Day 5 – Saturday 20th May - Cruise Ship Volendam overnight to Skagway

Skagway is located in a narrow glaciated valley at the head of the Taiya Inlet, which is the most northern fjord on the Inside Passage.  We have travelled here overnight and wake to find ourselves already alongside the quay with the carriages of the White Pass Railroad alongside the ship.  We have booked a trip on this, supposedly one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world for later in the day, but first we plan to explore the old gold town settlement itself.

Mary has her usual stretch class before a buffet breakfast which we take in the Lido Restaurant for a change, then it’s collect camera, waterproofs and we are off the boat and walking into town.  Skagway seems to have more going for it than the State Capital Juneau where we were yesterday.  Here the town is in a much better state of repair, probably because it is now under the protection of the Federal Government and also because it has the “cash cow” of the White Pass and Yukon Railway which generates a steady income during cruise ship season from May through to November.

The Red Onion Saloon
We follow the Historic Skagway Town Trail I have downloaded from the Internet and it proves to be very interesting.  We see some of the oldest buildings, all dating from the later gold rush days when Skagway was developing from a tented settlement into a proper town with timber buildings and raised sidewalks.  The museum is fascinating with both gold rush information and native American art and artefacts.  We visit the former red light district and enjoy a drink in the Red Onion, a former bordello which is now both bar and exhibition/museum.  The staff are all dressed appropriately!

We return to the ship for a bite to eat then head off once again; this time to catch the train for a trip up to the White Pass.  The views, even with low cloud and intermittent rain, are stunning as we climb steadily, following the route of one of the two original trails to the Yukon.  The railway is an amazing feat of engineering and hugs the rocky valley side, is carried over raging torrents on trestle bridges and through cuttings and tunnels blasted out of the rocky mountainside.  It becomes colder as we climb and we get above the tree line where the snow is still many feet deep on either side of the line.



Eventually we reach the summit and the USA-Canadian border where the locomotive is brought from the front to the rear and the seat backs all switched so that we can all turn around and be facing the right way for the descent!  By the time we reach the town it is raining steadily and heavily so we abandon thoughts of a walk and head straight for the comforts of the ship.

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