Skagway
Wake up around 6AM to watch the cruise ship docking in Skagway. Weather was cloudy and misty. Noticed a ferry docked next to us that was used to ferry cars, trucks, RV's etc. up and down the Alaskan coast. There must have been 30 cars, trucks and RV's waiting to board. Laundry special was today (a bag of laundry done for $20), so we stuffed the laundry bags and left them for the steward. Grabbed our breakfast at the Horizon Court and headed out for our excursion.
All the rocks on the hill next to the dock were covered with graffiti. In reality they were records of the cruise ships that had visited the port. The tour guide later told us that the employees of the cruise ship would skip out and paint the records on the rocks during their free time. Also next to the dock were train tracks. The White Pass and Yukon Railway pulls right up next to the boat to collect some passengers. It turns out our train was at the trainyard, so we had to take a bus to get there. The bus driver gave us a short tour of Skagway before dropping us off. Got onto the train and grabbed a left side seat. Note: With the exception of the cemetery that Soapy Smith is buried at at the beginning of the tour and the Carcross houses at the end of the tour, everything is on the left side. Luckily our train car wasn't crowded, so most people could shift back and forth.
The trip up to Lake Bennett was interestng. Two different guides gave us information on different areas and their importance during the gold rush of 1897-8. The scenery was terrific. We got high enough that we were going into the clouds. Then, once we got over the mountains, the clouds began to dissipate and blue sky became more prevalent. We stopped at Lake Bennett and had a lunch of stew, tea or coffee and apple pie. Then we were invited to take a walk with one of the train guides into what used to be the town of Lake Bennett. The only building remaining from 1898 is the church. The guide was very well versed and had read letters from the gold rush era (I found out later he was from Vermont and knew a couple of people that I had worked with). He kept the interest of the 20 of us who had joined him on the walk.
Back on the train and off to Carcross. By now, we were a little tired of being on the train, but still enjoyed the stories about the gold rush. We got off the train in Carcross and met our bus driver. Doreen and I snuck over to the General Store and had our passports stamped with the Yukon stamp and grabbed an ice cream cone from the store that had been transported across the lake from Lake Bennett to Carcross. The bus drive back to Skagway was uneventful, except for the bear walking across the road right in front of our bus. We only made two stops back. There were several times we wanted to stop but the driver could not because the bus was too big to find a parking lot. I'm told that the smaller buses (i.e. non-Princess) make more stops on the way back.
The driver gave us the option to be dropped off in town and we accepted. Did a little shopping (picked up our fourth charm for the Diamonds International charm bracelet) and then stopped in to the Red Onion Saloon for a drink and some nachos. Unfortunately, they had just completed their tour of the upstairs :) , but the pictures on the wall said it all. I found myself wondering which shops and restaurants in the town stay open during the off season.
Back to the ship by 6:00PM. Dinner at the Bordeaux room where we shared a table. We tried to catch the 8:30 comedian show but again it was too crowded and their was no later show. So, we went to the Explorer Lounge and had a drink and danced to the music of Evolution. Back to the room to sit on the balcony and then retire for the day.
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