Around 5:55am, one of us awakened with a sudden knock on the door. Probably still dreaming, I could have sworn I heard "fire alarm". Which really must have been room service, and they had the wrong room. So much for sleeping in a bit later. By the way, we were already docked at Skagway, and the only cruise ship there today. Once again, we had no satellite connection, but we did have internet.
Breakfast was earlier , 7 – 8:30am to accommodate the tours, most of which were variations of a ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway. Other thrilling excursions involved a plane or a helicopter ride to view glaciers and the countryside. Back to breakfast….they served the best English bacon with our waffles and pancakes today. Moist and tender.
It was downright chilly this morning, with temps in the high 30's. Now we are really glad we brought those heavy jackets, because we wore them when we left the ship at 11am. There was no long line getting off today, since most all of the tour groups were gone. Actually, the later train tour was about to start, so there was a very long line for the folks to board the coaches. From what we could see, the coaches were full.
Here are a few fun facts about Skagway. The current population is about 1200 people according to the 2020 census. In the winter, there are 800, while there are up to 2500 people in July, the peak of tourist season. Their public school has 130 students from K – 12. The climate in summer has 45 to 67 degrees and the summer solstice has 19 hours of daylight. However, in the winter, the temps drop from 18 to 37 degrees with many days at below 0. Darkness exists most of the day.
Skagway gets 26 inches of rain and 39 inches of snow. White Pass can get 20 feet of snow. Summer tourists were 1.1 million cruise ship passengers in 2019, while 2020 had zero, due to Covid. In 2021, tourists numbered in the 100,000 range, and it is expected to be much higher for 2022.
The largest employers are visitor and transportation industries and government jobs. A copper mine still uses this port. Finally, in May of 2022, unleaded gas was $5.50 a gallon, while milk sold for $7…..thanks to inflation.
Today our hike took us to town, where we stopped at the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitors Center. They offered many brochures, so we decided to pick some up on the way back. No sense packing them. Also ducked into a few stores to compare prices from Juneau and Ketchikan.
Continuing up the road, the houses ended, and we saw the Train Yard buildings. There was an arrow pointing to the Gold Rush Cemetery, another ½ mile away. Reid Falls was beyond that. Perhaps we will save that hike for next week. Crossing the highway, we walked over the Moore Bridge where the Skagway River rushes under it. Just as we were leaning over the railing looking for fish in the river, a plane flew overhead, preparing to land at the small airstrip along the banks. Took our breath away, since it was so low and loud, and too close to us. Time to head back.
Lunch would be at the Skagway Brewing Company for a burger, fries, and two Amber Red beers. We dined in their upstairs restaurants, where we found about a dozen customers. It was not crowded like the Red Onion Saloon on Broadway Street. Again, it would have been nice to have the pizza at the Station Bar & Grill, but they opened too late for lunch.
The next stop was at smaller shop that sold ice cream and popcorn. We purchased a large bag of caramel corn with candied pecans, a nice snack for our room. They actually had tasting bowls where the folks could reach in and take a handful. No way would we do that these days. To tell the honest truth, Covid does not seem to be front and center here. Compared to where we live, it seems to have hit, and is mostly gone. The majority of the locals were not wearing masks.
Our last stop was at the Visitors Center to gather some brochures and maps, as well as the local newspaper. Asking the park ranger about the impending storm up here, he said that it missed this part of Alaska, but hit the Aleutians. He added that it was headed to California, where they may get up to 2 inches of rain or even better, some snow in the mountains. Heaven knows….we need it.
We got back to the ship after 4pm, and warmed up in our room snacking on some of that good popcorn, while working on the computer. Sitting on the veranda reading the information we picked up, we had to wear our heavy jackets and even use the plaid wool blankets. Exposed to the wind, it was quite cool.
The time for dinner arrived, and we headed for the dining room. One of our favorite dishes was on the menu……short rib Bolognese with linguini noodles. Really, it was ground beef and tasted wonderful with extra parmigiana cheese. Even better served hot. Our new waiters must have gotten the message we like our meals hot. A small serving of ice cream finished the meal.
After the ship left Skagway, Captain Friso announced that we were going to have an emergency helicopter medical evacuation of an ill guest. He asked for no filming especially with flashes as it can blind the chopper pilot. He expected the pick up to be between 10 and 12pm, but as this was being written, we heard it hovering behind the ship around 10:40pm. Job done, they were on their way by 11pm. Hope all is OK once again, since that makes two taken off in two days.
Tomorrow will be scenic cruising in Glacier Bay. Wonder if it will be as spectacular as last week's visit?
Bill & Mary Ann
134 Pictures
