Skagway

After reluctantly leaving Takhini Hot Springs (and considering staying another night, but deciding not to)¸it was off to Skagway. That meant crossing the border into the US again, often a trying event, but this one wasn't too bad. But first things first.

It was a beautiful sunny day, some wispy clouds, but not many, and I had to drive through Whitehorse. My car was still feeling the effects of the Top of the World dust and Dawson City mud, and I remembered a really good car wash in Whitehorse. The man who washed my car the last time was there again, and again he washed my car.  I was amazed how the sunshine and a clean car raised my dragging spirits.  I was eager to see what lay ahead.

The  first pulloff was for the Robinson roadhouse on the rail line from Skagway to Whitehorse.  Built at the turn of the 20^th century, it was a ruin now, but a very picturesque ruin. And the sun was bright, and the flowers were blooming, so I spent a good 45 minutes walking around here and exploring the grounds, even if I couldn't enter the buildings. At least I could peek inside! If I were a painter, a painting of the log remains with fireweed beside the door would be my next subject.  Alas, I'm a quilter, and not an art quilter, but I may try to do something with this picture one day.

There were a lot of really pretty pull offs along the way, but this one, at Carcross and the head of Bennett Lake were  fun to see. This is where the stampeders (the gold seekers of 1898-99) ended up after climbing the Chilcoot trail with their 1000 pounds of goods (enough for a man for a year) and then building their boat to get them from the end of the trail to the top of the lake. I can't imagine what that must have been like.

But Skagway was the destination, and I made it there about 1 PM, just in time for lunch of halibut and coleslaw. The halibut was great, the coleslaw, not….Whoever heard of dousing coleslaw with poultry seasoning?  Second order of business, after lunch, was a haircut. After 6 weeks on the road, I was desperate, and the visitor information center had just what I needed – the name and phone number of a local hairdresser. The person at the center even called her, and she had time right then to take me.  Getting a haircut from a new hairdresser is always an iffy proposition, but I was really lucky, and got a really nice cut!

It seemed like a good way to get to hear a little about the town was with a walking tour with the National Park Service.  It was actually quite interesting to learn about the early history of Skagway and the Gold Rush from a ranger, especially one with a sense of humor like this one had. We heard about the con artist Soapy Smith and the shootout with  ?? Reid (both were killed), about one of the first saloons (now restored, with mannequins) and the earliest settlers (Captain Moore and his son Ben).

Sunday morning was the train ride to the summit of White Pass, the route that some of the stampeders took after it was built. It's a lovely ride, with beautiful scenery, but some wicked drop offs and narrow canyons that really get the heart beating.  What I found most interesting in the pictures is that when I took them through the glass, I got the reflection of some of my fellow passengers in the photo.  That was quite unexpected.

The summit of White Pass

In the afternoon, my destination was Dyea (prounounced DieYee), the original indigenous settlement in the area. This is the trailhead for the Chilcoot Trail to Bennett Lake. At one time about 8,000 people lived here, and there was a wharf a mile long to get to deep water. All that is gone now, and the town site is reclaimed forest. I had imagined short trees, kind of few and far between, but I was very wrong. The trees were tall and thick, and there was a trail winding through them (on which I got lost and had a heck of a time finding my way back to the car). But it was fun to see and imagine – something that I've been doing a lot! The road to get there was also a challenge. The guide books didn't describe the road at all, so I assumed a paved two lane road going through the forest and coming out near the water. Oh no; it was a gravel one lane road hugging the side of a cliff, part of which had been blasted out to make room for the road. It was winding, with lots of blind curves, and made driving – well, shall we say – interesting. Not a road I'd like to do every day of the week!

View to ocean from the road

That winding road...

Tomorrow it's back to Canada to Whitehorse (customs again…) to stock up for the next few days. I'm headed down the Cassair Highway to the little towns of Steward and Hyder, one in the US and one in Canada, on the coast of BC.  I've heard that bears congregate there for the salmon run, so I'm hoping to see some bears, and maybe eat some more salmon. Internet could be sketchy, so I'll post another blog when I can.  Till then, dream your own dreams!!