Haines, and Skagway, AK

Haines and Skagway, AK July July 20th to July 24th


We left the Mendenhall Glacier campground the night of the 19th and camped in the Ferry parking lot for the night because our ferry was at 7am and we had to be there by 5 am. This way we could sleep until 5 instead of getting up at 4 and heading down there. When we arrived, we watched cars depart the terminal and then all of a sudden, there was a brown (grizzly) bear walking around the parking lot. We tried to get a good shot and stay safe, but I'm afraid it came out a little blurry. He gradually walked the lot and then back across the street and up the hill from whence he came.

The M/V Malaspina ferry boarded at 6, we departed at 7 and went in for breakfast at 8. While waiting in line, Tim met Karen Baker. She is traveling with her husband Ken and are going to the same places we are although in a different time frame. We exchanged emails and blogs and will keep in touch with them along the way. We are getting off in Haines and them in Skagway for one night and then they will come to the  Chiilkoot Lake campground to join us for one night.

In our travels, we have found that State and Federal campgrounds are more to our liking than the commercial ones and the one in Haines was perfect! To find it was a bit of a challenge as we wound our way along the Chilkoot River and up to the lake. At the weir in the river, a brown bear was climbing up trying to get at the fish!

Many folks along the roadside trying to catch the action which made for a bit of a squeeze getting through. We found a site right on the lake with beautiful views. No electricity or water again however, but the location and ambience make up for it.

The following morning, we took the high speed ferry from Haines to Skagway which I will write about later. We met Don and Marcia on the boat and they are also staying at the Chilkoot Lake Campground. They gave us some hints about where to stay in Soldatna and Homer. They also were kind enough to let us use their kayaks one afternoon to try to find the bears feeding up the other side of the lake. The kayaking was great but no bears! Eagles flew overhead

by the shore and the weather held out with no rain for a few days.

Tim Kayaking

Our RV view from Lake

Marcia and Don Kayaking

Tim fished in both the river and the lake with no luck this time but he sure does look good while  he's doing it!

We explored the town, Fort Seward and Dalton City where the movie "White Fang" was filmed. These are some of the original buildings from Haines. One of them is now a Brewery! Fortuitous for Tim.

Haines Ferry Dock

We really enjoyed our few days here. It is peaceful and very low key. In the winter, the locals tells us, they get 30-40 feet of snow! The summers are like our South Carolina winters..high 50s to mid 60s during the day and mid 40s at night. Needless to say, our heat was on at night and we did dress warmly for our stay here as in most parts of Alaska thus far.







PS: Don and Marcia if you are reading this, please send us your email so we can send you your pictures. Have a good trip!











Skagway

As I previously stated, we took the high speed ferry to Skagway for the day. Upon our arrival, we ran into Ken and Karen at their campground right next to the ferry dock. They were packing up to get on the Marine Highway Ferry over to Haines where they will spend the night at Chiltook Lake.

Ken and Karen's RV

As we walked through the town, we came upon a barker outside a building hawking a tour and an old fashioned saloon show. We bit! We took the van with just one other couple up to the Yukon and the Whitehorse pass for a few hours and then came back for the show. The trip was just long enough and we saw most of what you could see from the train ride but certainly not all of it. The scenery is wonderful..and I am running out of adjectives for the majestic Alaskan landscape! Every time we hear about the pioneers who first crossed this country and settled in these remote areas, we marvel at their stamina to endure such hardships and make it through!  The weather was warm today for pretty much the first time since we have been in Alaska

View from Summit Road

View from Summit Road

Train to the Pass

Downtown Skagway