Day 54: Skagway, Alaska

Started the day with a staff prepared breakfast consisting of omelets prepared in a way I’ve not seen before. Ingredients were all mixed together in a baggy, sealed and dropped in a pot of boiling water to cook. Pretty ingenious but I still prefer my ingredients sautéed and then mixed and cooked with the eggs.

Betty showing Robbie how to start her "Adventure Eggs" 

Spence is getting Bill's eggs ready for cooking

How the eggs were cooked

Free day to explore Skagway. With most of the cruise ships gone and only one in harbor the streets of Skagway were nearly deserted.

Downtown Skagway

Several of the group went on the optional White Pass train ride.

A group of Adventure Caravaners inside the Train Station

The train was a modern locomotive

The Engine Car of the White Pass and Yukon RR

Not like the original steam engine

Orginal Steam Engine from the White Pass & Yukon RR

The railroad was built along the same route used by miners to pack their supplies to the summit. The Canadian government required each miner to have 2000 lbs of supplies which meant they had to make 40, twenty mile trips up the canyon to the summit before being allowed into Canada. Then they had to make their way to the Yukon river, build a boat and travel another 500 miles to the gold fields. Just the thought of this task should have been enough to make any sane man turn around and go home. The trail is still visible today.

The marker for Trail #98

The train ride was impressive, with the tracks laid along sheer cliffs and cut through solid rock with switchbacks so sharp you could see where you had been and scenic views everywhere.

Train going across the trestle 

Fog is starting to drift down on the mountains

Multi color scenery at the bottom of the mountain

 One of the historical sights of the railway is the trestle bridge which is an international site.

Great view of the Trestle from the Train



The train ride was 3 hours and rain had begun by the time we had returned to Skagway, so except for those going on a LEO and of course those doing last minute shopping it was time to return to the campground to prepare for “on the road again” tomorrow.

Submitted by Rig #19

Garry