Haines-Juneau-Skagway

Monday, July 27^th, we took a Alaska Fjordlines boat day trip to Juneau, about a 2 ½ hour trip. On the way from Haines to and from Juneau we saw orca and humpback whales, many sea otters, bald eagles, stellar sea lions, and harbor seals.

There were four cruise ships in port in Juneau that day so the downtown sidewalks were crowded. We enjoyed lunch at the famous Red Dog Saloon in Juneau and tried a “Duck Fart” drink. After lunch we wandered through the shops before boarding our tour bus to take us to the Mendenhall Glacier for an hour. Then the bus drove us back to the boat to take us home to Haines.

 

 

 

It rained all day long and this person’s umbrella kind of sums it up.

Tuesday we went out for lunch and then took a drive out to see the Haines Packing Company fish cannery.

After lunch on Wednesday, we drove out to the edge of Haines to visit the Haines Brewery and sample their beer. The owner is originally from Minnesota. We also drove out to Chilkoot State Park, about 10 miles east of Haines, to see fishermen in waders in the river fishing for salmon. We were also looking for wildlife and spotted several bald eagles and a black bear sow with two cubs. The three bears were in the trees next to the road leading out of the state park.

 

 

On Thursday, we took the Haines-Skagway Fast Ferry on a day trip to Skagway. There were four huge cruise ships in port in Skagway that day and this small town of only 968 was bustling. Skagway is sometimes jokingly referred to as the Disneyland of Alaska. The buildings have been restored, nicely painted and have boardwalks for sidewalks. We noticed since our last visit a few years ago that there are now yellow tourist buses, similar to what they have in Disneyland.

Upon arriving in Skagway, we walked out of town to visit the historic cemetery. Then we met Vince & Lisa for lunch at Skagway Brewery. We browsed through several shops, before heading to the famous Red Onion Saloon for a beverage.

 

Steve & Julie Cornelius