Day 52
Friday, July 29
A Free Day in Skagway

Finally we woke up to no rain and fog; it was actually a semi-clear day with temperatures in the low 60's. The Wagonmasters and Tailgunners had prepared breakfast for us, so we all gathered about 8:00 to eat. Jenna and I put in 3 loads of laundry to wash while we ate. What we had for breakfast was pretty unique. They gave each of us a 1 quart zip-lock bag.  
 

We opened the bag and Ken broke two eggs into the bag. Then we added onions, green peppers, jalopinos, tomatoes to our liking and sealed the bag while squeezing all air out. We wrote our name on the front of the bag with vis-a-vis marker and dropped it into a pot of boiling water. Twelve minutes later we had a freshly cooked omelet! Add to that bacon, toast or biscuits, orange juice and coffee and you have the makin's of a good breakfast. We all sat around outside and enjoyed our breakfast and good conversation.

Following breakfast we were invited to Ron and Cindy's motorhome to watch a movie Cindy had made about the bears we saw in Valdez. She had taken loads of pictures of the bears and loaded them onto a Smilebox program that allows captions and music to be added. Forty-two adults stood outside their motorhome and watched and laughed at the hilarious movie and the comments Cindy had added. We had already seen a video about our white-water rafting trip, and she has made others about our cruise in Valdez and our journey in Denali National Park. She is one talented lady.

At 12:30 we carpooled down to the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad station. Thirty-four of our group opted to take a 3 hour roundtrip ride up the trail to the pass where prospectors walked as they made their way to the Yukon in 1898 in search of gold.  
We had one whole car for our group.  
The train ride is 20.4 miles up and the track rises 3000 ft. on the way. It was an uphill climb the entire way, and at times the last car was at least 25' above or below the engine. The ride reminded Jenna and me of the Durango/Silverton trainride in Colorado. The track was right on the edge of a mountain ledge most of the way, and we had scenic views of the mountains and valleys leading away from Skagway. At one point we looked about a mile across the valley and up to another train that was ahead of us. That train looked like it was just hanging onto the side of the mountain before it entered into a long tunnel.  

Leading up to the point we crossed a long high trestle that bridged the valley and a river that ran through it. Along the entire route we saw towering waterfalls leading down to the river. It was a spectacular ride, but, in our opinion, to as scenic as the one in Colorado.

Cindy and Ron didn't go on the trainride and instead stayed back and fixed dinner for Roni, Bruce, Bet, Robert, Jenna and me. We went to their motorhome for dinner and drinks. Cindy is a talented lady on the computer and in the kitchen. She fixed a chicken casserole, slaw, and a fruit salad. Roni brought bread and Jenna took a cake. We celebrated Bet's birthday in style even if it was a day late. Ron, not to be outdone, "received" another proclaimation from the Skagway Traffic Department. It read as follows:

To: Gilbert Hall of Corisana, (about 1/2 the size of Alaska) Texas (note they can't even spell Corsicana)

You are hereby cited for not surrendering your Junior/Senior Ranger Status to the proper authorities as directed by the magistrate.
This direction was a result of the traffic violation of Wednesday, the 37th of July, 2011, and issued on said date.

As a result of your complete disregard for this office and the office of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the Governor's
office, formerly occupied by Sarah Palen, you are put on notice.

Pending further investigation into your background, and a thorough search of your Red Chevy Pickup, this official agency will determine
the penalty to further impose. AT a minimum, you will be asked to leave the viallage of Skagway, and the great State of Alaska by
9:00 am, Saturday, the 31st of July, 2011

Now, as a result of your misbehavior, your wagonmaster has commenced his own investigation into your conduct. He has determined that
you have wiolated two vital and important items of protocall:
1) in your complete inattention to the Travel Briefings, and
2) for arriving at a campsite 2 minutes before the scheduled and appointed time.

These violations usually result in your being put into the worst parking spot in the park, with no view and no possible way of backing
into said spot.

These violations are issued by this jurisdiction.

The honorable Chief Justice SOAPY SMITH

Ron will not rest until I lose my Jr. Ranger status!!

After dinner we again carpooled downtown to the Days of '98 show. Prior to the show we were given $1,000 in play money to use in the casino. Actors from the play we were to see later served as dealers and they wanted us to be happy so that we would like the show. The blackjack rules were very lax - even to the point that if we all wanted the dealer to throw in her hand because she got a 21 and would have beat us all, she would do it. I won one hand and upped my bet from $200 to $700 as she was paying the first few people on the table. I ended up winning more than anyone on the table - $24,000. Too bad it was just play money.

The show was about Soapy Smith, a con-man who swindled many in Skagway out of money. It was a musical with just 4 actors - Soapy Smith, and three women who ran the local bar and brothel. They got one of our caravaners up on stage and got him involved - two of the "girls" fighting over his affections. They also got two women from our group up to help them do the can-can. It was a hoot!!

We got back home about 10:00 and I worked on the blog until about 11:30 when the computer quit on me. Tomorrow we go to Northern Beaver Post in the Yukon Territory for a one-night stay. There probably won't be much to report, but we'll see. Till then - Happy Trails.

Day 51
Thursday, July 28
Cruise to Juneau

6:30 came awful early this morning as we had to get up and around for our trip to Juneau. We ride-shared down to the small boat harbor where

we gathered waiting to load the Fjordlands for a 2 1/2 hour ride. While we were waiting, Ron called for everyone's attention and read the following announcement:

Original Proclamation

To: Gilbert Hall

As a result of floating a stop sign and the Major Intersection of 3rd and State Street in the Village of Skagway, Alaska, at the height of traffic,

And

After further review of your driver's license and a thorough background check of your past personal history, we the magistrate of the village of Skagway, Alaska, and with full cooperation of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources do hereby:

Resend and revoke your Jr. Ranger status.

All certificates, awards, trophies and cash receipts attained herby this Jr. Ranger must be returned to the Department of Natural Resources.

All said certificates, etc. shall be turned in to your wagonmaster, who in turn shall duly pass them on the the nearest sworn police officer.

By the power invested in me:

Officer Elroy P. Catchem
Alaska Police Force


How devastating!!! They wanted to take away the Jr. Ranger badge that I earned while touring the Kenai Fjords National Park. I swore that I would fight this injustice to the bitter end!!

After this horrible announcement we loaded the boat and took off for Juneau.

  The Fjordlands is a catamaran that cruises at 18 to 20 knots on the 120 mile trip to Juneau. We made a stop in Haines, Alaska to pick up two more passengers and then proceeded to Juneau. On the way the captain watched for wildlife and would stop the boat to allow us a better view. We ran into a large pod of humpback whales and watched them for several minutes.  
 
Repeatedly the would come to the surface to spout and dive back under. I was able to get a few shots of their spouting, humps, and a tail or two.   We all waited anxiously for one to really breach, but that must be something that only happens in commercials since we didn't see it.


We saw several beautiful waterfalls that came from the glaciers high above us on the mountaintops.
 
 
  The fog was so thick you could only catch fleeting glimpses of the glaciers and the beginnings of the falls.

We saw schools of dall porpoises and a few otters, stellar sea lions and lots of scenic views as we completed our run into Juneau. It was an incredibly smooth trip considering the wind was fairly stiff and the waves were a little high.

While in Juneau, we took a bus tour of downtown and had a little time to look around downtown. Three cruise ships were in port while we were

ther so it was a little crowded. We did see the state capital building. The driver proclaimed it the "ugliest state capital building in the United States." He said there were plans to build a new building shortly after statehood, but the chose to save money and not give representatives a comfortable place to be.

Following our free time in downtown we reloaded the bus and went to the Mendenhall Glacier.

 

The Mendenhall Glacier is one of 38 glaciers in the Juneau Icefield.  

It is several miles long and fronts into Mendenhall Lake. Many blue icebergs were floating in the lake. Last week a large glacial lake on the top end of the Mendenhall Glacier broke though the ice dam that held it back and brought flooding conditions to the
lake and the surrounding area. No homes were flooded, but it did raise the lake level by 5 feet. They didn't expect this to happen at were momentarily at a loss as to what was happening. It is feared that this could be a yearly problem due to global warming.

We left Juneau aroud 5:00 for our return trip to Skagway. The Fjordlands captain was diligently working on an impeller that was malfunctioning when we returned to the boat. It took him about 45 minutes to get things fixed.
 
We spent the time watching the salmon jump out of the water and the Bald Eagles and Seagulls gathering around the stream the salmon were trying to swim up.

Shortly after we started back to Skagway the captain slowed the boat and swung it around. He said he thought there was a mama grizzly and a cub fishing in a stream flowing into the fjord.

 

 

 

 Sure enough, a big mama bear scampered into the bushes and watched us approach. When she realized we weren't coming any closer she came back out, followed by her cub, and began to fish. We watched them for several minutes as they clambered around in the water catching fish. The mama would catch a fish and give it to her cub. It was fascinating to watch.

Later we circled a lighthouse in the middle of the fjord and watched otters in the water and seals on the rocks.

 

Around 8:00 we arrived back in Skagway after a fun-filled day. We saw lots of wildlife and enjoyed our time on the boat. They did serve us muffins and juice on the way and seafood chowder on the return trip.

Tomorrow is a free day, but most of us are going on the White Pass Yukon Railroad for a trip up the mountain used by miners in the 1898 rush for gold in the Yukon. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. Till then - Happy Trails!!

Day50
Wednesday, July 27
A Free Day in Skagway

Skagway is known for it's rainy foggy weather, and today started out just that way. It looked as if our free day might be a rainy day. But as time went by, the rain stopped, the fog lifted and we ended up with a pretty good day weatherwise.

Many from our group took advantage of the stores on tourist trap row in downtown Skagway to make a few souvenir purchases.  Christmas shopping or just getting something to remember our trip by was what many chose to do. Kris and Karl found bargains on jackets as they braved the crowds from the four cruise ships that were in port today.
 

We were able to find a lot of "Alaska made" gifts in the locally owned stores.

Optional activities were a part of today's agenda for many. Roni, Bruce, Chris, Mary, Ron and Jackie all went to the Musher's Camp to learn about dog-sledding. the camp, located near Dyea was up on a high hill.  

A large pen of puppies attracted a lot of attention from everyone. After a briefing on mushing, everyone loaded a converted Mercedes truck for long ride up the mountain to the track. All six of our hearty companions climbed into a sled to take a turn around the track with the sleddogs leading the way. After the ride everyone had the opportunity to pet and play with the puppies and the other dogs.

In the afternoon 15 brave souls challenged the Alaskan Zipline. 

The whole zipline course was set high on the side of a mountain. We were required to ride 800' up extremely steep roads in the same converted Mercedes truck to reach the staging camp.

 

 

 

 

 

After gearing up, which took quite a while and inspired lots of laughs, we practiced on a short "bunny" run just to get the feel of the ride. The 2nd run required you to run about 20 feet and jump off a cliff; the 3rd run found us on a platform 75' above the ground. The only way down was to step off the edge and slide down the cable. It took a little talking by Ronie and Cindy to get Jenna to take that step. The fourth run was a long 753' run through the trees about 50' off the ground. All of the other runs were short but fast. This whole venue was just built this past winter.  
 
 
 
 
 

They cut the roads, milled timbers from the trees they cut down, and built suspension bridges, walkways and platforms all over the side of the mountain. A swift moving mountain stream tumbled over huge boulders throughout the course. It was an amazingly beautiful site and a somewhat frightening course to zip - probably more frightening to some than others. Ken laid back and took in the sites while zipping. Chris on the other hand snapped photos in flight. Janice amazed us all with her five=pointed star flight. Marge was apprehensive at the beginning, but she took to zipping lke a bird to flight. While most enjoyed the whole activity, others were more than happy to see the final line.

After returning to Skagway Ron, Cindy, Bruce, Roni, Carl, Chris, Jenna and I went to the Red Onion for dinner. Steve "the 'stache" and Christian, our guides on the zipline joined us for dinner and drinks. It was "the 'stache's" birthday so we had a good time reliving our time on the zipline and hearing the boy's tales. After dinner we went to the Bonanza Bar and Grill for a Kareoke (sp) night. None of us perfomed, but we had fun listening.

Free days are also days to catch up on sleep, get the laundry done, clean house or just relax with a good book. I'm sure everyone enjoyed his free day whether they shopped, mushed, zipped or just relaxed.

Tomorrow, its off to Juneau. Till then - Happy trails.

Day 49
Tuesday, July 26
On the Road to Skagway

It rained all night last night and we awoke to fog and drizzle. Everyone was eager to get started. Art and Jill had some help from others on the caravan and got the hole in their radiator patched. The patch seemed to be holding so they left early to try to get help in Whitehorse - 150 miles away. Gene and Marge discovered that their air filter was blocked so they left with Art and Jill to pursue a new air filter. Robert and I set out about 8:00 and I stopped at the only station in town for fuel. I pumped and Jenna went inside to pay. I hollered in to and told her how much it cost - $68.21. She paid and we started down the road. As she was entering the amount in our checkbook she noticed that we'd been charged $100.01. I made a quick turn around and we went back to the station. On the way I started getting calls on the CB to come back. As it turned out the guy next to me at the station got $100.01 and the clerk mixed them up. The other guy needed a correct receipt to be reimbursed by his company so he wanted me back too. We got it all straight and we finally headed out about 8:30.

The road today was much improved over yesterday. There were only three or four red flags and they weren't even bumpy. The only problem today was the fog and rain. It rained almost the entire 260 miles! As we started out, we were following the shoreline of Kluane Lake.
 
This is the lake that the construction camp blew into back in 1942. This lake is the 2nd largest lake in Canada. It has two arms that come off the main body of the lake. One arm stretches 50 miles north while the other goes over 25 miles east. The main body of the lake goes 25 miles west of Destruction Bay. It is one huge lake!! Anyway, we followed the shoreline east for 25 miles and then circled around and went back west for 10 or more miles before circling back to the east. We had to go around some mighty tall mountains on the way. We couldn't even see the tops of the mountains because of the fog and low hanging clouds. 

We finally got to Whitehorse about noon and headed down to the Klondike Highway. Beautiful Emerald Lake was the first stopping point on the Klondike Highway. 
It is a small lake set down in a valley - very pretty. It was another 100 miles to Skagway. This road is a scenic highway and I'm sure it would have been, but again the fog and rain kept us from too many good views. We did see the world's smallest desert outside Carcross.   It encompasses about 1 square mile. I was able to see some awesome rock formations and two spectacular lakes surrounded by soaring mountains, but they would be so much better in full sunlight.

 
 The last 11 miles coming into Skagway is an 11% grade downhill - very steep - and totally schrouded with fog. Made for a scary drive - Could only go 15-20 mph.
 
 

Thanks to the Allison transmission in my truck we made it down with no problems. I'm sure we would have seen some spectacular sites. Fortunately we will be going back 1/2 way to Whitehorse when we leave here Saturday, so maybe the weather will cooperate.

Tomorrow is a free day! YEA!!! I hope I can sleep a little later than normal. I'd like to go to Dyea, a ghost town where the Chilkoot Trail began. When prospectors came in search of gold in the 1890's, many came to Skagway. One way to the Klondike was to go on the Chilkoot Trail. The Canadian government required that all prospectors come adequately supplied to last them 1 year. In all each prospector had to transport of 2000 lbs of goods up the Chilkoot Trail, an almost vertical path, up the mountains in into the Yukon Territory. they were denied entrance if the failed to bring the correct supplies. Pictures show a whole line of men packing goods up the mountain. I want to go take a few steps up the trail. Tomorrow is also the day that Jenna and I go ziplining - that should be a blast!! I'll be sure to blog some pictures.

Of course Skagway is a haven for cruise ships. There were four in port today, so the whole town was crawling with people from the ships. Tomorrow will be the same way.

We have lots planned for our 4 days in Skagway. Keep reading the blog to see what we are up to. Till then - Happy trails!!


Note: Today;s pics are a little fuzzy due to fog and rain. Maybe tomorrow's will be better.