Dyea ... Start of the Chilkoot Trail!

We spent half the day at the beginning of the gold rush ... Dyea!!  Here's what it looked like in 1896 ... tons of supplies carried from the ships, over a mile from out on the dock at the top left.  This turned into a big mud flat, not allowing the ships to get any closer.  Before the dock was built, men and animals hauled their supplies through the muck and mud to the town of Dyea before heading up the Chilkoot.

Here's the same scene today.  The only remnants left are some of the dock pillars.  It's still pretty marshy, allowing for the mosquito nursery to come to life due to the warm weather.

You can barely see on the middle left of this photo, a small building in front of the large one.  This is the A. M. Gregg Real Estate Office back when Dyea was alive with people.

This is all that is left of the town.  None of the trees were here when the town was, so it's hard to imagine what it looked like.  But this false front still stands, with a little help.

In this picture is a large warehouse, marked in red.

Here it is today.  After everyone left and it became a ghost town, people came and either hauled the buildings off, or took the wood for other buildings, or the fireplace.  This one was used as a barn by a local farmer until it too hit the ground.

This is what's left of a rowboat, maybe 18 feet long.  

Along the way in the marsh, Patty spied these beautiful chocolate lilys.  I spied LOTS of mosquito bites.

The iris were just beginning to bloom in the warm summer sun ... actually it was about 80 degrees!!!

Here are the shells from Long Bay!!!  

And the piece of Bark Canada.  Funny, it's the only thing that fits in this small bay on my rig!!!!

After another great lunch of halibut Fish n Chips, we watched two ferries come in to Skagway from Juneau and Haines.  There was a really close call when one ferry almost ran over a small fishing boat that got in the way ... and I can't believe how many cars and RV's came out of that ferry!!!

Tomorrow we head to Whitehorse ... that is if Dan's mail comes in!!

Long Bay Treasures!!!

Early in the morning, after gathering up bags to collect treasures in, Patty and I headed off to Long Bay, between Skagway and Dyea.  It is a long narrow bay with a big mud flat at the end.  It happens to hold LOTS of treasures, including shells, sea glass and skulls.  I know ... I was shocked too!!  At first we thought it to be human, but with the arrival of a local Skagwaynian, we decided it was sea lion, half eaten and discarded.  At high tide, it ended up in our treasure pile.  Patty didn't want to get arrested for having something in her possession of questionable origin, so she tossed it in the grass.

She was also the first to spy a beautiful whole seashell ... and offered it to me since she had hundreds from their previous time here.  A few minutes later, I found one myself!!!  TREASURES!!!

We collected several pieces of driftwood, including one great piece we think came from the Bark Canada.  At one point, the Bark was a three masted schooner.  With the gold rush in full swing, it was cut down and turned into a barge and loaded with supplies, headed to Skagway.   After one wreck on the rocks, it was salvaged.  After the second, it was left to sink at the end of Long Bay ... where we were treasure hunting.  At low tide, part of it is visible.  I'll have to provide pictures later.  There were so many mosquitos that I was bitten to within an inch of my life!!  (Yes I have mosquito spray ... now it stays in my purse)  At long last, we left the infested beach for brighter pastures ... the Cemetery!!  

When the Gold Rush Cemetery pictured previously was full, they started another cemetery right down the road from our campsite.  You wouldn't know it was there unless someone told you.  There are no signs and not much evidence of the road entering the property.  

It's sad they are in such disrepair.  If I lived here, I think I would make it my job to fix up the plots, replace missing headstones and repaint those you can barely read.  Many were people who lived to their 80's, but many were also children.

Here lies Telfer Bruce Alexander ... born in 1921, died in 1921.  

This very different headstone, was welded with the name Ina Smith ... she was three years old.

Now that we were sufficiently depressed, we walked back to our rigs for a delicious salmon and baked potato dinner with side salad.  Extremely hot today ... in the 80's ... we cooled off just in time to head to Jewel Gardens Summer Solstice Celebration.  (The longest day of the summer ... which is about 23 hours around here!!!)  An amazingly huge garden with a White Pass train setup, music and BBQ ... we walked the entire grounds smelling these gorgeous lilacs ... in three colors!!  Lavender, dark purple and hard-to-find white.

They had flowers blooming everywhere ... and in their greenhouses were many kinds of vegetables which they sell to local restaurants.

This shop also sells blown glass.  We had stopped here momentarily previously, but I didn't know what I was looking at.  NOW I get it ... the most beautiful hand blown flowers and balls for the garden.  We're planning another trip before we leave.

Exhausted from a long day, we hit the hay ... dreaming of what's to come tomorrow!!!

A Very Reflective Day!!

An early drive to Carcross landed Dan on the back of the White Pass & Yukon Route train headed for Bennett Lake, then back to Skagway.  We waved goodbye ... Patty said she promised to write and off we headed back along the pass for photos.  Oh but first ... let's hit the Sourdough Bakery!!  OMG!!! they had the best ever rhubarb cake with cream cheese frosting ... a slice big enough for three people.  Patty and I polished it off in three minutes, congratulated the chefs and headed out.

Windy Arm wasn't so windy today ... good for me ... because I got some absolutely beautiful reflection images.  

You just can't take your eyes off the scenery ... and we stopped everywhere there was three feet on the roadside.  We saw lots of bear poop, but no bears.  Yup ... we've been looking for poop for a week now, the sure sign that bears are in the area.  They were terribly photo shy today however, since none showed their growling faces.

The small lake at the very top is still iced over around the edges.  

At this point, we tried to beat a big truck coming up the hill ... with 10 axles (!!!!) he was coming pretty fast ... but I'm an armchair race car driver, so we spun out and floor-boarded, hit the road screaming, at all of 40 miles an hour.  Just to show me he could, he kept on my butt for several miles (even uphill) until we pulled over at the Alaska sign for a photo op.  He went screaming by and we figured we wouldn't see him again.   WRONG ... halfway down the hill he was going 20 when the speed limit for us was 55!!  We flew past and headed to downtown for a few last minute items.

First stop was the hardware store for a hose splitter and cheesecloth.  Cheesecloth?? you ask??  After having that sourdough rhubarb cake in Carcross, Patty and I thought it might be fun to start up a "sourdough starter" and see what tasty items we can bake, maybe even some bread.  With Dan as our only guinea pig, if you don't see his blog for a week or so, you will know it didn't turn out so well.  Next the AB hall for another photo of the most photographed building in Skagway.  It's covered with driftwood from top to bottom.

The famous or infamous Red Onion Saloon is still pretty much intact, including the upstairs rooms (the infamous part).  Immensely popular, it was packed.

A final farewell to the upstairs girls, we headed back to the rigs, waiting for Dan's call to pick him up at the train station in Skagway. 

We had dinner at Starfire again with Mark and his family (managing the park where we are staying) ... an amazing Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken ... I could eat here every night, except it was $14.50.  It's time for Patty and I to start cooking ... okay, for Patty to start cooking.  This eating out is killing the budget!!!

A Disney Kind Of Day!!

Having been out late the night before, we slept in ... til 6:00 that is ... and decided to head back to Yakutania Point.  Dan hadn't been there yet, so we crossed the Skagway River and climbed the point to the top.  The tide was pretty low and we spied an Eagle sitting on some rubble in the middle of the river.  Unfortunately he was too far away, so I shot Dan instead!!

Dan stood in the hole here so Patty would look taller!!  It was great fun to check out the bay and see if any seals or otters were present.  Not yet ... they don't show up until the salmon do.

We waited back in town for Dennis Corrington to finish up with a collector buying "stuff", but after an hour or so, headed back to the rigs.  We had a date with Maggie Boughton and her husband Ron at Star Fire.  It was Pad Thai, fried rice and a Big Fat Burrito ... you can guess who ate the burrito.  There were three to-go boxes in the end however ... the food was awesome and served in huge proportions.

Almost 8:30 (which is when most of the ships leave) found us back at the dock, waiting for the Disney Ship Wonder to head out.  Four toots to get the tourists back on board was followed by their departure whistle blowing to the tune of "When You Wish Upon A Star" ... pretty cool to hear that in the bay.  She's backing out here .... it doesn't look like there is much room ... and there isn't!!!

A long slow turn and they were headed out down the Lynn Canal.

By now we are all exhausted and head back to the rigs.  I just can't help but show another picture of Rosie.  She's just TOO cute!!!

It's shopping day for the girls ... we will drop Dan off in Carcross to ride the train back to Skagway, while we spend the day finishing up the shopping chores!!

A little more trivia ...

Fuel for my car ... $4.79 per gallon

The names of some towns in Alaska ... where do they come up with these????

Chicken       

Eagle       

Old Man Camp       

Flat       

Sixtymile       

Mayo     

Circle     

Livengood

Honest ... I didn't make them up!!!!

Tour of a Lifetime!!

We have been trying to catch up with Sherry Corrington's Frontier Tour to hear her version of the Gold Rush.  Having lived here most of her life, she's not only knowledgeable, but funny and a great guide.  At the last minute, she called and we scrambled to meet her down town.  We started off on Broadway, the main street of Skagway.  At the end of the street are the docks for the cruise ships.  You can see one parked at the Broadway dock.

The tour started out sunny and beautiful, but soon we were headed to the top of the White Pass where the wind and clouds picked up quickly.  Tutshi (Too Shy) Lake looked amazing!!

This is the river at the bottom of the canyon.  You really wouldn't want to fall off this cliff, cuz it's a LONG way down to the Skagway River.

We stopped at the very top of the pass ... still pretty warm at this point, even though you see lots of snow.

The clouds started coming in faster over Tutshi ....  no matter, it makes for nice images.

And really, up to this point, it was pretty ho hum ... until we saw several cars stopped on the side of the road with 6 or 7 people hanging over the guardrail.  As we pulled up to the rail Sherry saw what they were looking at .... a large bear within feet of the people.  "Do you know how stupid you guys are????"  At any time, the bear, fresh out of hibernation and VERY hungry, could have had a great meal that he would probably say "tasted like chicken"!!!

Finally seeing the error of their ways, the people scrammed to their vehicles as the bear was headed down the hill.  As soon as they were gone and we pulled up to the guard rail, he returned.  Seems they aren't afraid of the buses ... the bottom slanted area of this image is the guard rail.  

Now situated about 4 feet from our window, our entire tour group got to take close up images of this magnificent animal.  He's got a mouthful of dandelions here ... and continued to eat for the full ten minutes we were parked.  Talk about an excited tour bus!!!

We thanked Sherry for having him pose on the side of the road for us ... but alas the tour had to continue and we headed back home.  

There are a couple of miscellaneous pictures I haven't posted due to the internet service.  This is the Norwegian Jewel.  Most days there are four big ships at the docks, some days only two or three ... but when all four docks are filled with the big ships, 11,000 people hit town!!!

On one of our little Dan-guided Tours, we found these guys river rafting beside the Chilkoot Pass Trail.

This little store named Temptations is owned by Patty and Dan's good friend Lisa.  What a great lady ... as is her store, with some of the nicest fashions I have ever seen.  

Not sure what's on the schedule today ... possible Long Bay and Dyea ... and of course more shopping.  Tomorrow we take Dan to the train in Carcross, which means  s h o p p i n g day!!!!

Hiking, Sightseeing and Buying!!

CORRECTION:    Soapy Williams should have been Soapy Smith!!!!  My apologies to Mr. Soapy.

Late in the evening, Patty's friend Lisa and her baby dog Rosie, took us on a hike around the mountain.  This is just the sweetest dog ever ...

We saw Smugglers Cove ..

and Yakatania Point at the entrance to the harbor at Skagway.  Although Lisa has seen bears here in the past, thankfully there were none today.  I don't think I could have run fast enough.

Lisa pointed out Face Mountain across the way.  Can you see him laying down??

The next morning, Dan took us for a quick drive over to Dyea.  The Stampeders either came in Skagway and up the White Pass, or they landed at Dyea and walked up the Chilkoot Pass.  Neither looks like a good option!!   As we drove by this small lake, I said something about the reflections .. so Dan slammed on the brakes and I jumped out for a couple of shots.  You can hardly tell where the water ends.

We went past Dyea up a gravel road for a few miles ... thinking it would surely end any time, but it kept going ... rough as it was!  At the "almost" end we found a walkway across the river and this beautiful glacier.  I have no idea what it's name is, but it was really pretty.  At this point Patty and I start to walk away from the car and we heard Dan say "got bear spray??"   Nothing like putting the crimp in your short walk ... we headed back to the car.

This is the beginning of the main Chilkoot Trail, which you can hike to the top of the pass as they did in 1898.  Since each miner had to haul one ton of food and equipment, they made many trips up and down.

If you were landing in Dyea, you had a long muddy walk ... the bay is very shallow with huge mud flats ... and this would be your view.

If you were smart and said "oh heck no" ... this would be your view as you sailed back out the bay towards home.

Today we had a shopping day and here are a few of my treasures.  Hand made and dyed yarn from Sitka .... Alaska coffee mug ... fingerless gloves and GREAT boot socks.  All for a song at Corrington's.

After a quick bakery stop, the proprietor said we might find the owner of the building in a small shop out back.  Off we traipsed to find Shirley Mitchell.  What a wonderful lady ... she makes nature prints and does fish painting.  There were a couple baskets in her shop that Patty had to have, as well as this Caribou horn dreamcatcher that I couldn't live without.  It was good to purchase something from such a wonderful lady who has been in Skagway for over 20 years.

That's it for today ... we have a full dance card for the next few days and the Library doesn't open until noon for internet.  Will post again soon I hope!!