The weather was so nice we ate out on the patio and marveled at the day so far.

We had time to explore Carcross after we ate. It's a small town, with a few gift shops and a train station. There is also the "best beach in the Yukon", on Bennett Lake. It was so unseasonably warm that people were swimming all along the beach.

Visitors can stamp their passports here:

This was supposed to be a refurbished steamboat as a museum, but it was burned several years ago:

We stayed in Carcross just over an hour, then we left to head back to Skagway. Some more beautiful views from the other direction:

We stopped at the train station in Fraser because our newlywed couple had bought train tickets for the return trip. Dyea Dave is fine with that, you just have to purchase your train tickets on your own and let them know.

We asked Janeen to drop us off in town so we could do a little shopping. She had advised us which shops were locally owned, and we found some beautiful art glass necklaces, one for me and one for our daughter, who was watching the dog at home.

<RANT ON> I love Royal Caribbean, but the port shopping "scam" gets under my skin. Janeen confirmed that almost all the jewelry shops in Skagway are owned and staffed by the cruiseline. So yes, that is why the "port shopping talks" encourage passengers to use those stores. C'mon, you have our money for the cruise, and we are happy to tip and to purchase items on board. Why can't you just let the locals earn our money on shore? <RANT OFF>

We stopped at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitors Center, which is housed in the refurbished old train station (the reddish building at the top of the next pic). There are some interesting exhibits, and a short but informative movie about the gold rush.

We briefly considered doing one of the day hikes in the area, but we had had a full day already, so we chose to head back to the ship. It could be we were also influenced by Janeen's response to someone's question about where to find the best food in Skagway: "Your ship."

When a ship first docks at Skagway, the crew paints the ship logo on the cliff adjacent to the docks. Supposedly the higher the logo, the more admired that ship's captain is.

We could not believe the weather we had been blessed with so far. We had planned for cool and overcast and drizzly at best, so to have warm sunshine was beyond our wildest expectations. It was another amazing day.

LINKS INCLUDED ON THIS PAGE

Dyea Dave Tours
Gold Rush Cemetery
White Pass and Yukon Railroad
Chilkoot Bakery
Day Hikes from Skagway
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitors Center