Bleary eyed we boarded the ferry in Haines and before we knew it we were hopping off again in Skagway, it is only 20 speedy miles by water, but a whole lot longer if you go by road. Now we are never in any real rush and the landscape along the roads is untouchable, but when finances get tight, sacrifices get made, sigh....... jeeez I have such a tough life, shall we sail by ferry through glaciers and majestic fjords, or shall we drive though the firey autumn mountains with moose and bear peeping out behind waterfalls, choices choices..
Skagway was not exactly buzzing, everything was closed for the season or in the process of closing. We had been surfing the 'end of season' wave all the way round Alaska, but it seems that luck had run out and there would be no more lovely quiet galleries and crazy money-off sales, now we were faced with empty window displays and silent solid doors.
Despite this , and the clear fact that this was a seriously touristy town, it has a nice atmosphere and a drenching of gold rush history. There was an old saloon, set up with well dressed maniquins lounging at the bar and shelves of old bottles and foods from the gold rush era. On the walls were stories of some of the most notible characters that lived and blagged and sold and stole and mined and died within and around Skagway. My favourite tale was of a man who would arrange for travellers to be robbed on the road and then when they staggered into town with nothing, befriend them and help them get back to their homes -generous fellow.
Leaving town after a good nosy around everything that was till open, we passed through some more gorgeous landscape, by now we dont expect anything less.
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