Lunch In Skagway Alaska

Skagway emerged from the mist like a lost city on an emerald planet.  As we steamed in on the ferry we could see the massive cruise ships rise out of the ocean like giant sea monsters towering over the little seemingly dainty wooden docks.

Skagway was incorporate June 28, 1900 as the first-class city in the Territory of Alaska and was known as the "Gateway to the Klondike."  Skagway was also a setting for Jack London's book, The Call of the Wild.

The name Skagway is the Tlingit word meaning "A windy place with white caps on the water."

In 1896 Gold was found in the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory thus the name, "Gateway to the Klondike."  Click here to read more about Skagway Alaska.  It's actually quite fascinating.

We were finally allowed down to the car deck and waited our turn to pull our trustworthy truck from the belly of the giant.  It was nice to get off the ferry.  I was relieved we didn't need to be on it any longer.  I wanted the wide open road with no people around. I was already craving it.  We were anxious to get on the road.

We took a couple hours to walk the boat harbor.  This harbor and town was much larger than Haines and people were everywhere.  I suppose with four giant cruise ships in there would stand to be a lot of people about.  The boat harbor boasted a beautiful sail boat yacht and another large beautiful yacht.  It reminded me of something some foreign royalty may be on.  A stout black man stood at the stern of the ship like a body guard.  My curiosity grew and  I fantasized what the ship may be like on the inside.  Who were these people?  The harbor was also filled with many little fish boats, skiffs and charter boats.

After we walked the harbor we decided fish and chips sounded good so we went to the Skagway Fish and Chip Co. restaurant that overlooked the harbor.  From our table inside we could watch all the different people walking to and from the cruise ship on our side of the little bay.  Darren and I both came to the conclusion that cruise ships probably wouldn't be our thing.  I think we had both learned that we were more of a recluse type.  We craved the open, vast emptiness of the wild roads we knew waited ahead.  Just us and our dog and our surprisingly trustworthy truck.  The fish and chips were the best ever.  The batter was almost like a light bread rather than a crust.  The Halibut was fresh and it all just melted in your mouth.  The Skagway Fish Co. is highly recommended by us.  It boasted a lively environment, good decor and friendly staff with the best fish and chips one could ever dream of.  Put it on your list.  Skagway Fish Co. in Skagway Alaska.  A place to go before you die.

Time was ticking and we had to get going.  As we drove out of town we discovered even more people and hustle and bustle about.  There were people everywhere on the streets.  We slowly rolled through. The buildings were all old time looking buildings.  Fur shops, jewelry shops, art shops lined the streets and all looked very intriguing.  The town looked like how you would think it to look back in the early 1900's during the gold rush.  The buildings all very original, all very old west looking.  You could envision the road we drove on to be a muddy street with horses and carriages driving through.  How I would have like to have stopped and wandered about the streets of Skagway but time was not on our side now.  I made a mental note to make sure to return to this town one day and visit all that I could.

We reached the edge of town and continued on.  The mist and fog were thick here too.  The road began to climb and we were headed straight into the foggy mountains towards the Canadian Border.  At least it was light outside unlike when we were coming into Haines the night before.  It was mystical.  It felt like you were in the clouds.  Visibility was awful.  You could only see maybe 20 feet in front of you.  The sunlight filtered through the fog here and there.  For all you could see you were driving on a road to heaven.  You couldn't see anything on your sides as I assume we were driving along the top ridge of a mountain.  There was just emptiness on both sides.  It felt like a dream.

The fog slowed us down incredibly.  The 20 some mile trek to the Canadian Border took well over an hour.  We did stop along the way to let Kenai out for a drink.  We ran around a bit in some boulders in the misty fog for a few minutes and then packed her back in and continued on.

Suddenly, heaven emerged.  We came out of the fog and into a beautiful fairy tale land of crisp pure air, lakes, flowers and magnificent rock art.  It was so perfect it looked how I would think heaven should be.  My breath was lost along with words.  My jaw was dropped and all I could do was gaze into the beauty of this new land we'd just come to.  Within minutes of arriving in this to beautiful to be true setting we arrived at the Canadian Border, yet again.  It seemed obvious there was no internet or bar code scanners or even computers at this small customs building.  The man was very nice, straight to the point and asked all the same questions as the past border patrol agents had.  We passed through and my gawking expression out the window continued.  Take a moment to look at these pictures.  We stopped along the way to take some photos.  The air was so pure and crisp.  It was invigorating yet calming all in one.  The water looked inviting but cold.  It was all just amazing.

Our journey continued towards Watson Lake.  This time though we were going to go home a different way yet again.  We had already spiced the trip up by going to Haines and taking a ferry to Skagway.  We had to get to the road we'd been on before again but we wouldn't stay on it long.  About 15 miles before Watson Lake there was a turn off to the Cassiar Highway.  The Cassiar was about 100 miles shorter than the way we had come up but the road was narrower with more turns and you had to travel at a slower speed.  We fueled up at the turn off at a little gas station with cabins.  The mosquitos descended up on us as soon as we opened the truck door.  Darren stood there doing the mosquito dance while trying to fuel the truck.  I retreated and stayed inside the truck once I saw the ambush coming.  Before getting in the truck Darren ran around the truck flailing his arms all about to throw the hive of mosquitos off his trail before he quickly hoped in the truck.  A few mosquitos still made their way in but the majority had been left hungry outside.

By this time it was getting late.  It must have been around 8 p.m.  Darren hadn't slept since the night before along the road just before Haines and a little nap before getting on the ferry.  It was my turn to drive.  We made the turn for the Cassiar Highway not knowing how far we could get on this tank of gas, not knowing if there'd by anyone or anything along the way.  All we knew is that it was the beginning of another great adventure.  Just the three of us.  Darren, Kenai and I in the middle of the wilderness, all by ourselves.  And we were excited about it.

Thanks as always for reading.

hailey rose