ALASKA - SKAGWAY, JUNEAU

ALASKA - Skagway and Juneau, August 29-30

 

The next morning, we caught our same northbound jet northbound from Wrangell, heading for a plane change in Juneau. On our way, the plane made a stop in Petersburg which resulted in the shortest plane flight we’ve ever experienced - 10 minutes! After arriving in Juneau, we walked over to have lunch at a wonderful Mexican restaurant, Mi Casa. From there, the guys headed over to view the construction on the Juneau Lodge and the ladies stopped at the art studio of Alaska artist, Ria Munoz. We received a personal tour and had a chance to support the local economy.

Mid-afternoon, we all boarded a small plane, the “Caravan,” and had the rare treat of flying to Skagway over the ice fields and glaciers instead of up the waterway. There were absolutely magnificent views in every direction. When we arrived in Skagway, we were taken to our accommodations for the night, a beautiful Bed & Breakfast called “The Whitehouse.” We walked over to dinner at the lodge with cook your own steaks/salmon on indoor grill.  Skagway is a very active lodge with young, enthusiastic officers.  ER Andrew Cremata took us on a tour of the lodge and we spent time visiting with the members and guests. At dinner that evening, we received a thank you card from two of the girls in their Girl Scout Troup.  We discovered that the Skagway Lodge had used an ENF grant to buy them camping equipment and had taken them on a camping trip.  High fives for the Elks!

The next morning we packed up and boarded the White Pass - Yukon Route Narrow Gauge Train for a journey up the mountains to the border town of Fraser, Yukon, Canada.  The journey was stunning with waterfalls, forest lands and the beautiful Skagway River.  After returning, we had lunch at a waterfront cafe and then had some time to wander downtown Skagway.  Our final stop was a personal tour of the Red Onion Brothel.  Our guide was very funny, but we learned a great deal about life during the gold rush era of Alaska.

Our return flight back to Juneau gave us another breathtaking view of the ice fields which we understand was very unusual.  Apparently the weather is rarely that cooperative.  The approach to the Juneau airport was directly over the Mendenhall Glacier and afforded us an “up close and personal” view of this wonder of nature. 

That evening, we took the Mt. Roberts Tram to the top for dinner with superb views of Juneau and the surrounding islands everywhere we looked.  What a great day in Alaska.  Tomorrow, a boat!