Which Way To Skagway

First things first, Happy Birthday Robi!!

     We are huddled in the land cruiser parked on the beach overlooking Lake Tutshi, somewhere between Skagway and Whitehorse, partially because it’s cold and to some extent because we are scared there is a bear nearby that may or may not have smelled our chili dinner.

     We spent a day in Skagway, Alaska, which was rich in gold rush history and completely packed with tourists from the daily cruise ship tours. While the town looked old and many of the shops were just tourist trap souvenirs we managed to not buy a things a still feel like we experienced the best this town had to offer. Every second store was a jewelry store that had salesmen that were ready to pounce on every passerby and it seemed that locally made crafts would be hard to come by. There was however, ONE jewelry store that was locally owned and operated; here we had the chance to hold a 7 ounce gold nugget that was donated by a local gold miner. 

     Even though the city was a tourist trap the buildings and shops were impressive and allowed us to image what life was like in the times of the Alaska Gold Rush in the 1890’s. We walked the streets of Skagway all afternoon window shopping and toured the Gold Rush Cemetery. Being typical tourists we found ourselves taking pictures of just about everything we saw and learning as much as we possibly could about the place we were visiting.

     The road into Skagway is simply indescribable; it quickly switched from lush forest to a “moonscape” consisting of small turquoise lakes and short stubby trees, shaped by the 24 feet of annual snow in the area. While we attempted to capture the landscape on camera the pictures simply do not convey what it truly looks like. Not only did the southern Klondike Highway provide such an unreal scenery it also provided us the chance to explore the World’s Smallest Desert in Carcross.

     Here we finally tested out the four wheel drive, hauling around the sand dunes, climbing hills and dropping down steep inclines, we spent a good portion on an hour having the most fun we have had yet. You couldn’t beat the smirks off our faces. The sand dunes were rough and while speed was necessary, we continually worried about the 12 eggs in the fridge. With later inspection and to our surprise, they were all completely intact.

     Along the way we also stopped at Caribou Crossing which advertised; coffee, bakery and husky puppies…we were in. After inspecting some old pieces of equipment, some goats and collection of antlers we climbed a snow covered mountain in search of the puppies.

     Through a small log cabin we entered the dog’s fenced rest area where we were greeted with a three week old Alaskan husky puppy. With our hearts melting and trying to keep the puppy warm with some serious snuggling we took some pictures and returned him back to his little dog house. Amongst this musher camp there were approximately forty working sled dogs, many of which have competed in the Iditarod.

     We then continued to explore and found ourselves face to face with some of natures meanest and largest mammals ever to roam the earth. From the World’s Largest Polar Bear to the Wooly Mammoth, who only stopped roaming this earth 10,000 years ago. Robi and I both agree that it was the best exhibit either of us has ever seen.

     Tomorrow we are headed back to Whitehorse to visit a friend and then begin our trek to Dawson City. The heart of the Klondike Gold Rush.