A Very Interesting Skagway.

 

I arrived in Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon in pouring rain. At this point, it was only another 80 miles to Skagway but I had heard that the drive is not to be missed. So I got on my favorite cheap camping app, The Dyrt, and they listed The Real Canadian Superstore as similar to Walmart for free overnight stays. I spent the night there along with many others. Hey - real toilets, unlike the pit toilets I have used most frequently! Where's Waldo?

Emerald Lake.

                                                                Moon Lake.

The drive was through several fjords.

The closer to Skagway the geography and the weather changed dramatically.

Back in the United States.

There's a price I pay for being off-road - nicks in Belle's windshield. I have repaired three and have two more to go. The repair kit is usually around $20.

                                        A video of Emerald Lake.

Downtown Skagway. What is strange is all the jewelry and diamond stores. Maybe this is because there are usually four cruise ships here?

Skagway reminds me of Dawson City, Yukon. The buildings in Dawson City are more run-down looking and the streets are not paved so mostly mud. But both have old wood boardwalks.  This is all on purpose according to the fire chief of Dawson City that I met at breakfast one morning. I do like Dawson City more as it is so natural for its historic time.

The Gold Rush Cemetary which started in 1898.

I find old cemeteries fascinating and have spent many hours exploring them all around the world. I have hundreds of pictures of cemeteries.

    133 gravesites have been located here but only 60 have burial records.

Reid Falls is named after Frank Reid who was the city surveyor that designed the town in 1898.

An interesting story about Smith and Reid.

                                                    Reid Falls.

                                                    Built in 1899.

On the way to Skagway Exploring Old Gold and Copper Mining Towns

 

Horseshoe Falls.

A cool campground on the Klutina River in the town of Copper Center.

After climbing over the Valdez Glacier it was a 78 mile crazy descent to the Copper River!

Pretty wild and dangerous times back in the 1898 gold rush. Prior to this, I explored the old Copper Mining town of Chitina. From there I was going to drive the 55 miles to McCarthy but the dirt road was pretty rough and there were warning signs of loose railroad spikes since dirt/gravel was just piled on top of the old railroad tracks. 

This is one of the sleds as described in the previous picture.

The museum in Copper Center.

Enjoying a beer on the very fast flowing Klutina River.

A bus B&B in Copper Center. Doesn't look too appealing.

A list of what each person was required to haul in the 1898 gold rush.

One of my favorite meals while camping. Several stores sell small packages of fresh udon noodles. To this, I add fresh vegetables. In this instance, I added green beans, spinach, and Kalamata olives. I always have enough for the next day's lunch.

My morning view of the Klutina River from the upper berth.

I stopped by the fascinating fish hatchery again this Monday morning.

Salmon are amazing creatures.

Back in the Yukon.

I spent 3 nights boondocking in several areas hiking and biking.

Alongside Destruction Bay, Yukon.

Sunset at 10pm now. Earlier as I move south.

Almost every day people ask me if this van has been to Antarctica.

A typical remote Yukon fueling depot.

A cool sunrise.

A learning hike about the Alaskan Canadian (AlCan)Highway construction in 1942.