Alaska Adventure: Skagway

Day 4 of our trip found us in Skagway.  I was totally charmed by this place!  It's quite small (under 1000 people live there), and yes, it is touristy.  There was just something about it that I really liked.  We spent the morning exploring, and even found a genuine lifelong resident of Skagway!  He was born there, worked for the railroad for over 40 years, retired, and then took a job as a driver on the town shuttle (which is where we met him).  I'd say that's even more rare than a bear sighting.

 A cute idea I snapped a photo of for my mom.  Take an old hiking pack and plant flowers in it!

I wanted to remember the color of this building for future reference.

I found an Ohio license plate, so OF COURSE I had to take a photo.  Of course.

We hadn't pre-planned any outings for the day, but I kept overhearing other passengers talking about some train ride.  We decided to check it out.  

The White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad began construction in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush.  By the time it was finished and service started in 1900, the gold rush had died down.  Bummer.  It was shut down in 1982, but re-opened in 1988 as an attraction for tourists.  Tourists like us!     

 Ed took a lot of these while standing on the little platform outside the back of our train car.  I wouldn't suggest this ride for people who are very afraid of heights.

Mostly because of views like this.  It definitely looked like the train could tumble down the side of the mountain at times!

Another glacier!  I don't remember which one...

Rapids.

 Beautiful scenery.  Photos can't do it justice!

 Flags from L to R: US, Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon, and Canada.  The railroad passes through all of them.

We were sooo tired after our train ride.  The rhythmic clacking of the tracks and all of the gorgeous scenery made us very ready for naps.

 One last look at the train.  The driver (conductor? engineer?) was kind enough to take us right to the docks.

Up next is Icy Strait Point, which turned out to be one of our most exciting days yet!