Sailing South on The Inside Passage: Haines to Skagway and On To Juneau

Today is Sunday, August 24th and yesterday we arrived in Juneau, the capital of Alaska.

A week ago we drove from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory back into Alaska and on to Skagway. It was another GORGEOUS drive, this time on the Klondike Highway, where we passed Emerald Lake (which is the picture at the top of this Post). Yes, the colors are REAL; they result from blue-green light waves reflecting off the marl (white sediment) on the bottom. Further down the highway was the Yukon Suspension Bridge, which offered a dramatic bird’s-eye view of the Tutshi River. Next we drove through an area known as the Tormented Valley, which was VERY different from any topography we had encountered thus far. It is a rocky, desolate, “moonscape” of stunted trees and small lakes. Pictures of all these sights are included by going to the link below.

We arrived in Skagway on Saturday afternoon, the 16th, for a four-day stay. While there we toured the area, rich in Klondike Gold Rush history, and surrounded by amazing scenery. Skagway is located at the north end of Lynn Canal and was the beginning of the Chilkoot and White Pass Trails to the Yukon goldfields. It is the ancestral home of the Tlingits and its first white resident was Capt. William Moore whom we are sure is a distant relative of Judy Moore Barger! We also traveled on the White Pass & Yukon Railway which, even though the day was foggy, provided a beautiful ride up to the White Pass Summit in a bit more comfort than the early gold-seekers experienced! Another fun outing was the Yellow Streetcar Tour where we were introduced to many of the famous (and infamous) sights of Skagway. At the conclusion of our day we were “officially” inducted into the Artic Brotherhood, a fraternal organization of Alaska and Yukon pioneers. Local members of the Brotherhood built the headquarters and adorned the front with 8,833 pieces of driftwood and flotsam gathered from local beaches. The result, as you can see in one of the attached photos, is one of the most unique (and highly photographed) buildings in all of Alaska. Skagway is the northern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway and, after an enjoyable stay, we boarded the first of seven ferry connections we will make on our continued tour of the southcentral coast of Alaska.

First stop, Haines, located on the Chilkoot Inlet and ANOTHER location of spectacular beauty as the attached photos will attest to. Short drives allowed us to view a couple glaciers and more bears up-close-and-personal! We also made a stop at The Hammer Museum. Yep, there’s a museum for EVERYTHING; but this one was REALLY fun, with more than 1200 different types of hammers of all shapes and functions. We were thrilled to have an opportunity to watch and talk with Wayne Price, a local Tlinget artisan, who is carving a thirty foot totem for a high school in Juneau.

After a GREAT time in Haines we boarded the ferry again and sailed on to Juneau, where we will stay for a week. There will be another Post and some more spectacular (we’re sure) photos from here, so check back in a few days. For now, check out the link below and rest assured that we are having an AWESOME time.

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Take care and stay safe,
P&J