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What a location for a welcome sign!
The road to
Skagway, Alaska. |
After 2 long days of driving we finally settled into a nice campground in Whitehorse, Yukon and decided we needed a vacation. Therefore, it was on to Skagway; Haines; and Juneau, Alaska in our car without our rig. Yes these are towns in Alaska but, once again, they are not part of the main body of Alaska.
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| 3 photos on the road to Skagway, Alaska. |
I have run out of superlatives to describe the scenery which we are experiencing; it is absolutely incredible!!! The 2 hour drive from Whitehorse to Skagway took 5 hours as it was one jaw-dropping view after another with every twist and turn of the road.
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| This was an amazing drive. |
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| More photos on the road to Skagway, Alaska. |
Skagway is another beautiful town at the end of the Lynn Canal. Unfortunately, Skagway has been discovered by the cruise ship industry which swarms the town with thousands of tourists every day. This means that this cute little town's Main Street plays host to 25-30 jewelry stores and repetitive gift shops. That being said, Skagway is famous for being the main entry point in Alaska for the "Klondike Gold Rush" which began in 1897. Gold seekers unloaded here to begin their trek of over 500 miles to the goldfields in Dawson City, YT. Of the 100,000 gold-seekers who landed here, only 30,000 made it to Dawson City and less than 100 actually made any sizable profit from their endeavor. Therefore, this town is loaded with history and incredible stories.
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| Skagway, AK |
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Arctic Brotherhood Hall
Skagway, AK |
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The small boat harbor in
Skagway, AK. |
Next we took a whale watching ship to the capitol city of Alaska...Juneau. The 4 hour cruise to Juneau was loaded with scenery and wildlife. We saw several humpback whales; dall porpoise pods; seals; sea lions; eagles; glaciers; gushing waterfalls; and rugged, snow capped mountains.
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| All 4 photos were taken on our cruise on Lynn Canal. |
Juneau is completely land-locked so the only way to get here is with wings or flippers. I think it says a lot about how Alaskans feel about their politicians as they have located them in an area which is nowhere near the main part of the state and is inaccessible by road. Juneau is another port-of-call for cruisers, so yes--more jewelry stores and gift shops. One day we counted 6 massive cruise ships in the harbor.
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| Juneau, AK |
We departed from Juneau and headed to Haines in another whale watching boat. This journey was incredible as we saw 16 humpback whales; some very close-up. And at a point on the edge of the water we saw 50-80 bald eagles jammed into a small cluster of trees, either sitting on branches staring at the water or soaring over the treetops. We even saw one eagle sitting about 2 feet from a pregnant seal. We were told that the eagle could tell the mother was about to give birth and the eagle was waiting to see if he could snag the newborn for a meal.
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| Both photos were taken on our cruise on the Lynn Canal. |
Haines was a bit of relief as it is not a regular stop for the cruise lines. Like the other two towns, it was in a beautiful setting. Haines seems to the home of an incredible number of eagles and everywhere we looked we saw eagles just hanging out or soaring in the skies. The American Bald Eagle Foundation is here. This organization takes responsibility for protecting ill or injured raptors as well as public education. We visited the foundation and were able to see an eagle close-up.
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| Haines, AK |
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| Downtown Haines, AK |
Just to prove that nothing in Alaska is completely normal, Haines has a "hammer museum." Even though my father was a carpenter and I've used hammers a lot in my life, I could not bring myself to paying an admission fee to look at hammers. Maybe next time.
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The Hammer Museum
Haines, AK |
We are now only a 300-400 miles from the main part of Alaska. However, due to the fact that the Alaska Highway is constructed on tundra, the next several hundred miles will be really difficult as the road get real rough. I just hope that our rig survives!
CHEERS!
absolutely gorgeous! but it looks cold (Nancy has her winter coat on). just the little taste from your photos explains why people that return from an Alaska cruise say its the most beautiful cruise and they plan on returning. the vastness and some seemingly untouched nature is breathtaking. then there's the hammer museum which strikes me as very funny. enjoy and be safe on the tundra with the rig!
ReplyDeleteLove seeing those places again. Travel slow and safe!!
ReplyDelete