Skagway and Haines

Skagway and Haines are only separated by 15 miles of water, but they are nearly 350 miles apart by road. So it's best to take the ferry. Both towns are steeped in history.

Skagway marked the beginning of the route to famous Klondike Gold Rush of 1896. Within two years of the discovery of gold Skagway became the most populous city in Alaska. For several years during that time Skagway was lawless, and run by groups of con men who created a well oiled system for cheating newcomers out of their money as they arrived in town. The city and some of it's residents, like Soapy Smith, bore numerous similarities to the famous Deadwood television series.

 

Today a remarkable amount of that history has been preserved, and the bulk of the downtown area is a kind of living museum. Cruise ships arrive regularly, and during the day the streets are jam packed full of tourists. Then, at 7 or 8pm the boats sound off their enormous horns, and the tourists hypnotically file back into the ships, like the Eloi in The Time Machine. The town is transformed. Residents, now off work, begin to live their lives, relaxing, riding around on bikes in the empty, quite streets. It's very nice at that time of day.

 The streets are peaceful after the cruise passengers leave.

 The original headquarters of Soapy Smith.

Unfortunately all these beer bottles were empty.

The White House B&B, where i stayed the second day in Skagway. It was far better than the previous night's accommodations.

The unfortunate thing about Skagway is that the entire economy appears to be based on tourism. All of the buildings downtown are either gift shops, restaurants, or museums. The White Pass railroad is a major employer, but it too has devoted it's operations almost entirely to tourism. Outside that small downtown area there is virtually nothing. Still, it's a very nice town.  With the whole White Pass area a few miles away I wouldn't mind spending an entire summer there, maybe even longer.

 Some pictures of the pioneer cemetery in Skagway.

  

The view from my room at the Chilkoot River Lodge

 Coincidentally, they day i stayed in the Chilkoot Lodge happened to be the day of an annual race where contestants get into makeshift rafts and race the last mile of the river down to the ocean. The guys in the lower picture managed to hit every rock in the river.

I took the ferry to Haines, and felt a world away when i arrived. Although Haines does have it's own tourist industry, it is also a functioning town in other ways. Downtown looks more like a downtown of any other tiny city, but around the edges you'll find other industries, like logging and fishing. I get the sense that Haines could survive in some form if the tourists stopped coming.

Portage Cove

Fort Seward is visible from afar, but up close many of the buildings appear to be in disrepair.

After the quaintness of Skagway i wasn't too happy with the hotel selection in Haines. I did find one incredible place to stay, and i couldn't believe it had a room available. It was called the Chilkoot River Lodge, and it only had 3 or 4 rooms. Having just opened, it still smelled brand new on the inside. Situated directly above the Chilkoot River, you can catch fish, and then walk right up to lodge, cook the fish on a large grill, and eat it on the spot.

The Bald Eagle and the otter in these pictures were having a duel over a fish carcass. The otter won, i think because i spooked the eagle when i got too close. While i was taking pictures i didn't notice the quickly rising tide. By the time i was done the camera bag i left on the beach was in the water. It ruined one of my extra batteries.

I only stayed in Haines for one day, but it was a long one. I had wanted to take a flight tour over to Mt. Logan and Lituya Bay, the site of the larges megatsunami ever recorded. I didn't get to go because it was the 4th of July and either the flights were already full, or the pilots were taking the day off. Instead i hung out and enjoyed some of the small town festivities, including an impressive fireworks display late in the evening. I couldn't figure out where such a small town could get enough money for such a big show.

I decided i would try and take a flight tour from Haines Junction, in the Yukon. I called and made reservations the next morning. I had already been up that way a few days before on the way to Whitehorse, and met a French Canadian pilot who seemed enthusiastic.

Fourth of July firework celebrations in Haines.