Skagway

We arrived in Skagway early this morning, another hot and sunny day. We had a delicious breakfast in the restaurant and then relaxed in our cabin and on the balcony watching all the helicopters take off on their flights. We had booked a tour starting in the late morning to go on the White Pass and Yukon Railway.

The train journey was slow and steep and illustrated well the perseverance and resilience of those who strived to make a living during the Gold Rush. The terrain was pretty inhospitable too and I could imagine that winters could be long and miserable. We crossed some scary bridges.

We crossed the border into Canada and then came back the Klondike Highway by bus. After a wee rest on board, we walked into Skagway and enjoyed looking at the wooden buildings. There is a permanent population of 920 residents which rises to about 3000 in the summer to include seasonal workers to cope with the 900,000 visitors annually.

The tours are such big business.

We had dinner on our balcony before setting sail on our way towards Glacier Bay.

Semi-Q and I may have had an extra pudding from the International Cafe which has the best cakes ever!

Fingers crossed for some whale sightings tomorrow.