Skagway & The White Pass and Yukon Railroad!!

Skagway ... a steep drive down a long hill!!

We left Carcross and headed to the U.S. Border.   The drive was certainly beautiful, when I took my eyes off the road long enough to look ...  This is Nares Lake in the misty morning with the sun coming up over the mountain.

The further along, the prettier it got.  The reflections in the lake were amazing, but we were in a hurry to get to Skagway.  Besides, there's no place for two big motorhomes to stop.

At the top of the pass, the lake was still frozen over.  It wasn't really cold and I'm pretty sure we were only at about 3500 feet elevation.  It's a wonder that it is still frozen.

After bypassing Canadian customs, we hit the US border, with Dan's favorite passport checker!!  Dan pulled into the right lane for trucks, and I followed, until two people came out and waved me through the car side.  Talk about narrow ... my mirrors missed by inches on both sides.  I SWEAR these guys take no-smile lessons.

Then we came to the 10% grade part!!  EEEEKKK ... actually, it wasn't bad at all.  I've gone down so many now that this didn't seem a problem at all.  Finally at the bottom, we pulled into the Corrington Family compound ... warehouse and RV parking for their work-campers.  We had two full hookups waiting for us, but they are rather short for our long vehicles.

One of the first stops we made was to the local Gold Rush Cemetery.  They have replaced and repainted all the headstones (head boards), so you have a good idea who's who!!  The town bully, Soapy Smith was buried here when he was shot by the town hero, Mr. Reid, who died 12 days later from his gunshot wound.  Check Dan's blog for the pictures.

The White Pass and Yukon Railroad!!!

Bright and early the next morning, thanks to Patty and Dan's good friend Maggie, Patty and I climbed on board the train for White Pass.  Diesels this trip, but it didn't spoil it one bit.  This is a long haul up a steep hill, crossing lots of trestles with steep drop-offs.  Never mind the train tilts towards the downhill side ... it won't fall off ... REALLY!!!

The huge dandelion crop is in full bloom as we headed up.  The railroad bed follows the Old White Pass Trail, and as you go along, you can see old shovels, picks, cans and even parts of stoves they left on their way across the snow.  A few bodies were left here and there also.

As well as a few trains.  There were three engines down the sides of the cliffs ... not sure if they were dumped by accident or on purpose.

The views were spectacular ... so much prettier in person!!!

This is the trestle just before entering the first tunnel.  Up close, it looks just as rickety and it does here!!

This original trestle and  cantilever bridge were used up until 1969 when the loads became too heavy.  Behind the bridge is a second tunnel to bypass the trestle.

Finally we hit the top of the pass.  It's pretty rugged.  Hard to imagine men, horses and dogs trying to get a ton of food and supplies up this pass, only to meet the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who charged them a customs fee for every item.

This is the actual pass they cross over.  This lake/glacier, over 200 feet deep in sections and 100 feet deep from end to end, made the crossing pretty miserable in the summer.

At this point, the front of the train became the back, as our two engines traded places.

Another look at the actual trail they traversed.  Thousand of men and animals lost their lives trying to get rich.  The smart ones, sold what they had left for passage money home.

This is the last sight they would see behind them as they headed up to Carcross and Bennett Lake, looking for a boat to take them the rest of the 500 miles to the Yukon.  

Next up ... hiking Skagway and an insiders tour of the Library ... which is the only place we have internet in order to get this posted!!!