29th - 31st August.
We had breakfast at the Cozy Corner(Café) at Haines Junction and set off for Haines, Alaska. The borders on the West coast chop and change between Canada and Alaska and it is quite normal to travel in and out of both Countries. The weather was a bit overcast when we left but we were in reasonable spirits and were looking forward to a change of scenery, unfortunately, the closer we got to Alaska the colder it got until it was freezing. Neither of us had any of our heated clothing on, and nor was it close to hand so we “grinned and bore it“. John took a little some comfort from his heated grips but Mikes were still broken from his fall in Denali-not pleasant. The consolation in this was the scenery again-at one point Mike saw John coming over the brow of a hill and rising above the cloud level. It was breath-taking but unfortunately for you, too cold to take photos !
Finally we arrived at the American border and amidst our triumphant feeling of survival, forgot to take our helmets off for the border official to compare with our Passport photos……He was firm but courteous and barraged us with quite a few seemingly unrelated questions. (We later surmised that they were probably designed to probe our stories for validity.) When we had completed our interview, he suggested a café 7 miles along the road called Mile 33, where we might get some hot coffee and food. He was keen to state that he was not making a recommendation ……we obliged anyhow and enjoyed being re-heated, fed and watered.
When we arrived at Haines, we found an outward bound store where Mike managed to buy a cheap lightweight packable rain-coat for use when camping or trekking. Just as we were about to leave the store, the rain came down and we headed for the ferry to Skagway. We had done some research and were aware that the ferries to Skagway ran regularly through the day…..at least the foot-passenger one did. The vehicle one though ran about 2 or 3 times per week and we’d missed it by 45 mins. It was Monday afternoon and the next was Wednesday morning. Almost simultaneously we discovered that one of the other ticket sellers in the office has a B&B with a spare room.
Our plan had been to camp to try and save a bit of money but the rain and frustration, combined with the offer of a hot tub, was more than we could bare and so we decided to have a look at it, the Guardhouse. The Guardhouse was run by Phyllis and Joanne and we were pre-warned that we would be met by a Belgian Alsatian, Bailey, and a Cocker Spaniel, Harry. Both dogs turned out to be great and mad at the same time. Bailey was about 7 years old and his behaviour fitted something between a toddler and a puppy, in so far as he seemed to love being chased in a peek-a-boo kind of way, but being as big as he was, and he was huge, he lumbered about more like a small horse-very amusing to watch. Harry was more conservative in his play-time habits but had his own desires which we’ll come to in a minute.
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The Guardhouse.
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You know you're a long way from home when the children have a rocking "moose" to play with......
The house was great, very big, clean, spacious and we were encouraged to treat it as our own…and so we stayed. The hot tub was great and we had a lovely dinner in town at the Lighthouse-Great restaurant at sensible prices.
The Guardhouse is positioned in a square formally used by the military...a few of the other properties follow.
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The Square.
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One of the bigger houses previously housing one the the "Grande Militaire Fromages" and perhaps their family...
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542720.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A canoe being carved from a solid block of wood by a group emulating the working methods used by First Nations peoples.
We were told a Continental breakfast was included in the price but there appeared to be nobody there in the morning to prepare it. We waited a while and finally John went into the kitchen to find a note telling us to have what we wanted….so…..we had cereal followed by some very nice looking egg & bacon Muffins !! Hmmm, they still taste good now…some two months on !!
After breakfast, Mike noticed that every time he went to the bedroom for any reason, that Harry, sitting by the front door, would whinnie and almost cry. After a few passes Mike thought he may need to visit a tree for some relief and so popped on a lead and took him for a walk. Well, some relief was found BUT immediately they returned, the whinieng re-started. Finally Mike saw that the dogs biscuit treats were on a shelf near the front door. Aha ! A light bulb moment.
After breakfast and some web housekeeping we wandered through town get some now overdue haircuts, and browsed the many tacky and way over-priced souvenir shops. We also visited a first nations museum which we found interesting. We also had a good chat with a friendly sports shop owner who spent quite a lot of energy convincing us of Haines significance in sport. “ We thinketh the Lady doth protesteth too much.”
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542807.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Never mind Elvis, Canon is still alive !! (for our more mature readers)..well at least his car appears to be.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542850.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
.....talking of which...we spotted this old model T(we think)....for driving Miss Daisy
.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542752.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The Last Post....well, the last one we're going to make on the square itself anyway!
During the evening, we had very expensive fish & chips at what is considered the “Chippy” in town. The food was ok but not spectacular and almost cost as much as the excellent dinner we enjoyed at the Lighthouse the previous evening. Doh !
On the Wednesday morning, we went down to the port to catch our ferry to Skagway. Unfortunately, the policy of loading bikes on first is not embraced on these ferries and we had to wait out in the rain until nearly all the vehicles were aboard. Further more, the “seaman” seemed to have no idea of how to secure a bike to the deck and offered us a bit of rope…which would have been useless. Fortunately though, we had kept the straps we used for securing the bikes in their crates on transit to Alaska, and so we used these.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542894.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Waiting for the ferry....just before the rain started.
When we did finally get up on to deck there were only vending machines to provide any form of drink or food One Mars and coffee later we were up on the top deck to view the scenery and talk to a few passengers. One particular conversation of interest was with a non-biking couple in their 40’s who saw the humour in some of our plans (such as to visit the Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville), and recommended that we ride on the I129 when we were down in Tennessee. (More of which in a later chapter.)
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118829866.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Finally we got underway.......even the flag didn't have enough wind to fill it !!
Skagway is another Dawson city type place with a train running through town and harbour for some of the largest Ocean cruisers seen. We both did a lot of shopping as we hadn‘t seen any large stores for a while-Mike bought a bigger and warmer sleeping bag and a few other items & John bought a few items of clothing and a Homer bottle opener which speaks every time you open a bottle of beer, one of our classier purchases !. . Mike also managed to send home a large parcel to make some more space.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542957.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A street in Skagway...note the wooden sidewalks"pavements" as used in Dawson city"
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118543028.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A very ornately decorated Tourist Information.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118543011.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
One of the old trains used to clear away through snow & ice, and the odd Japanse toursists.
Later in the day we crossed back into Canada again with very nice border official who didn’t require us to take our helmets off, which we appreciated as it was fast getting cold…again !
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118543049.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Leaving Skagway.
We had breakfast at the Cozy Corner(Café) at Haines Junction and set off for Haines, Alaska. The borders on the West coast chop and change between Canada and Alaska and it is quite normal to travel in and out of both Countries. The weather was a bit overcast when we left but we were in reasonable spirits and were looking forward to a change of scenery, unfortunately, the closer we got to Alaska the colder it got until it was freezing. Neither of us had any of our heated clothing on, and nor was it close to hand so we “grinned and bore it“. John took a little some comfort from his heated grips but Mikes were still broken from his fall in Denali-not pleasant. The consolation in this was the scenery again-at one point Mike saw John coming over the brow of a hill and rising above the cloud level. It was breath-taking but unfortunately for you, too cold to take photos !
Finally we arrived at the American border and amidst our triumphant feeling of survival, forgot to take our helmets off for the border official to compare with our Passport photos……He was firm but courteous and barraged us with quite a few seemingly unrelated questions. (We later surmised that they were probably designed to probe our stories for validity.) When we had completed our interview, he suggested a café 7 miles along the road called Mile 33, where we might get some hot coffee and food. He was keen to state that he was not making a recommendation ……we obliged anyhow and enjoyed being re-heated, fed and watered.
When we arrived at Haines, we found an outward bound store where Mike managed to buy a cheap lightweight packable rain-coat for use when camping or trekking. Just as we were about to leave the store, the rain came down and we headed for the ferry to Skagway. We had done some research and were aware that the ferries to Skagway ran regularly through the day…..at least the foot-passenger one did. The vehicle one though ran about 2 or 3 times per week and we’d missed it by 45 mins. It was Monday afternoon and the next was Wednesday morning. Almost simultaneously we discovered that one of the other ticket sellers in the office has a B&B with a spare room.
Our plan had been to camp to try and save a bit of money but the rain and frustration, combined with the offer of a hot tub, was more than we could bare and so we decided to have a look at it, the Guardhouse. The Guardhouse was run by Phyllis and Joanne and we were pre-warned that we would be met by a Belgian Alsatian, Bailey, and a Cocker Spaniel, Harry. Both dogs turned out to be great and mad at the same time. Bailey was about 7 years old and his behaviour fitted something between a toddler and a puppy, in so far as he seemed to love being chased in a peek-a-boo kind of way, but being as big as he was, and he was huge, he lumbered about more like a small horse-very amusing to watch. Harry was more conservative in his play-time habits but had his own desires which we’ll come to in a minute.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542655.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The Guardhouse.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542534.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
You know you're a long way from home when the children have a rocking "moose" to play with......
The house was great, very big, clean, spacious and we were encouraged to treat it as our own…and so we stayed. The hot tub was great and we had a lovely dinner in town at the Lighthouse-Great restaurant at sensible prices.
The Guardhouse is positioned in a square formally used by the military...a few of the other properties follow.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542678.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The Square.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542698.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
One of the bigger houses previously housing one the the "Grande Militaire Fromages" and perhaps their family...
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542720.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A canoe being carved from a solid block of wood by a group emulating the working methods used by First Nations peoples.
We were told a Continental breakfast was included in the price but there appeared to be nobody there in the morning to prepare it. We waited a while and finally John went into the kitchen to find a note telling us to have what we wanted….so…..we had cereal followed by some very nice looking egg & bacon Muffins !! Hmmm, they still taste good now…some two months on !!
After breakfast, Mike noticed that every time he went to the bedroom for any reason, that Harry, sitting by the front door, would whinnie and almost cry. After a few passes Mike thought he may need to visit a tree for some relief and so popped on a lead and took him for a walk. Well, some relief was found BUT immediately they returned, the whinieng re-started. Finally Mike saw that the dogs biscuit treats were on a shelf near the front door. Aha ! A light bulb moment.
After breakfast and some web housekeeping we wandered through town get some now overdue haircuts, and browsed the many tacky and way over-priced souvenir shops. We also visited a first nations museum which we found interesting. We also had a good chat with a friendly sports shop owner who spent quite a lot of energy convincing us of Haines significance in sport. “ We thinketh the Lady doth protesteth too much.”
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542807.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Never mind Elvis, Canon is still alive !! (for our more mature readers)..well at least his car appears to be.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542850.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
.....talking of which...we spotted this old model T(we think)....for driving Miss Daisy
.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542752.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The Last Post....well, the last one we're going to make on the square itself anyway!
During the evening, we had very expensive fish & chips at what is considered the “Chippy” in town. The food was ok but not spectacular and almost cost as much as the excellent dinner we enjoyed at the Lighthouse the previous evening. Doh !
On the Wednesday morning, we went down to the port to catch our ferry to Skagway. Unfortunately, the policy of loading bikes on first is not embraced on these ferries and we had to wait out in the rain until nearly all the vehicles were aboard. Further more, the “seaman” seemed to have no idea of how to secure a bike to the deck and offered us a bit of rope…which would have been useless. Fortunately though, we had kept the straps we used for securing the bikes in their crates on transit to Alaska, and so we used these.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542894.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Waiting for the ferry....just before the rain started.
When we did finally get up on to deck there were only vending machines to provide any form of drink or food One Mars and coffee later we were up on the top deck to view the scenery and talk to a few passengers. One particular conversation of interest was with a non-biking couple in their 40’s who saw the humour in some of our plans (such as to visit the Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville), and recommended that we ride on the I129 when we were down in Tennessee. (More of which in a later chapter.)
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118829866.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Finally we got underway.......even the flag didn't have enough wind to fill it !!
Skagway is another Dawson city type place with a train running through town and harbour for some of the largest Ocean cruisers seen. We both did a lot of shopping as we hadn‘t seen any large stores for a while-Mike bought a bigger and warmer sleeping bag and a few other items & John bought a few items of clothing and a Homer bottle opener which speaks every time you open a bottle of beer, one of our classier purchases !. . Mike also managed to send home a large parcel to make some more space.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118542957.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A street in Skagway...note the wooden sidewalks"pavements" as used in Dawson city"
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118543028.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A very ornately decorated Tourist Information.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118543011.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
One of the old trains used to clear away through snow & ice, and the odd Japanse toursists.
Later in the day we crossed back into Canada again with very nice border official who didn’t require us to take our helmets off, which we appreciated as it was fast getting cold…again !
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/118543049.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Leaving Skagway.
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