Skagway

An old gold rush town, Skagway is now a favorite stop for the cruise boats.  There are four in port today with passengers spilling out into the streets in hopes of finding a bargain.  Not thwarted by a steady drizzle they shop in the belief that somewhere in one of the dozen or so jewelry stores there is a gem stone so reasonably priced that it must come home.

Our party of six charted a different path.  The day started with both good and bad news.  We reserved two cars from Avis because one would not handle all six of us.  I brought along short range two way radios because cell phone use is expensive in Canada (it’s another country) to help coordinate.  Apparently Eva was very much looking forward to using the radios.  When we arrived at Avis the person at the counter told us she had a Ford Expedition she could rent to us for less money than we were planning to spend on two car rentals.  It was great news hearing all six could be together, but it meant we really did not need two way radios.

The scenery along the Klondike Highway, the only road out of Skagway, is unmatched anywhere.  Rocks vaulted or exploded high into the air flank the road separated by a continuous body of water that goes by different names depending upon where you are in the journey.  The water creates a giant reflecting pond to reinforce the beauty of the landscape.  While it rained in Skagway, once we crossed the White Pass the rain abated and the sun made what we saw even more breathtaking.