Skagway

Alaska 2016/Day 9: June 27, 2016 (Skagway)

Another early start to the day as we were to meet with Chilkoot Charters at 7:20AM. We were taking that White Pass and Yukon Railroad from Skagway to Fraser, at which point we'd continue by Chilkoot bus to the Yukon, making it as far north as Emerald Lake. From there we'd turn around and return via bus to Skagway. As per advice from CruiseCritic we sat on the left hand side both directions. (Had we started on the bus and ended on the train we would have sat on the right side both ways.)

We walked past all the trains that were on the siding by the ship and went to the end of the pier to meet our driver (Kevin). There were actually three different Chilkoot buses waiting, so the dispatcher who checked us in gave us the bus number and driver name, and we found Kevin holding a clipboard with his name showing. In addition to the 11 of us there was another family of 5 joining us. Kevin did a quick intro before driving us through Skagway to where our set of train cars awaited. We were assigned to the very last car in the train. That car ended up with more than the 16 people in our bus as at least one other busload was also placed in our car...but we were not crowded at all. Several people sat solo and there were still a few empty benches. Being the last car in the train was great for the serious photographers as the back deck gave them unimpeded views.

The train winds its way through lush green forest.

We enter one of several short tunnels on the line. Each train car has a small viewing platform at each end of the car. You can't hear any of the narration while on the platforms, but the views are great.

I'm not sure why this picture of a pair of trees in the foreground makes me so happy...but I like it so included it here!

This rail bridge was in use until sometime in the late 1960's. The track now continues past this to a more modern steel bridge. The jumble of wooden supports on the far side is as confused as it looks.

This is another view of the bridge shown above, taken as we crossed over the river on the newer bridge.

And here is that newer bridge!

For those only going one-way on the train the ride ends in Fraser, BC. Here you wait for Customs agents to board the train and look at your passport. Once that is complete you exit the train and reboard the Chilkoot bus. Kevin was waiting for us and took us further north. We made a couple of photo stops, one at a lovely lake whose name I can't recall, the other to look over Bose Island. We drove past the Carcross Desert without stopping, past the town of Carcross, and stopped a bit north of town at the very tacky Caribou Crossing.

The mosquitos are really a hazard here. This picture tells you everything you really need to know about the lunch stop. Tacky.

At Caribou Crossing we were given about 75 minutes to grab lunch (included in our tour) and wander around the museum - which included an interesting history of the NWMP and a pretty impressive collection of stuffed animals - the dog kennel, small zoo, etc. Lunch consisted of baked chicken that had been brushed (after cooking) with BBQ sauce, a baked potato half, creamy cole slaw, and a white roll with butter. Water pitchers on the tables were supplemented by soft drinks and beer from the bar (for a fee). The food was forgettable. It fills your stomach, nothing more.

Following lunch we reboarded the bus and then continued north until we got to Emerald Lake, where we stopped for about 15 minutes for pictures. Today's skies were pretty, blue and clear, and the lake was absolutely stunning.

Emerald Lake - stunning!

Finally, we turned back around to the south. Kevin first drove through the small town of Carcross pointing out some landmarks...including a historical tidbit that the basis of the Trump family fortune started in the Yukon with Grandpa Trump. We stopped for 25 minutes in town where we all got our passports stamped, and then headed over to the bakery to buy one of the cinnamon buns that everyone on CruiseCritic rave about. (Alas, we should have tried eating it right away but instead took it back to the ship with us to enjoy "later". That turned out to be a few days later, at which point the bun had started to go stale.) We also dropped by "The Outhouse at the Arthouse" to make use of the facilities, but also spent some time looking at the art on display.

A particularly striking work at The Arthouse at the Outhouse. This is "Icarus Descending", constructed out of driftwood as well as items from other artists' works. The Art Collective had hosted a day in which each artist destroyed one of their works, and the others assembled new art out of the scraps. Icarus's colorful face was constructed from strips of another artist's painting.

Further stops on our way south included the Yukon sign, where we pretty much just jumped of the bus, stood at the sign for pictures and then reboarded. This stop was really short mainly because there were 3-4 full size buses already here and the place was overwhelmed with people. Kevin instead stopped us off at Bridal Veil Falls where we were left alone with more privacy for more pictures.

H and N conquer Bridal Veil Falls.

The weather in the Yukon was was the best of the trip. The mountains work in a way that causes the clouds to pile up on the south (Alaskan) side, while the north (Canadian) side tends to get fewer clouds. The blue skies here are taken from our stop at Bridal Veil Falls.

The single-cantilever bridge. The right-hand side of the bridge/roadway isn't connected to anything. This is an earthquake safety measure. The idea is that, in a major quake, the roadway can bend and flex from its one attachment point to land on the left. If connected at both ends of the roadway it would be more likely to crumble.

We thought it likely that this trip would be our last chance to see bears. Our fleeting sighting in Denali would have to do for the whole trip, however, as we came up empty. Kevin kept saying that certain sections of the drive were good bear sighting areas, but he was driving so fast that we really had no chance to spot anything. Given that he picked us up and dropped us off exactly on time I suspect his driving speed was no faster than any other tour - but it felt rushed in some places.

We took our leave of Kevin in the town of Skagway rather than at the docks and wandered around town. As we got closer to the docks we stopped at the National Park Service visitor center just in time to take in their little movie about the gold rush and about the building of the railroad.

Returning to the ship we enjoyed our own little discovery: S's luggage had arrived! She was able to finally wear her own clothes to dinner. We ended the night with a succession of events: music trivia in Schooner (we did OK, but didn't win), Who Wants to Feel Like a Millionaire at the Colony Club (cheesy - no need to go again), and finally the first Headliner show, a guy named David Meyer playing something called a Xylo-Synth. It was definitely different, and he was definitely a virtuoso on it. Having said that, none of us are likely to run out and buy any xylosynth albums. A few of his numbers were accompanied by his (former cruise ship dancer) wife. We agreed that her presence did not enhance his performance.

The weather today was outstanding - so we finally got to enjoy sitting out on our balcony reading as we left Skagway.

Drink, book,view. To me, this is the signature picture of any cruise..

If we ever come back to Skagway again we'll probably try to find something else to do. We're glad we did the train trip. The views were beautiful - but honestly the views EVERYWHERE in Alaska are beautiful. Railfans will enjoy the opportunity to ride a narrow gauge line. The bus portion of the tour is likely the only way to get into the Yukon without renting your own car - but it all seemed so rushed. We'd drive like crazy to get to a stop for 10-15 minutes of pictures and then repeat. Kevin was an engaging tour guide - he had a particular love of history that aligned well with several of us.