Knocking the 50th State Off Our Life List

Bob and I like goals and one goal has been to visit every American state.  On Monday we visited Alaska and now have visited each and every one of the fifty states.  In case you think we aren't patriotic people, we have visited our ten provinces as well.

Sunday was our last day with Elizabeth as her show started the touring portion  on Monday.  She and her cast and crew headed to Dawson City.  Jack, the husband of one of the actors, was at loose ends so on Monday he and the two of us hopped in our rental car and headed to Skagway, Alaska.

The trip each way is about two and a half hours.  Was it worth it?  Yes!  First of all, the scenery along the way is magnificent.  Have a look.

We passed a number of signs that said, "Avalanche area.  No stopping."  Inevitably near these signs would be pullouts for scenic views.

Here we are about to step into our last state.  (A giant step for Kingkind and all of that!)

Skagway is a town of 900 people.  On Monday there were about 920 people as I think there were twenty or so tourists which included the three of us.

The next day would be considerably different as Skagway's cruise ship season was starting on Tuesday.  There would be 7,700 tourists arriving by ship!  On the busiest day in the summer 11,100 people arrive.  One shopkeeper told Bob that he wouldn't have a single day off until October.

A benefit of being ahead of the tourists was that nothing was busy.  A disadvantage was that a lot of the stores weren't open.  This one was included in that number so I sat down on the curb and cried.

Luckily I picked up a couple of northern quilt kits in Whitehorse.

We pounded the pavement ... or rather we clip-clopped the boardwalks.

We aren't shoppers so we are wondering what all the tourists do for their day(s) in port.  There are a couple of small museums and there is a half hour video.  There is a cemetery from the gold rush era.

There are lots of wooden buildings which date to the late 1800s.  It's a miracle fire hasn't wiped them out at some point in history.  There are warnings all over town for smokers to be very sure that their butts are completely extinguished.

The Skagway Fish Company was recommended, but they weren't opening until the following day.  There were workers scrubbing and bringing in supplies.

It's on the water and the view is astounding.

We had to find another place to eat.  We were told that the fish and chips are good at every place in town so we picked a random place.  The fish was delicious but I'm not positive this meal was worth $18 American.

On the way to and from Skagway there are but a few stopping places.  Carcross is one of them as it has the world's smallest desert.  That's it.  Look at the sand and continue on.

The desert is about one square mile and was formed during the last glacial period when silt was deposited from large glacial lakes.  Now sand is added when wind carries it from Bennett Lake.  It can be argued that this isn't a true desert because it isn't in an arid region; some refer to it as sand dunes rather than desert.

We got back to Whitehorse in plenty of time to drop off Jack and to pack our scanty possessions in our carry-on bags for the trip home on Tuesday.

The departure lounge of the Whitehorse airport isn't conducive to wanting to leave.  Look at the panoramic view.

We packed a lot into our time up north.  Visit there if you can.  We recommend it.