Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - Skagway

We spent the night at sea and the sea was just a touch roly poly.

We woke up in Skagway.  The tide was a bit low so our cabin was nearly level with the dock.  As I was taking in the view of the graffiti on the mountainside just across the dock I noticed that the window washer was approaching.  I guess Skagway, Alaska is as good a time as any to wash the exterior cabin windows on a cruise ship.

There is staff on this ship everywhere you look, spraying, wiping, mopping, and picking up dishes as soon as you put down your fork.  At the entrance to the ship as well as every bar or dining area there are dispensers of sanitizing liquid.  As you enter the buffet area there is also a person posted with a squirt bottle looking forward to giving you a squirt.  They smile and say, “Washy, washy.”  I haven’t met an employee on this ship who wasn’t smiling and very polite.

We enjoyed a nice breakfast and headed out to catch the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad with the other Smooth Oboes.  The train station is just off the pier so we didn’t have to walk far.  The procedure was the same checking off the ship and back on upon our return.  In Juneau Ken informed us that the difference between being a guest of Alaska and a resident was 5 minutes.  5 minutes late for your ship and there you are in Alaska.

The railroad has vintage cars with a potbellied stove in the front of each passenger car.  With the temperature in the low 50’s they had it lit and the car was a comfortable temperature.

The train roughly follows one of the paths of the goldmines' from the gold rush days in the 1898 - 1899.  The gold rush was over before the train route was completed but it was eventually completed and used initially by area mining companies.

This river like many rivers in this area of Alaska are runoff from the glaciers and has a milky pale mint green color due to the silt residue in the water.

      

Today's 40-mile trip to and from Skagway is limited to staff and tourists.  It travels briefly into the Yukon Territory to make a loop and then back down the mountains to Skagway with no stops.  It was an approximate 3,000-foot climb up the mountain.  In the pictures above you can see where the actual border between the two countries is located and the old border patrol office.  

In Skagway there was lush forest vegetation but as we climbed we got above the tree line and saw vast granite mountains.  We passed multiple waterfalls, crossed a couple of trestles and rode through two tunnels.  At the top it was quite flat and we passed alongside a four-mile long narrow lake that had a couple of kinds of fish in it but I don’t recall just what types they were.

The vistas were breathtaking.  At several sections the train traveled through forests and at other times we were beside shear drop-offs.  Although today was cloudy we had clear views down the valley to the harbor.

Unlike Juneau, it is possible to drive in and out of Skagway by driving through Canada. We could view the road while on the train looking across the valley.  This is the newer manned border crossing post.  Custom buildings are usually at the actual border but this was moved closer to Skagway and some distance inside the actual US border to be closer to a town.  

This is a picture of a wooden trestle that was originally part of the route.  A few years ago a new steel and wooden trestle was built and was in use today.

Allan, Dawn and Rick spent much of the ride outside on the deck between cars to get pictures.  They got somewhat chilled.

However for a good cause, I have no doubt that their pictures are much sharper and nicer than my phone pictures.

   

After returning to Skagway we wandered about town visiting the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the Christmas Shop, and a couple of tourist shops. 

We had lunch at the Skagway Brewing Company.  We had quite the view from our seats on the second floor.  The town is 7 blocks long and extends from the port up into the valley.

This logo on a T-shirt in the brewery is my favorite of the trip.

Don't get your hopes up. To my knowledge there were no t-shirt purchases.

While looking around in the shops I was able to find a postcard for my granddaughter, Maggie, and the shop also sold postcard stamps.  It was a lucky stop for me.  I got her a whale postcard.  We attempted twice late this summer to take her on a whale-watching trip out of Bar Harbor, ME.  The first time we were in town enjoying a picnic at Agamont Park on a beautiful 86-degree day when we were sent an email that the trip was cancelled for the day due to poor visibility and rough seas.  It was clear in the harbor and there was little wind.  It seems that 10-20 miles out it was a different story.  A few days later we returned.  It was overcast and in the 60’s.  We were on board for about 4 hours and didn’t see a whale.  We will try again next summer.  Guess we should start early in the summer so that we will have the entire summer to keep returning until we spot a whale or, maybe she just needs to get herself to Juneau!

Skagway is a very walkable little town but it was time yet again to return to the ship.

After dinner aboard the ship we attended a very entertaining musical show depicting the wives of King Henry the VIII.

It's time for bed and we are on our way to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.  

What?  Free room service!  I'll be dining in bed in the morning.
There have been a lot of firsts on this cruise and we can add room service to that list.