Skagway (Continued From Previous Post)
Malaspina To Skagway Via The Inside Passage
We now pick up as we leave Juneau for Skagway. The ferry time of 7am translate to a 5am check in. It was a warm and sunny day for the 6.5 hours trip.
Inside Passage
Inside Passage
Inside Passage – Hazy View
Inside Passage – Note the Glacier
Coming Into Skagway
The views on the way are breath taking.
Overlooking Skagway From Road to Dyea
Skagway sits in a valley and was the natural seaport for the gold miners to start their 1,500 mile land journey to the Klondike Gold Fields. Today it is the stopping off point for tour ships up to 30,000 folks on the street on any one day…today being one of those days. Back in 1898 there were over 80 saloons in town and today there are over 80 jewelry stores…
Skagway Main Street Looking South
Skagway Main Street Looking North
Across The Tracks
The history of Skagway is being told today by the National Park Service. The NPS theme for Skagway is similar to that of Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. The NPS has a strong presence here and has bought up part of the town to tell the story much the same as in Dawson City with the Yukon Government’s role. The two cities history link is the gold rush. Dawson City is the home for the Klondike gold and Skagway was the port of entry. In 1898 30,000 people with Gold Fever passed through the town on their way to Dawson City.
Skagway Color
Skagway Color
Skagway Buildings Are Over 100 Years Old
Skagway Is The Land Of The Tourist
There has never been a major fire here so many of the buildings date back to founding days. They are tastefully restored and now house shops for the very large tourist trade. There are over 850,000 visitors each year by tour boat and only 15,000 visitors by ferry or land.
Frank Reid – Town Hero Who Shot Jeff (Soapy) Smith
Soapy Smith – The Original Town Con Artist – See The Play When You Are In Town!
Where Dawson City was very safe and well protected by the Canadian Mounties Skagway was wide open. The original “bad guy” was Jeff (Soapy) Smith. A man named Frank Reid took him out in a shoot out becoming the town hero in 1898. Of course we had to visit the graves in the Miner’s Cemetery like everyone else.
White Pass – Steam Engine Tour
The railroad played an important part in the history for Skagway. It is now a tour attraction. Back in May we signed up for the White Pass Meadows Steam Engine Tour. Highly recommend this trip…however if you are on a ship tour you get the better seats.
Looking Forward From The Platform
Looking Back From The Platform
You Can Reach Out and Touch the Cliff
Keeping An Eye On The Tracks
Standing on the Platform…Camera In Hand!
Another View From the Platform
Inspiration Point!
inspiration Point View
Passing the Old Tressle – Photo Opt!
Near The Moonscape Area
Near the Meadows Area
Glacier Stream Along The Tracks
Small Stream Along The Tracks
White Pass Summit
Near White Pass
Border Crossing
Entertainment for the Photographers – Letting Off Steam!
The photos tell the story of the journey to the Meadows and back again.
Plenty of White Pass Rail History To Be Found In Skagway
Would You Believe This Snow Blower Was Built in 1898
There is plenty of train history here. There are lots of places to hear the story.
Other Tour Options – More Modern Locomotives
Other train tour options are by the newer locomotives…
Letting Off Steam
However I still like the old steam engines…
Taiya Inlet Near Dyea – Foot of the Chilkoot Trail – From Here The Miners Took The Water Route
Dyea Town Site Harbor – 1898 This Was Open Water
Dyea Town Site – Now A Part of History
We did a side trip to Dyea, a town that no longer exists…a tour is provided by NPS. It was competing for the miner’s dollars with Skagway and played an interesting role in how Skagway developed. It is also the trail head for the infamous Chilkoot Trail used by the hordes of miners heading north. Today it is a popular three to five day hike. The views getting to Dyea were good and driving the one lane road along the cliffs kept your interest.
Summer’s End? The Fireweed has Gone to Seed!
Is summer over? The Fireweed is done and is going to seed. This may be a sign to find a route and start heading south. Sadly tomorrow we are off to Whitehorse, YT and yes we will be leaving Alaska. The only way out of here by land is back north to the Alaskan Highway. The plan is to spend another month in Canada with the ultimate goal to experience the Canadian Rockies National Parks (Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay). We will be traveling south on the Cassiar Highway which will be another adventure all by itself. Plus there will be several side trips along the way. For those of you following the blog there will not be many more glacier pictures but you can expect more photos of the Canadian mountains.
The next post will be from Jasper in a couple of weeks.
God Bless,
Larry and Jan
Hi larry and jan! Do you remember meeting me in Sitka’s Russian bishops house? I was the mad teacher who entertained you (as well as the parks staff) with tales about school and pumped you with questions about driving the Yukon.
Well I had a fabulous time driving the akaska hwy, top of the world hwy (bit hairy before the border, doesn’t help I’m on the wrong side if the road) Klondike and even a bit of the dempster where I loved Tombstone national park. (Chilly camping in minus 1 tho) I spend two weeks on the road camping, motels, random cabin sheds in the forest etc.
A real gem of a place was atlin in b.c which they class as Yukon due to its access. Beautiful spot.
Didn’t see the northern lights and weather was iffy but I loved the Yukon, never seen so much space in my life! They are right when they say ‘north of ordinary’ and ‘larger than life’ aren’t they?
I sent you’d blog to my family to show them the sorts if places I was in, my photos look like yours too! Weren’t we lucky with the weather in Alaska? I liked Juneau and Skagway where I did an amazing scenic flight over glacier bay, wow!
So where are you now? I hope you are still living the dream? I met lots of rv-ers doing the same, good on ya! I am off home soon and back to school, joy.
Take care let me know how you’re going
Anna
Anna,
It was so cool to hear from you. It is great that you are enjoying the time on the road. You are having a great adventure. Jan and I enjoyed our time in Dawson City as well as the trip up the Dempster to Tombstone. Lots of great shots there as you may have seen on the blog.
After Sitka we had a good trip back to Juneau and then Skagway. We did the train trip there which was outstanding. We headed back to the Alcan and then South on the Cassiar Highway. That is great by the way. Long story made very short, I was blindsided with a blood clot in my leg. Being in fairly good shape there is no good reason for the problem. It was life threating for a few days. Finally got back so I could drive so we headed back to Michigan. We got here last Friday. This week the medical folks will pick up the ball and find out what is going on. We are bummed as we still had plans for another three or four weeks.
I will be posting the last leg of the trip in the next couple of day so check it out.
Do stay in contact. It would be fun to share travel stories.
Hope you had a safe journey back home.
More later,
Larry Snyder
LLSJKS@GMAIL.COM
Blog: http://www.larry-jan-tvc.net