Skagway and Juneau AK

Thursday, July 2 we traveled to Skagway, AK.  This was our first town in Alaska to visit.  Skagway is located southwest of Whitehorse YT by only 102 miles and is the northern most town in the inside passage in Alaska.  As we traveled the Klondike Highway to Skagway, we stopped for a picture at Emerald Lake.  Hopefully, you can see, in the picture below, the green and lavender shades in the water.

Skagway has a population of 968.  There's only one school, K-12, which has 17 classrooms, with an average enrollment of 65 students.  Ten teachers and one superintendent serve the students.  The town has five churches, one library, and one bank.

A portion of the Skagway downtown area has been designated as the Skagway Unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park where over one million people visit each summer.  Skagway is the starting point for the famous Chilkoot and White Pass Trails where thousands of gold seekers scrambled in search of gold in the late 1800’s during the years of the Gold Rush. 

 

We traveled on the White Pass and Yukon Route Scenic Railway for a wonderful scenic and historical experience.  The railroad was completed in 1900.  As we traveled, the White Pass Trail was pointed out to us.  The prospectors trudged through mountains, gorges, ice and snow, on this trail in search of their fortunes.  Once they arrived, some abandoned their search for gold and helped build the railroad.

What a ride!

We also took a three-hour cruise on a chartered catamaran from Skagway harbor to Juneau, AK.  The beauty of the mountain peaks covered with snow or glaciers combined with the majesty of the waterfalls provided the perfect setting for a great boat ride.

                                         

One of many beautiful waterfalls

The bald eagles, our national bird, love to build their nests in the top of fur trees surrounding the Chilkoot Inlet. Even without binoculars one could see the white heads of the  eagles perched in the tree tops guarding their nests and family.  In addition, we enjoyed watching the sea lions sunning on the rocks on the banks and playing on the buoy in the middle of the inlet. They were so funny to watch.  Two were enjoying their time on the buoy while another one was trying to get on it.  Every time he tried, he fell back into the water.  He screamed and cried just like a child.  The others ignored him completely.  

Juneau was a fun place to visit.  It is the capital of Alaska and is only assessible by water or air.  We were picked up at the inlet harbor by a chartered bus in which we took a tour of the city and countryside. We visited the Red Dog Saloon and enjoyed the one-man show by the piano player.  We sat at the harbor in Juneau and watched the huge cruise ships come into port.

 
We ate fish and chips, the most popular menu selection, but the most impressive attraction was the Mendenhall Glacier. 

Glaciers form when the amount of snowfall exceeds the summer snowmelt at higher elevations.  Year after year snow accumulates, compacting underlying snow layers from previous years into glacial ice. Average annual snowfall on the Juneau Icefield exceeds 100 feet, so this location is perfect for the formation of glaciers.  Glaciers are important because of the vast amounts of freshwater they provide to the land and sea environments.  They grind mountains into fine particles and provide essential nutrients that form the basis of the food web:  nitrogen, phosphorus, and unique ancient organic carbon. 

Because of global warming, glaciers are receding; this happens when the annual rate of melt exceeds the annual total snow accumulation.  This receding began as early as the 1700’s when before that age, the Mendenhall Glacier was at its point of maximum advance.  Because of the importance of maintaining glaciers, the global warming climate change proposes a huge threat.

On our return trip we saw several humpback whales including two mamas with their babies.  

Skagway celebrated the 4^th of July with a great parade.  Our SMART (Special Military Active Recreational Travel Club) caravan was invited to march in the parade.  We decorated two trucks and my scooter.  Buck sat in the back of a truck holding  the Army Reserve flag.  Others displayed the flag from their branch of service. Caravaners waved smaller flags as they walked in the parade.  I carried an “Uncle Sam” doll in the front basket of my scooter and threw candy to the kids.  We were announced as we passed by the master of ceremonies. It was a great patriotic experience and seemed to bond our SMART caravaners together.  Beautiful day in Skagway, AK.