By the time we were waking up, the Zaandam was already alongside the pier at 6:30am in Skagway. It was still dark and it was raining….no surprise. Funny, two weeks ago while here, we did not need heavy jackets because it was warm and dry. Today was a whole different story. Looking on the weather station on our TV, we saw that the temperature was a chilly 50 degrees and if the winds were blowing, it would have been even colder. Lucky for everyone, the winds were zero.
After another nice breakfast, we stayed in our room working on photos, etc. Despite the rain, the deck crew was cleaning the verandas this morning at 9:30am. They really do a good job keeping the glass windows and railings clear of salty stains. Also around 9:30am, there was another crew safety drill that involved dropping some of the tender boats. We did have the best view of the drill activity because the ship was docked starboard side today. There has been no need to use the ship's tenders on these 7-day Alaska runs, as the ship is docked every time. This will change on the Tales of the South Pacific.
The last two times we were in Skagway, one of us forgot to check out the excursions available here. So this morning, some of them were still listed on the TV and many of them were trips on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway. The longest tour was 8 ¼ hours for $265 which included a BBQ lunch and homemade donuts. Some of the tours into the Yukon were done by bus with a train ride back to Skagway. How about a multi-lingual train ride for 3 ¾ hours $205, an indication that many people come here from far away countries. A wilderness safari and glacier trip was 6 hours and $325 that included a picnic lunch. The musher camp and dog sled ride with gold panning was 4 hours and $285. With the rain, we doubt the zipline tour for 2 ½ hours and $245 was happening. We are just guessing, but we think none of the tours to the glaciers took place because we never heard or saw the helicopters coming and going from the airport. The times and pricing were not listed, but trust us, they were expensive. An easy tour was a ride on the city streetcar for 1 ½ hours for $55. And while we are talking about transportation, the city provides a convenient small bus called the SMART shuttle that will go to every dock and take folks to downtown Skagway and perhaps beyond to the Cemetery. The price for a one-way ride was $3, but for $5 you can ride the shuttle all day long. These shuttles run from 7am to 9pm. That is a good deal.
As for us, we left the ship around 11am. It appeared that the rain was not stopping, so we dressed for it and took umbrellas. We always bring our own smaller collapsible umbrellas instead of using the extra-large orange HAL ones from our closet onboard. Watching the bow camera on TV, it looked like an "orange parade" of guests walking down the pier towards town. Remember the old see-through plastic umbrellas that turned inside out in the wind that they handed out at the gangway? Guess those umbrellas are long gone.
Despite the mud and deep puddles, we took the walk along Pullen Creek to find that the rains had swollen the creek a lot. Gone were the salmon that had died coming up to spawn and we saw no live ones this time. Somewhere near the Dewey Lake Trail, a clueless lady (possibly a local), ran across the train tracks just as the train was coming full speed ahead. What on earth was she thinking??? Suppose she tripped on the tracks? There was no way that train could stop. The conductor blasted his horn as she strolled away ignoring the warning. No wonder there are local guards at these crossings most times we are here. With only two ships in town today, the Zaandam and the Coral Princess, fewer guests were out and about this early. Most were on tours.
We did take the time to read the creek signage along the way this time. Never too old to learn, we found that the King salmon had been introduced to this creek some years back. Normally, only the humpback or pinks and silvers use this creek to spawn. The fisheries knew that if the Kings were introduced successfully, they would come back in about 5 years to spawn, starting the cycle over and over. It worked so a new fish hatchery was built out of town.
Going as far as McCabe College and Museum and City Hall, we turned left on 8th Avenue to Broadway Street. Window shopping was as good as it got. The town was near empty except for a few expert shoppers from the ships. Our ultimate destination was lunch once again at the Station Bar & Grill. As you all know, they serve the best pizza in town. What was different today was that the establishment was about ½ full. Good for us, since we were seated immediately at a high-top table near the bar. Ordering one Alaskan Amber draft beer and a diet soda, we requested a cheese pizza with sauteed onions, mushrooms and pepperoni. Same as last week. We swear, it gets better every time we come here and we told our nice waitress as much. Appreciating our comment, she introduced herself and asked our names. Her name was Morgan. She stays here for most of the year, going home for the coldest and darkest months of December and January. Daylight hours in Skagway during those winter months is from 6 to 7 hours. And the temperatures drop a lot due to the snow and ice. Morgan also added that this time of year with fewer ships in town, she has a chance to meet and chat with people like us which was really a compliment we thought.
An hour of dining and relaxing was over, and we headed back outside in the rain. Resuming our walk, took us past stores where we compared prices from our stop in Juneau. The "everything must go" clearance sales were still far better in Juneau. Both of us were so full from lunch, we had to pass up the Frybread at the Klondike Doughboy Store. The hungry ravens will miss our crumbs today. There was a short break in the showers but had resumed by the time we got back to the ship where we had the facial recognition once again. The official did a second look at our cruise cards, not recognizing the red, white & blue stripes on the bottom with President's Club written below it. He never saw one of those cards before, but he did not ask what they were about and we did not offer any explanation.
Back in our room by 2pm, we warmed up while watching a movie while doing reports and photos. Dinner time arrived and one of us ordered the French onion soup (hot) to warm up. One salad and a beef carpaccio appetizer were starters for one, and we ordered one parmesan-crusted chicken with honey mustard and one serving of lasagna. No dessert tonight .
Entertainment came from the singers and dancers with Feel The Beat . Not for us however, since the day had been long and we were" feeling the beat" of turning in early. The Coral Princess had left the Ore Dock at 8:15pm, and the Zaandam left within an hour after that. And here's one fun fact for the day: The Lynn Canal that we traverse leaving here, is the deepest and longest fjord in all of North America. How about that?
Looking forward to our final jaunt in Glacier Bay tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
