SKAGWAY
After leaving Vancouver we were 'out at sea' for a day and a half and then dropped in at Juneau. Apart from the fact that Sarah Palin lived there for the time she was Governor (Juneau is the capital of Alaska) I was not that impressed with the little town.
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| I took this photo from the ship as we arrived, of an old jetty just outside Juneau. |
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| One main street in Juneau .. love the mountains as a backdrop |
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| The large white house is the Governor's house in Juneau. |
The following stop - Skagway, was quite different. The most delightful little town - Chocolate- box pretty wooden buildings, timber board-walk pavements and everything as neat as a pin. We disembarked early and boarded the "White Pass & Yukon Route train that took us to the White Pass Summit. The train climbs almost 3000 feet in just 20 miles with gradients of up to 3.9%, cliff-hanging turns of 16 degrees, two tunnels, bridges and trestles. "The steel cantilever bridge was the tallest of it's kind when it was constructed in 1901"
It was great fun, and each coach had a little 'pot-belly' stove which provided warmth and cheer.
I spent most of the ride outside, between the swaying coaches trying to get good photos! There was a lot of editing and I think I got some good pics. It was very cold out there, the train was rocking and rolling and travelling at considerable speed. The result was many blurred photos!
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| The 'brakeman' inspecting the train before our descent |
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| The Flags at the summit |
The landscape was exceptionally beautiful!
Back in Skagway, we did some shopping and below some of the pics of the day.
Cruise ships stop at Juneau and Skagway everyday during the season, resulting sometimes in up to 11,000 visitors a day! I must say that I did admire their friendliness and patience
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| Mr R-I took this picture of Judy, Ozzie and me. I love the combination of the huge cruiser berthed right next to the train! Judy is sporting her new bag bought in Skagway! My final post on Alaska will tell of our visit to Ketchikan and Glacier Bay. |
