Skagway - 18 June 2016

Russ took a photography tour in the morning and I hit the local quilt shop again. We met up in town and spent the rest of our time in port walking around Skagway. The National Park Service has done a wonderful job restoring the buildings and providing interpretations in many of them. The rest of the buildings are stores, eateries and residences. Again, we were blessed with good weather and enjoyed our walk through town very much.

Speaking to the ranger who was at the Moore Homestead, we learned that the winds can kick up quite a bit, and when they do, they whistle down the streets and make it quite cold during the winter. The place pretty much closes up when the cruise ships leave and things get very quiet. The off season is extremely quiet with few visitors.

Many characters back in the day called the area home and the NPS did a good job telling their stories. I came away with, I think, some sense of what it was like in the Gold Rush Skagway.

Russ' photography excursion took them up the road to the Summit.  Russ got some good pointers from the instructor and got to try some photography equipment he doesn't currently own.

The instructor seemed to focus on close ups more than landscapes.  There is so much to see in the small stuff.
 

This is what the Summit looks like.  We didn't get this view when we took the train before. The glaciers have scraped the land bare.  There are kettle moraines - pools of trapped snowmelt. You can imagine what the prospectors felt when they reached this place - no more climbing!

The train looks like a toy one.

Called Caribou Moss, this is actually lichen and is full of carbohydrates which the caribou eat during the cold of winter.

Lots and lots of lichen.

Skagway's public park showcased trees. 

One of several beautiful murals in town (and one of the too many jewelry stores.)

A former business employing women of "negotiable affection."

The oldest home in Skagway, the Moore's were the first homesteaders and developed much of the area, adding a wharf, sawmill and introducing some civility to the town.

The son built a Victorian home and lived a life of wealth. Unfortunately, his inter-racial marriage and children (he married a Tlingit woman), caused many problems. He and his family eventually moved to Seattle where he and his wife eventually divorced. The NPS restored the home using photos from the 1904 era.

This is the oldest saloon in Skagway and again, the restoration comes from a photo.

Back on the ship, we are getting ready to say goodbye to Skagway.

We spent the evening cruising the Lynn Canal, keeping an eye out for wildlife.