Carcross to Haines Alaska

From Timberpoint we drove to Carcross and visited local sites that included a NWMP Museum, Wildlife Museum with a huge polar bear (1700 lbs/ 11'7" nose to tail) and an even larger Wooly Mammoth that weighed 7000 kg.  

One afternoon we hiked in the desert and the next found snow on our hike to Montana Ridge.

After enjoying the the quiet solitude of Montana Ridge, we continued on to Skagway, Alaska.  Skagway can see up to 12,000 tourist in a day on Wednesdays when there are 4 cruise ships and the once week ferry from Haines. We were relieved to discover that we were in Skagway for the two slowest days. Saturday's have 4500 cruise ship visitors while Sunday a mere 1500 cruise ship visitors. At the height of the gold rush, the population of Skagway was 10,000. They talk about tourism, which is primarily from cruise ship visitors,  as the modern gold rush. With the number of jewelry shops in town, there does seem to be a lot of cash flowing. 

We were in Skagway for the summer solstice. The  Rotary Club hosted a solstice party by the river. We had blackened wild salmon for dinner and then stayed to listen to some local music. We enjoyed the music of two local bands Hillbilly Jean and Krowd Kontrol.   It was 9:00 pm by the time we drove back to town, so decided that a half hour drive to Dyea to camp wasn't that appealing.   Instead, we checked into the Skagway Historic Inn, which is a former brothel. Each of the rooms is named after a local "girl". We stayed in Cleo's room. 

That night we strolled the deserted streets of Skagway and had a drink at another former brothel, the Red Onion. 

The next morning we took a ride on the train to White Pass, the alternate route to the Chilkoot Trail during the gold rush. 

The ride was very scenic with many points of interest including the Gold Rush cemetery where local gangster Soapy Smith is buried and the NWMP post where stampeders were checked to ensure that they had the required one year supply of goods before being permitted to carry on their journey to Dawson City. 

Next was the ferry from Skagway to Haines. The scenery was beautiful and reminded us of the Chilean fjords. 

After a quick stop in Haines for a homebaked cinammon bun and coffee, we carried onto to find a camping spot for the night

We camped a beautiful campground by the Chilkoot River. 

That night we went for a walk and watched an eagle stealing fish from a fisherman. I didn't get an shot of the action, but did get a photo of the eagle on his perch in the tree.

NORTH AMERICA The Yukon and Alaska

After being home for 5 months and feeling well integrated into Canmore life, we were ready to continue our travels.  Having travelled to 5 continents on the first trip, only 2 continents remain: North America and Europe. We chose the Yukon and Alaska as the new places for North America.  The Yukon is the only province/territory in Canada that neither of us has visited. It has been on our bucket list for years, but we had always envisioned it as a driving trip for which we would want a minimum of a month. We decided that instead of waiting, we would fly and do 9 day  "Yukon/Alaska Teaser" . 

We started our trip with a visit with Auntie Min and Uncle Jim at their Timberpoint property. Their land is stunning and their hospitality warm and welcoming.  

We were keen to camp at the  campground on their land, but couldn't turn down the offer to stay in a beautiful little cabin instead.  It was reminiscent of a brand new warden cabin. Auntie Min's friend bought, moved it to their property and stays there when she visits. 

We were treated to moose stew and baked salmon for suppers. Uncle Jim was our tour guide showing us the sites of Teslin and taking us on a hike to a summit with 360 degree scenic views. 

Both Auntie Min and Uncle Jim have a wealth of knowledge about the Teslin area and its history. We thoroughly  enjoyed hearing their stories about the area and life in the Yukon.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The goal for the year is to visit a new country on each continent. We have now visited 5 continents and will visit the remaining two this spring/summer. Greenland for North America and Iceland for Europe. Stay tuned for more blogging in the spring. 

BY THE NUMBERS

BY THE NUMBERS

0          the cost of our cheapest nights (camping in Fitzroy and a few nights in Torres del Paine)

2          the longest number of hours that we have been apart for on this trip

5          Continents visited (Oceana, Asia, Africa, South America, Antarctica)

9          new countries for Jackie

12        new countries for Steve

15        the total number of countries visited (Cook Islands, Australia, Bhutan, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Argentina,   Chile, Uruguay)

20        weeks (approximate) until the next trip to visit the remaining 2/7 continents

21        bottles of Champagne consumed on our trip

35        the number of flights we had 

66        lions observed in the wild in Africa 

750      US$ was the most expensive night (including breakfast and dinner ) for Jackie's 50th

AND 

49, 000 Total miles travelled around the world

HOME

We arrived home to balmy 11C temperatures and were greeted by two warm and smiling faces....

Jackie's parents picked us up at the airport. The next night we had a scrumptious turkey dinner with Jackie's parents and Aunt Linda and Uncle Dwaine. What a home coming!!

Last 2 nights in South America

Copious amounts of body glitter, ridiculously high heels, fabulous feathers and plenty of bare skin was best way to describe our last night in Uruguay.  For the  "pre"  Carnival, the salsa groups were out in full form dancing and grinding in the streets of Montevideo. I am not sure what was more impressive the fact that most bodies had more body glitter than clothing or the moves the men and women were able to make in the high heels. Then there was the most creative use of feathers. WOW...a truly impressive show.

The last night of the trip in a hotel, was spent in BA. We celebrated the fun of the past 5 months with a bottle of Argentinian Baron B Champagne, ceviche from Steve favourite BA restaurant,  Osaka and then had a long walk back along the river to our hotel. Nothing left now but a long flight home. 

La Pedrera, Uruguay

We were thinking of renting a car to explore the more remote northern reaches of Uruguay. 

Not going to happen, due to our new addiction. 

The folks at the La Pedrera Surf School are amazing! Extremely positive, supportive and enthusiastic. Jackie caught on to surfing very quickly. 

Steve did well too - by the end of a couple of classes, he was surfing as well as the four and five year olds in our class! The next youngest person in our class is 14, but I think that we have been having more fun!

After the class, we relaxed with a drink on our deck and chatted with the gardening staff.  Only two more days of surfing left!