Skagway

Thursday, July 18th landed us in Skagway, Alaska for the day.  This tiny borough has less than one thousand residents and the only way in and out is by boat.  It is located about 90 miles northwest of Juneau.  The Klondike gold rush put this place on the map and with prospectors flooding in around 1898, the population of about 8,00 was the largest in Alaska.  Now Skagway is a small sleepy town surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery on this itinerary.  I have to admit that I was disappointed when the first thing we saw when departing from the ship were mountain walls defaced with painted advertisements.  But after that, I was truly in awe of the natural beauty of the area.

The architecture was almost as charming as it's surroundings.

I especially love the "Arctic Brotherhood Hall" with a facade fashioned in 1899 completely out of 8,800 pieces of driftwood.

  

A river rafting experience was the perfect activity for this area.  Unfortunately, because the rafts only had room for ten people, Jim and Shauna ended up with another group.  The float was enjoyable, and we only wished that it had lasted a lot longer than it did.  It was nice to nibble on some delicious smoked salmon and crackers when we disembarked.  The salmon was so good that we bought some from the original shop in town to take home to all our kids.  Michael, however, was sent some salmon jerky instead!  Do you see the face profile outlined by the peaks of the mountain in the bottom photo?

On the drive back to town we were delighted to see a family of bald eagles soaring very near our van and then perching themselves on logs in the valley.

We also stopped at a scenic overlook where the incredible view of the mountains and lake was truly stunning.

I felt a little melancholy as we pulled away from Skagway.  We were leaving Alaska and I wasn't sure I wanted to go.

Friday would be a day at sea and Saturday evening in Canada would be our last stop.