Skagway, Alaska

Skagway was the first place in Alaska we visited.  It was a bit disappointing.  For all its history as the "gateway to the Klondike gold fields", it is now strictly a tourist town.  Many of the shops actually close as soon as the last cruise ship leaves harbor in the afternoon.  

There were two cruise ships in the harbor when this was taken.  We came back into town later to go to a show.  The streets were deserted and all the shops were closed.  The show we had tickets to was cancelled because only six people showed up.

This is a rather large snow blower used to clear the tracks for the train that runs to Whitehorse, Yukon, about 130 miles north.

This is a view along the main street towards the harbor.  At the left center of the picture you can see the upper decks of one of the cruise ships that were in that day.   I was too tired to walk around to the ship's berth so this is the best you get.

This was the other ship in port.  She is the Empress of the North.  She is a little gaudy and a large step down from the large liners, but she looks like a fun ship.

I do not regret the 260 mile side trip to see Skagway.  I have heard stories about this town all my life.  My disappointment was due to their being little to show what this town must have been like in 1898.  Nevertheless, the town is interesting and it is surrounded by spectacular scenery.  There is an obvious pride shown by the people.  Several shops had signs stating that they sold only items made by local craftsmen and the clerks knew the name of the artist and where he or she lived.  There were even a few shops that were owned by an artist selling his/her own creations.