Skagway

We woke this morning in port in Skagway. Rick arranged several of our tours not through the cruise line but through private vendors.  On our previous cruise we followed this same route so we wanted to see some different sites and revisit some of our favorites.   He had some trouble getting reservations but we later found out it's because the cruise traffic has increased in this area. Our tour was to begin today with "Klondike Kevin" but we couldn't find him at first. When we did, we find yet another younger "free spirit' guy.  Kevin first tells us that he didn't get his proper tour license and cannot charge us for our trip but he will take us anyway. Priced at over $100 per person, we think, "oh great, this is going to be a bust!"  We stop by his mom's house (she's also a tour guide) to get our deposit so he can refund it to us. HMMM.  We then go to the train station to purchase our return train tickets. We have to show our passports because we will cross into Canada and back.  Skagway mainly survives today only because of tourism. In the 1890's Gold Rush, it was one of two gateways to the source of the gold.   It's one of very few places in Southeast Alaska that are accessible by land.  The railroad, at one time was necessary for travel but today it allows tourists to get a glimpse of the past and the grueling path taken by gold seekers.  Kevin's tour van was decent, but we noticed a certain ripe smell.  Rick says that Kevin needs to clean his van.  We later figure out that it's not the van that smells.  Okay then... His tour narration started out pretty shaky but improved as the day went on.  He drove us part of the way up the Klondike highway which goes North all the way to Whitehorse, Yukon, about 100 miles.  Whitehorse is the 'big city' with Walmart, Home Depot, etc.. And where the locals go to stock up. I figure it's like us going to Lafayette to shop.  Kevin stops along the highway for photos and the scenery is breathtaking. The overcast skies at the beginning of our tour turn to blue as the day progresses.  Kevin's stories reveal to us that he too is an interesting character.  He tells of his adventures which include delivering a sailboat from Alaska to Beirut, Lebanon down the west coast of the US, through the Panama Canal.  He enjoyed life in the Middle East, so he stayed for a few years. Much of his family lives in Skagway, so he returned to live here. He just bought 5 acres in the area and plans to build a cabin there.  So far all he has is an outhouse and a portion of an old building that he bought and put in storage.  Thing here don't move quickly.   And we are reminded that many people in Alaska don't shower daily, but they do get to wake up every day  in this paradise.  About noon we stopped in Carcross, Yukon (Canada).  A cute little town on the shore of a lake, Carcross has two churches, (one Anglican) several shops and lots of houses that we would call cabins. On the corner, two people are selling burgers and hot dogs out of what looks like a garden shed.  Of course we HAD to try it, bison burgers, caribou sausage, chips and drinks.  Rick and I notice many RVs pulling into town which all had an orange sticker. It was an RV tour group, mostly class A and some fifth wheels.  One vehicle, a van pulling a small utility trailer, brings up the rear for mechanical problems, flat tires, etc.  Later in the day, we saw the same RVs parked at a campground in Skagway when we were reboarding the ship. Rick and I think this would be lots of fun and not much different, yet on a smaller scale, to our group RV trips!  It would be a big time commitment, taking about 2 weeks just to reach Alaska.  Guess we have to wait until Janet retires. (hi SIS!!) Back in the tour van, Kevin takes us to our last stops.  Carcross Desert, is a desert area with sand dunes and few trees.  Wind blows off the nearby lake in the winter revealing a huge sand bar. The sand blows off the lake and across the highway. I'm thinking the weather's brutal here.  Off to our turnaround spot, Kevin shows us Emerald Lake, a beautiful green (duh) lake with very few houses.  From the road we can see the bottom. Wow. Makes Tippe look like a mud puddle.  We start the trek back down the Klondike Highway headed for Fraser, where we board the train.  We make one rest stop along the highway where a man has built a viewing platform and 3 moveable timber structures.  Also, a cable suspension bridge stretches across the gorge. Surprisingly both Terry and Rick cross the bridge!  Good job boys, face your fears!  Kevin takes us to the train station and waits for us to leave before he drives away.  While we wait, someone spots a big black bear across the road eating berries. Funny when we TRY to find wildlife along the road, no luck.  But sitting still we can see that critters are everywhere, we just need to be patient.  The train ride is familiar to Weases and us but Schlotterbacks get to see the scary drop offs, great scenery and history of this place. I realize it's sort of a touristy place but these are views that money can't buy, well, only with a train ticket.  Back in the town of Skagway is where we see the touristy (crap) inside some pretty fabulous historical buildings.  Rick and I take the wrong turn walking back to the ship so we were really beat by the time we got  back.  Off to Juneau tomorrow.