Well, here we are in Haines, the substitute port for Skagway. We're not exactly sure why we did not go there, but it wasn't due to the weather conditions. We believe we were bumped so the Sapphire Princess, the Carnival Miracle, and the Seven Seas Regent Explorer had room to dock. We may be wrong, but probably not. Anyway, it has been a long time since we visited Haines, and we had a fine time there despite the constant rain.
Located at the upper end of America's longest and deepest fjord, the Lynn Canal, we were here in 2011. It is also known as the home to 30,000 bald eagles, the highest concentration in all of North America. Haines is 80 miles north of Juneau, and 14 miles south of Skagway. Haines is also home to Fort William H Seward, named after the man who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. This impressive fort was built on 4000 acres, which has been converted to businesses and bed and breakfast hotels these days.
Breakfast was first, and we did learn from the hotel director that the former art corner next to the wine bar outside the Pinnacle Grill is being converted to another shop that will feature the HAL Captain's logo items and clothing. Interesting. It will take another week before the project is completed. There was some noise from the hammering, drilling, and sawing. And the adjacent wine bar will eventually be turned into something involving the photo department. It does not appear that this wine bar is being used for sip and savor anymore.
Armed with a map (oops…forgot the umbrellas), we headed off the ship about 9:45am. Rounding the corner at the elevator lobby, we ran right into the "moose" or the mascot of the ship's photographers. Yesterday it was a wolf, and the day before a bear. No, thanks, but we still don't need the photo. Been there, done that.
Going down to deck A, we just showed our room key to the security gal. No tender ticket needed. One of the tours was going off, so the boat filled quickly. Actually, it was the excursion that took the 45 – minute ferry ride to Skagway with the train ride. There were nine tours in total, some easy sight-seeing rides, or kayak or floating down the river in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. We took this tour and found it quite enjoyable. In today's rain? Probably not so much. There were several museums to visit, a wilderness safari, or a visit to a wildlife refuge to see a wolf, a Kodiak bear, porcupine, lynx, and a reindeer up close and personal. Unsuited to release back into the wild, they are cared for by a man named Steve Kroschel, who has a 60 acre park.
Once we walked up the steep gangway to the top, there was a convenient tourist info shop. We picked up more brochures and a better map, then hopped on a waiting free shuttle to downtown. The friendly driver made four stops along the way, and we got off at the Bald Eagle Raptor Center. We have seen a similar bird display and live show in Sitka, and this looked much the same. So we continued to walk up the Haines Highway past the police and firehouse stations and uphill to the center of town. Everything was here in a tight 3 or 4 block section. Many restaurants were closed until 11am, some not until 5pm. We had heard there was an excellent wood-fired pizza parlor, and we did locate it. They opened after 11am. We would come back of course.
We happened to pass the Haines Library where a 20 – foot totem pole was erected. The figures on this pole told the story of the library's beginning. But the most interesting part was the fact this pole was carved from an 800 year old cedar tree. This town has a total of fifteen such totems located all throughout the town and its outskirts.
Making our way to Main Street, we ducked in and out of some shops and stores. One was the main supermarket, which had just about anything you might need. Not only a food store, but also cosmetics, clothing, and some hardware items. Like a mini -Walmart. Following the map, we strolled past more historic buildings, and also past one neat souvenir shop called Gold Spot. A rack of locally crafted copper earrings caught our eye, so we went in to check it out. Made in the designs of totems and more, one of us found a pair of earrings to buy, and the store owner happened to locate a matching bracelet. They will be a nice keepsake to remember our unscheduled stop in Haines.
It was close to noon, so we headed right for the Alpenglow Pizzeria. We could already smell the smoke drifting out of their traditional pizza oven. What we found was a very casual order-at-the-counter café with the menu printed in chalk on the side wall board. All of the pizzas were 12 inches with the usual varieties. We choose a simple pepperoni pizza, which was delivered to our table. It was as good as it looked, and today our beverages were Coke Zero. No beer sold here.
We stayed in town walking every street, taking photos, then made our way to the town's other information center. It was also a convenient restroom stop which was located next to the center. Once inside, we realized this was the "candy store" of info centers. They had walls full of pamphlets, maps, and brochures. Loaded up with many of them, we signed their guest book and thanked the info ladies for having such a wonderful shop.
Instead of taking the shuttle back, we decided to walk back, even in the rain. It wasn't as far as it looked on the map, and soon we were directly across from the fort. It would have been quite a wet walk up the hillside to access the property, so we just took photos and kept going. Some of the crew members were also walking back from the market. We could see their bags were loaded with small snack packages. There were still some tour groups coming off the tenders for the second round for the day. Too bad we did not have a better day for touring.
Have we mentioned the use of the facial recognition screens they use for boarding the ship? We have had this in most every port, and it seems to work well. We still have to use our room key to get back onboard, but it seems the line moves quicker using the computer screen. The ride back took only 15 minutes. Then we dried off for the rest of the afternoon working on photos and reading all of the brochures. The rain never stopped.
The last tender was at 7:30pm and we think the ship left the bay by 8pm or earlier. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill with the usual starters and the filet mignons for our mains. They were more tender than ever and were wonderfully delicious. One tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate sauce finished our meal. Sitting by the "window" we watched the stream of guests coming from the show lounge. The Step One Dance Company performed Humanity once again. It appeared to be well-attended. Last night after dinner, we passed by the Ocean Bar and caught the end of a piano concert played by the cruise director, Glenn Michael. He had played music from Phantom of the Opera, and got a huge round of applause as he exited the room. A very talented fellow.
Tomorrow we will be entering Glacier Bay once again.
Bill & Mary Ann
