This is week 3 of our travels... Yes I know that I am about 3 wks behind, but maybe I will catch up next week. We are presently at Denali
For recent pictures with descriptive subtitles click here.
We arrived in Whitehorse, YT on the 18th in need of groceries, fuel, and propane for the RV.
We had several activities in Whitehorse that would take us two days. Whitehorse is a busy town and a crossroad for the ALCAN (highway 1) and the Skagway to Dawson City highway (highway 2).
6/19/2011
Our plans were to go north to Dawson City and west on the Top of the World road to Chicken and back to the ALCAN via TOK junction. That changed on Monday morning because of the Top of the World road became impassable. We call the Dawson City visitor center and they called the border crossing to get the latest conditions. Rain had been falling for days and was not expected not let up. Roads were soft, washed out, and dangerous. At this time we decided not to go to Dawson and would continue on to Haines junction and turn south on YT 3 toward Haines, AK, a popular scenic coastal town on the Lynn Canal near the Chilkoot inlet. We missed Haines during our 09 trip. This turned out to be a good move and led us to a week of new adventure. The distance from Whitehorse to Haines Junction was about 120 miles and then to Haines another 130 miles. We would have to return to the ALCAN via the Haines leg, but that was not a problem.
This was out last night in Whitehorse.
6/20/2011
We traveled to Haines Junction and visited the visitors center where we watched a video and gathered information. We turned south and the adventure began.
The wonderful views from the windows of our rig last just about all night long as we are still in the land of the Midnight Sun. On toward Haines... Our destination would be about 10 miles north of Haines on Kathleen Lake in the Chilkoot State Park. This would also be in Alaska to we would see the border crossing about 60 miles north of Haines. That meant that our cell service would again work and we would be 3 hour earlier that our CST time.
Because of our no hurry pace we stopped at a scenic pullout and spent the night.
This adventure trail would take us through some of the best mountain views with snow caps and spectacular windshield vistas we have encountered. Along the way we would see many wildlife and now we would also see many bald eagle checking us out while perched from the tree limbs.
6/21/2011
We arrived at Haines and stopped at the visitor center for local information and guidance. We traveled the 10 miles along the Lynn Canal to the Chilkoot State Park and found it to be wonderful, just right for our needs. Just 10 dollars per night for great scenic sites.
We booked a day ferry trip to Skagway AK, therefore that would use a full day on Wednesday the 22nd. We thought that 3 days in the park would be enough, but because of more activities that we planed we extended our stay to 5 days in Haines.
6/22/2011
Today was our trip to Skagway on the Skagway Fast Ferry, we had to depart early, so we set the alarm. The trip is about 20 miles in the Lynn Canal and will take nearly an hour each way. Nice day and nice comfortable boat. Skagway is a shopping town and is the orginial gateway to the Gold rushers of the 1890s. So much history and so many shops. Skagway is also the port to many of the very large cruise ship that travel the Alaskan inland water way routes.
It is not uncommon to have 3 or 4 of these ships in port and that means that over 10 thousand may walk the streets of Skagway. Brad and I did the National Park museum and film presentation and the girls shopped. Brad and I did some historic sites and the girls shopped. Must be 25 jewelery stores mostly owned by the cruise ships that sell a good selection of almost any stone from anywhere in the world. Lot of tanzanite and diamonds. This is also a destination for honeymooners from European countries. Skagway is the headquarter of the Whitepass and Yukon rail that gives a sighseeing adventure over the famous White Pass gold rusher route of 1897.
So much history, so much to see. We like this place. The four of us attended the National Park narrative tour of the town led by a park ranger. Nice day but we have to get back on the ferry back to Haines.
6/23/2011
Today was a sight seeing day around the park. We watched the bald eagles and hunted for bear. We hiked a trail in the forest and walked the shoreline at Kathleen lake. The eagles put on a show as they will swoop down and capture fish and other prey from the water a few feet away. One fisherman had a close call with an eagle as it tried to snatch the fish from his line. Even with the daylight so long (about 21 hrs) the days just fly by.
6/24/2011
Today we spend some time in the town of Haines. We visit some of the local shop and eat at the Fireweed sandwich shop, good place to eat. The building dates back to WWII and served as a quarter master depot. We went back to the visitor center and got more information. We booked a seat on the Fjord Express to Juneau, AK.
Brad and I visited the Hammer Museum and the girls went shopping.
The rest of the day was spent viewing the sights around the Chilkoot inlet and the State Park.
6/25/2011
We booked a seat on the Fjordland Juneau Express. This would be all day wildlife site-seeing trip starting at the Haines small boat harbor early in the morning. At Juneau, we would dock and have about 4 hours in Juneau for us to do about anything we wanted to. We took the Mount Roberts Tramway ride up the Roberts mountain where we could look over the city. We also saw a live Bald Eagle that had been injured and was being rehabilitated. We walked the old town area and ate at the Twisted Fish Company. The tour also included a trip to the Mendenhal Glacier just a few miles from Juneau.
While at Mendenhal Glacier, I met up with Jack Weatherly and his wife, a co-worker that I worked with for 30 years. They were on a cruise ship docked at Juneau.
This is also a port to many large cruise liner that bring in thousands of travelers from all over.
The Fjord Express was the highpoint of the day. This was a very nice trip on the Lynn Canal to the whale watching areas. The Captain and his assistant did everything that was possible to make it enjoyable. The captain did a narrative along the way. The Fjord Express is a family run and staffed business that started in 2001. Just getting glimpse into how all this works is worth the trip. The deck hands name is Iris and she is a hard working 23 year old deck hand that works on the boat during the summer and is a school teacher during winter. She grew up in Haines and has lived in Haines year around.
Back on board and headed back to Haines. This would be our last night at Haines. Nice place.
That is all for now, end of week 3 on our Alaskan adventure.
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