Alaskan Cruise - Skagway (Part 2)

After we visited Caribou Crossing, Carcross,

 Carcross Desert and Emerald Lake,

we then turned around and headed back to Skagway.

The entire trip was so scenic and peaceful.

We arrived back in Skagway, AK around 3 PM.

Todd and I had the option to be dropped off at

the cruise ship, or in the middle of town.

We opted for town because we wanted to do a little exploring.

In 1897 the Klondike Gold Rush began.

Prospectors from all over rushed to the area

in hopes of finding money.

Most never found gold, and the population

declined from 10,000 to just over 3,000 in a matter of 2 years.

It was an interesting little town to visit.

There are historical buildings throughout,

and some are very unique.

This building was faced entirely with driftwood.

So cool!

Of course we had to visit the Red Onion Saloon.

It was build in 1897 and was Skagway's finest Bordello.

While we didn't actually go inside,

actual tours are available, as well as food and drinks.

Because we were limited on time,

Todd and I window shopped mostly and enjoyed

the unique buildings.

Some knick-knacks and wind chimes.

During our bus tour, the guide told us about

a wonderful beer we should try if that was

the sort of thing you enjoyed.

Of course, I obliged.

We stopped at Skagway Brewing Company

and tried some of their Spruce Tip Blonde Ale.

Indigenous Alaskans used Spruce to

make a beverage and drink it to help cure scurvy.

The prospectors tried the original recipe

(which sounded more like a tea),

and really disliked it.

But one thing the settlers were good at was making beer,

so they adjusted the recipe to their liking,

and it is still being served to this day.

Apparently it has 3 times the amount of vitamin C

than you can get from orange juice.

So because I wasn't going to pass

up the opportunity to be healthy,

I of course, had to get a glass.

Skagway Brewing Co. Spruce Tip Blonde Ale

Cheers!

If you're wondering what it tasted like,

it was sweet and tasted exactly like a Spruce tree smells.

No joke!

After my beer, and our small lunch,

we were exhausted, so we decided to head

back to the ship.

It was about a 15 minute walk from where we were,

and it was starting to get late,

so we threw in the towel.

On the walk back we saw this train locomotive

with a massive fan looking mechanism on the front.

Apparently, when the trains ran during when their

was snow to deal with, they used this bad boy

to eat up and spit out the snow on the railroad track.

Don't think you would want to get in this

monsters way while it was doing it's job - Yikes!

The short walk was beautiful,

and I loved all the flowers and the color of the water.

We were told that it is this color because of

all the silt left over from the glacier.

Speaking of...Harding Glacier

is visible from the port.

Can you see it?

No.

Well here is a better close up picture.

Still having trouble?

Here you go.

It was a fantastic and exhausting day.

We packed so much into the day,

and I'm so glad we did.

Next up...

Sitka, AK