Today we arrived at the Skagway port. The temperature hovered between 52-54 degrees all day, however with the wind, it always felt like it was in the 40’s. We also were able to do our first shore excursion: The White Pass Rail Summit and Gold Panning in partnership with the History Channel. The summit is 2,888 feet and is at the border between Alaska and British Columbia. We continued on to Fraser, BC for a total of 27.7 miles by train. Once there, we boarded motor coaches to return us to Skagway. During the about two hour train ride, a narrator shared the history of the region. We saw waterfalls among the mountains. There was no wildlife to be seen due to the unsuitable topography (no food ). At the conclusion of the train/motorcoach ride we panned for gold. It was a controlled event where everyone was guaranteed to find a few gold “flakes” in their pan. I needed help getting the non-gold sand and pebbles out of my pan and Alan needed a second pan (he must have washed his first gold flakes out). In the end, our combined gold weighed enough to value a little over $42. After panning for gold, we all enjoyed a BBQ lunch. Following the end of the activities, Alan and I wandered Skagway and visited two local breweries.
Our train entering one of two tunnels on the day’s route.
The Skagway River.
An abandoned bridge, now called the “ghost bridge,” as it seems to appear amongst the clouds.
The “border” between the U.S and Canada.
Near the summit.
At the summit, there were remnants of old phone (or telegraph) lines. Only a few poles remained.
My few gold flakes are at the top of the pan.
Three of Alan’s four gold flakes.
A view from above Skagway. There were four ships in port. Ours was the second from right.
A couple of flights at the Klondike Brewery.
Herman Kirmse was one early successful entrepreneur in Skagway. In 1897 Kirmse opened a jewelry and watch repair shop. The mountain side has a tribute with a watch-face and time of 8:17.
An interesting building facade.
The tradition continues with a photo of the Skagway Post Office.