Skagway, AK

We have been here in Skagway for several days, and in spite of the daily turn over of cruise ships it is a lovely place. It is nestled in at the end of the Lynn Channel, and the over land road is a beautiful drive over the south end of the St. Elias Mountains. We are now in the land of the cruise ships and the inside passage, so there are many day trips out to view glaciers and sea animals. We have naturally participated and have seen more than our share of Humpback Whale activity. Apparently, from what the veteran whale watchers have to tell us, we have had some unusual displays of “breaching” and “fluking” as well as the opportunity to watch a pod of no less than ten , participating in the practice of “bubble net feeding”.

The drive from Valdez, through Destruction Bay and over the US Boarder, back into AK was filled with vibrant green reflective lakes, and water falls in almost every crack and crevice, flowing off the glacial ice fields. It is all so “breath taking” and truly hard to describe. The photos never really do justice as they are unable to capture the vastness of it all. To add to the geology and landscape, the fauna have made themselves evident. Black and Brown bear seem to be in full force as the gobble up the vast quantity of salmon that are headed up river. The salmon are also providing nourishment to the bald Eagle that swoop around like pigeons, gathering up fish and small vermin. We have even seen great horned owl by the side of the road with bunnies in their clutch.

Tomorrow we move back into BC and down to our southern most point in South Eastern Alaska where we are promised the bear will be even more prevalent. There are also several social events, as the group will be separating on August 2. The Chile cook –off is scheduled for the 31st and I will be ready with the green which Charlie provided just before we left Las Cruces. I was able to find some lamb in Palmer, after we visited the Musk Ox farm, so it will be authentic. ( Note, Musk Ox photo, which end is which?)

It is not likely that I will be able to get another post up until we are back in the lower 48, unless we are able to find a park with a good inter-net connection wile we are in BC. We are still working out the return trip and the only thing set in stone is the windshield replacement scheduled in Salem, Oregon on Sept. 4th. I assume we will descend upon Chris sometime the week before so we can unload the coach before leaving it at the dealership for several days.

We will possibly head over to Banff and Lake Louise as the water and sewer situation is still a bit questionable in the Prince Rupert area after the spring floods. There is the possibility of Vancouver Island but getting the coach over and back may be an issue. We are still researching the possibilities. Eventually you will see where we have been, or maybe you have some suggestions which we would love to see in the comments section. FYI you can participate in the comments and just leave a hint as to who you are if you have not signed on as blog participants, just blog and be anonymous!