Catching Up

June 28. Sunday

We enter the U.S. at the top of White Pass in the rain--typical Alaska per Rich. To get here we passed through an eerie moonscape of rock and lakes and stunted trees, where the average snowfall is 24 ft. As we changed back to miles crossing the border we noticed the protective arm of our home country guiding us with guard rails and snow markers. Runaway truck ramps also appeared below serrated snow dotted ridges as we dropped in elevation. 

We arrived in Skagway amid partly sunny skies and strolled among cruise ship tourists around the National Historic Park. The town has been maintained as a 1898 Gold Rush town with certain buildings restored by the National Park. The Klondike Gold Rush is fascinating and the grit those folks had is something we do not know in our present time. After the NPS walking tour, the 'Days of '98' musical revue and the Steam Engine 73 we are experts on Skagway history!  

The train was much more enjoyable than I imagined. We spent four hours aboard the last narrow gauge steam engine built in the U.S. The cars were wooden and seemed mostly original.   As we climbed up through the clouds to White Pass, we looked for wildlife among blooming fireweed and goatsbeard. It was difficult to imagine the 35,000 men who blasted and built the railroad climbing 3000 feet in 110 miles taking only two years to complete it. We take such things for granted. 

We ended our tourist time by taking the ferry from Skagway to Haines. It takes about an hour, and was a telling sign of what we had to look forward to taking five days to ferry from Whittier to Bellingham.  There is a bar, thank goodness, and Ruby has discovered the back deck as a performance area, complete with wind machine. Notice Rich's face after a half hour aboard. He was in shock. 'Download hundreds of movies to the iPads. Get over your sticker shock.  This is for me!'  I think the kids will be fine. And we will survive as well. There are lots of nooks and crannies to hide in. Did I mention the bar?

June 30, Tuesday

Buffeted by winds as we head north out of Haines headed back to the Al-Can. Back into the land of no cell service, which I am more grateful for than I imagined. Not so grateful to be climbing between the front and back seats again. From being present to not being completely present I feel it, and feel like I am missing out on something. Why does it take less effort to be not present and why don't I just stay present when given the opportunity. Something to think about. 

Out of Haines, headed north we passed the largest protected land mass in the world. It is comprised of Glacier Bay National Park, the Wrangell-St Elias National Park, the Kluane National Park (Canada) and the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. It was the remotest road we have yet driven. 

July 1 Wednesday

We camped near Kluane Lake, the largest lake in the Yukon and spent our last loonies and toonies on our last night in Canada. It was clear, we got to camp early for a change, and roasted hotdogs and s'mores before playing a couple of rounds of Farkle. The time snuck away and before we knew it we were going to bed at 11pm. We did a bit of planning for the first time as we plan to put on serious miles in the next week. We will head south east a bit to visit the Wrangell St Elias and then up to the artic circle. Sounds daunting to me but I know our intrepid driver can do it. 

Crazy time zone and light!  

We did a bit of planning for the first time as we plan to put on serious miles in the next week. We will head south east a bit to visit the Wrangell St Elias and then up to the artic circle. Sounds daunting to me but I know our intrepid driver can do it.