After leaving the port in Icy Strait Point our ship smoothly cruised through the night and when we awoke we were nearing the port of Skagway, Alaska. After breakfast in the Wind Jammer we headed down the gang plank and onto the docks at Skagway.
Early morning arrival into Skagway
Disney and Norwegian were already docked when we arrived in port
We learned from watching previous cruising videos that each ship that docks in Skagway has painted a rock up on the cliffs overlooking the cruise ship ports.
We were looking forward to our excursion of hiking the Chilkoot Trail and enjoying a float trip back into town, however, like in Icy Strait Point, our excursion was canceled. Fortunately, the excursion directors were able to get us on the White Pass & Yukon Scenic Railway, at half price and later in the afternoon!
This gave us plenty of time to explore the town of Skagway. Our first stop was the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and got a walking tour map. We enjoyed investigating the historical buildings located along Broadway Street. Our favorites included the Red Onion Saloon and the Artic Brotherhood Hall. The facade of this relic from the Klondike gold rush is decorated with over 8,800 pieces of driftwood.
Artic Brotherhood Hall
The famous Red Onion Saloon
For a mid-morning snack we shared a delicious fry bread and Dr. Pepper (had to get our fix for the day)from the Klondike Dough Boy. We continued exploring Skagway stopping to buy souvenirs before having lunch at the Bonanza Bar & Grill.
Adding cinnamon and sugar to that delicious fry bread!
Following lunch we headed back to the White Pass & Yukon Railway to board the train and head up the pass. Even though the train ride was not one of our planned excursions we felt very lucky that we managed to get tickets and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Grave site of two railroad workers and horse that were crushed by falling rocks.
It is amazing to find out that between 1898 and 1900 some 35,00 workers connected Skagway and Whitehorse by rail with 35 workers dying in the process. This railway has been designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, putting it i the same good company of such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and the Panama Canal.
Old trestle bridge no longer in use - thank goodness!
Until you see the pass in person, one cannot comprehend the fortitude it took those seeking their fortune in gold to journey through this snow covered, steep pass.
With a great adventure through Skagway it was time for us to board our ship and sail on to Endicott Arms and the Dawes Glacier.
Captain in the helm ready to sail away from Skagway
Sea lion feeding in the Skagway Port
Passing Eldred Rock Lighthouse
Fellow cruisers enjoying the North Star out to the side of the ship
Good night from Skagway
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Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park . The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas. The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east. Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.
Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home. When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point. This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,
