We spent Tuesday just relaxing and exploring Haines. Starting with the Hammer Museum . . . who knew there were so many types of hammers . . . certainly not me. My dad would have loved this quirky little Museum.
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| They had a Tshirt that said "We got hammered in Haines" but we decided to take a pass on it and settled for a pic. |
What tour of Haines would be complete without visiting the Brewery. Al thought the brew was very good and it was one of the best bargains we have found here at $4.
The also had a brewed Root Beer that I enjoyed.
Brews with a view . . . can't beat that.
Like Seward, art murals painted on the walls of buildings seems to be the in thing in Alaska. Some of them are really nicely done.
This town seems to have it all . . . a brewery and a distillery . . . I guess with the long winters it pays to have good booze. Their gin rivals my favorite Henderick's so they passed my taste test.
A picture for Bruce . . . A lumber yard full of Doug Fir.
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| Haines Small Boat Harbor |
Wednesday was the "Fast Ferry" to Skagway and then a ride on the White Pass Yukon Railroad.
Let me say right here that Wednesday was not a good day to be in Skagway. When we arrived, there were 4 very large cruise ships in harbor and the streets of this little "tourist" town were over filled with cruisers. There were more people here than we have seen in the entire trip . . . including Denali which had some large groups in some places. It was not our favorite stop by any stretch of the imagination. That said the train ride was one of the highlights of the trip. The trip was about 20 miles up the White Mountain Pass. The Pass was used by prospectors trying to reach the Klondike during the gold rush. In order to cross into Canada they had to haul 1 ton of provisions up the mountain . . . a mighty incredible feat.
The day was perfectly clear and our train guide said it was one of the few days this Summer that was so clear.
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| The Lynn Canal where we began the trip up the mountain in the distance |
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| The dots in the Canal are the Cruise Ships |
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| Bridal Veil Falls |
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| In the distance you can see the road from Whitehorse to Skagway |
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| We are going up there? |
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| Yep . . . right across that bridge |
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| climbing . . . climbing |
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| The old bridge . . . glad we aren't crossing this one |
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| Cross this one instead |
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| Top of the Mountain |
The border with Canada . . . the little shack is where the Mounties would check the provisions of the prospectors.
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| Mountain Lake at the top and yes there are fish in it |
The ride back down the mountain was just the reverse of the way up . . . in fact we even reversed our seats for the ride down.
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| Leaving Skagway and the cruise ships behind |
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| Another falls on the ferry ride back to Haines |
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| A glacier in the distance |
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| Our little Roadtrek sandwiched between 2 Class As at the campground |
Our ferry was delayed a day so we had yet another day to explore Haines.
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| One of the many totem poles in town. I'm there for perspective of size. |
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| This one wasn't as tall but was painted prettier. |
A guy fishing and catching a trout in the river
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| Chilkat Lake |
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| Salmon Fishing before the fish monitor station |
This area where they were fishing was also know for bears who are fishing. We saw these bears on the opposite shore from where the fishermen were . . . .an experience only in Alaska.
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| Momma Grizzly |
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| Jr not far behind |
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| Momma takes a Spalsh |
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| A tender moment between Mom and cub |
After the bears we were ready for some lunch and although this place may not look like much on the outside the food was some of the best we have had here. It was also frequented by many locals so you know how good it was.
A cool use for an old boat. Hopefully we make the ferry tonight. . .number 5 in the standby line. Fingers crossed.
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