Whitehorse to Skagway

 

Today was our transition day from our tour to our cruise. Another early start, with bags out at 7am and departure at 8:30am. Luckily the air had cleared, so I took a bit of a walk around the waterfront and downtown of Whitehorse. There is a very nice bike/walk path along the Yukon river. It's quite a bit cooler today.

It was about an hours drive to Carcross which is a lovely town between 2 lakes. Bennet and Nares lakes. This is where the Stampeders used to have to build their boats to go down the Yukon river to Dawson City.

It's a nice little resorted touristy town, and I was glad we had a 45 min stop. After that we drove through the "Tormented Valley" so named because of the fierce winds and harsh climate. It's cold up here! Many of the trees were leaning to one side. We spotted a black bear by the side of the road. We finally passed over the border, first from Yukon to B.C. and then to Alaska. A long winding road into Skagway. We were sad to say goodbye to Justen and especially Grace who had been with us from Anchorage. She really did a fantastic job, letting us enjoy our trip while she took care of the details.

And I must say that we had a great group of fellow travellers. There were 30 of us, and we had a lot of fun together, and no issues.

Because U.S. customs doesn't allow it, we drove right in to Skagway and boarded the ship before doing the Whitepass Railway tour. It seems a little convoluted, but at least we got to eat lunch and un-pack before going on the tour. I realise that the last time I did this was 15 years ago, so I was quite happy to do it again.

We were on the 4pm tour, and it was just as spectacular as I remember. Certainly the "must do" for Skagway.

We arrived back at the ship just in time for a quick wash and change and head to our Travel Agents cocktail party in the Crows Nest at 7pm. A mix of Canadians and Americans. I seem to have been in the business the longest. We all ate together in the Main Dining room. Busy but reasonable service. I had Trio of salmon and lamb shank. I listened to a few minutes of music on my way back to the cabin for an earlyish night.













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