Monday, June 30, 2008
Skagway and Juneau
[Be sure to click on the photos for larger versions.]
This installment covers Friday (June 27) through Sunday (June 29).
On Friday morning our group took the White Horse & Yukon sightseeing train to the summit of White Pass. This was the second route to the Yukon gold fields, the first being the Chilcoot Pass just to the west. Over 35,000 different men worked on the 2-year, 2-month construction of the railroad. From the train we had good views of snow covered mountains and the Skagway river. Unfortunately, with overcast and low clouds, we did not get any real good photos.
After returning to the campground, I spent much of the afternoon updating my journal and blog.
This evening, Carol and I went to the Red Onion Saloon for dinner then had ice cream at a local parlor. We then with a large group to the Days of 98 show. The evening began with 45 minutes of mock gambling with the actors. The show itself started with the recitation of some Robert Service poetry, followed by a play that told the story of Soapy Smith, the local con man who was shot dead in 1899.
It rained hard on Friday night, and Saturday was windy – the weather forecast says winds of 30 to 40 mph with higher gusts. Today was a free day. Carol and I started late this morning with a little shopping for T-shirts and sweatshirts. We walked the main streets it town and ate lunch at the Red Onion.
After lunch, we went to the National Park Visitor Center where we saw a movie about the stampede of 1898-1900 and watched a short ranger presentation on the two trails to Dawson City – the Chilcoot Pass and the White Pass (also known as Dead Horse Trail because of the large number of horses who perished during the winter of 1898.)
We then returned to the Red Onion for a tour of the upstairs brothel which was in operation for about 2 years during the height of the stampede.
We visited the local cemetery where Soapy Smith and his killer, Frank Reid, are buried. The latter’s headstone says “He gave his life for the honor of Skagway.” One of the women of the evening had a headstone, now gone, which said “She gave her honor for the life of Skagway.”
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We also drove about 10 miles around the fjords to the location of Dyea, the town that served as the jumping off point for the Chilcoot Trail.
On Sunday, our caravan members took the Fjord Express – an enclosed catamaran – on a 3-1/2 hour (each way) trip to Juneau. Along the way we saw a number of eagles (enlarge the first photo to see two eagles side by side in the tree), a colony of sea lions, dolphins (including a pod that swam between the two hulls of the boat), and several distant humpback whales.
The last part of the trip was a 30 minute bus ride from the boat landing to downtown Juneau where we had about 3 hours to explore. Carol and I had lunch on the waterfront and watched float planes landing and docking next to the restaurant. After lunch, we visited the Alaska State Museum. The museum had a nice exhibit containing ravens; a section of Alaska history; and an exhibit on Russians in Alaska.
The bus then took us on a brief city tour followed by a visit to Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau’s main industry is government, followed in order by tourism, commercial fishing, mining, and timber. We got some good photos of the glacier and a large nearby waterfall. Several in our group also saw a black bear near the visitor center at the glacier.
Today was the first day of a two day salmon season in the Lynn Canal between Juneau and Skagway. We saw a fishing boat pulling in its 1200-foot gill net and retrieving salmon. Other sights on the return trip were the lighthouse on Eldred Rock, passing cruise ships leaving Skagway, and more distant humpback whales.
This installment covers Friday (June 27) through Sunday (June 29).
On Friday morning our group took the White Horse & Yukon sightseeing train to the summit of White Pass. This was the second route to the Yukon gold fields, the first being the Chilcoot Pass just to the west. Over 35,000 different men worked on the 2-year, 2-month construction of the railroad. From the train we had good views of snow covered mountains and the Skagway river. Unfortunately, with overcast and low clouds, we did not get any real good photos.
After returning to the campground, I spent much of the afternoon updating my journal and blog.
This evening, Carol and I went to the Red Onion Saloon for dinner then had ice cream at a local parlor. We then with a large group to the Days of 98 show. The evening began with 45 minutes of mock gambling with the actors. The show itself started with the recitation of some Robert Service poetry, followed by a play that told the story of Soapy Smith, the local con man who was shot dead in 1899.
It rained hard on Friday night, and Saturday was windy – the weather forecast says winds of 30 to 40 mph with higher gusts. Today was a free day. Carol and I started late this morning with a little shopping for T-shirts and sweatshirts. We walked the main streets it town and ate lunch at the Red Onion.
After lunch, we went to the National Park Visitor Center where we saw a movie about the stampede of 1898-1900 and watched a short ranger presentation on the two trails to Dawson City – the Chilcoot Pass and the White Pass (also known as Dead Horse Trail because of the large number of horses who perished during the winter of 1898.)
We then returned to the Red Onion for a tour of the upstairs brothel which was in operation for about 2 years during the height of the stampede.
We visited the local cemetery where Soapy Smith and his killer, Frank Reid, are buried. The latter’s headstone says “He gave his life for the honor of Skagway.” One of the women of the evening had a headstone, now gone, which said “She gave her honor for the life of Skagway.”
[
We also drove about 10 miles around the fjords to the location of Dyea, the town that served as the jumping off point for the Chilcoot Trail.
On Sunday, our caravan members took the Fjord Express – an enclosed catamaran – on a 3-1/2 hour (each way) trip to Juneau. Along the way we saw a number of eagles (enlarge the first photo to see two eagles side by side in the tree), a colony of sea lions, dolphins (including a pod that swam between the two hulls of the boat), and several distant humpback whales.
The last part of the trip was a 30 minute bus ride from the boat landing to downtown Juneau where we had about 3 hours to explore. Carol and I had lunch on the waterfront and watched float planes landing and docking next to the restaurant. After lunch, we visited the Alaska State Museum. The museum had a nice exhibit containing ravens; a section of Alaska history; and an exhibit on Russians in Alaska.
The bus then took us on a brief city tour followed by a visit to Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau’s main industry is government, followed in order by tourism, commercial fishing, mining, and timber. We got some good photos of the glacier and a large nearby waterfall. Several in our group also saw a black bear near the visitor center at the glacier.
Today was the first day of a two day salmon season in the Lynn Canal between Juneau and Skagway. We saw a fishing boat pulling in its 1200-foot gill net and retrieving salmon. Other sights on the return trip were the lighthouse on Eldred Rock, passing cruise ships leaving Skagway, and more distant humpback whales.
