The alarm went off at 2.45am this morning (may as well have stayed out for the night & saved on hotel bills?) Had a 30 min taxi ride to the Juneau ferry terminal to catch the 5.15am ferry to Skagway via Haines. Of course the sun was already up & the ferry ride was another sensory overload with beautiful waterways surrounded by high mountains, snow & glaciers. It was fascinating watching the ferry pull in to the wharf - it's a big ship but they parked it very gently.
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| View from Ferry |
Checked in to our hotel which is right in the town. The light switches over here are all upside down (up is on?) & the showers are different everywhere & hard to work out (this one requires you to pull the tap outward then press the button down in the bath). They also love BIG utes.
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| Yep that's the real size |
Had a stroll around Skagway - a really touristy place but with a nice vibe. Had dinner at Red Onion Saloon (an old brothel) then went to Eagles Hall to play roulette & blackjack with fake chips followed by a vaudeville show about an old Alaskan outlaw - a fun night & I won a garter with soap?? for being the biggest winner?? Checked out the salmon run in the Pullen creek in Skagway - there were thousands of good sized salmon.
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| Skagway |
Next stop, the White Pass train to Fraser - this train line was cut through steep cliffs, across valleys & through tunnels - some scary drops over the side for me but yet more spectacular scenery.
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| Upcoming bridge & tunnel on White Pass Train line |
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| Entering the tunnel - White Pass train |
From Fraser to Whitehorse we took a bus which stopped for a break at Carcross, a tiny settlement where it takes ages to make a coffee. So long, in fact, that we came out of the cafe to see our bus heading off down the road. We then proceeded with the comedy routine of running down the road yelling & waving (Anne comfortably out sprinted me - more urgency me thinks??). Fortunately a good samaritan driving by saw our dilemma & chased the bus to get it to stop. The driver & other passengers had been oblivious, not even noting our unattended back packs left on the seats.
Next morning picked up our hire car & headed further into the Yukon. A very pleasant drive to Watson Lake through forest, with the usual mountains, rivers & lakes. Watson Lake is interesting - not a lot to see but they have a Signpost Forest with about an acre full of poles covered in all manner of signs from around the world - bizarre but fun & interesting.
They also have some novel hotels such as "A Nice Hotel (with a touch of class)" - yes that's the hotels name.
More driving took us to Frances Lake where we are staying 3 nights at the Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge (no road access - nearest road is 10 kms & the boat ramp 20kms, limited solar power only, no wi-fi or phone reception, no running water etc). Our host, Martin, picked us up at the boat ramp. The location is truly picture postcard material & our hosts Martin & Andrea & chef Christina made us very welcome (we are the only guests). Good home cooked meals & more boat, canoe & walking adventures. The trees, mosses, lichens & other plants are amazing - it's like walking on sponge. So peaceful & picturesque & the view from our lodge window is just stunning.
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| Our cabin |
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| View from our cabin |
Anne's new favourite bird is a loon.
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| Loons on Frances Lake |
The lake out front of our cabin freezes over in winter (except for a few deeper spots, access is then by ski's or snow shoes. Martin & Andrea have travelled extensively in Australia & prefer remote areas with mountains (they loved Tassie).
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| Walking at Frances Lake |
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| Walking at Frances Lake |
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| Walking at Frances Lake - Caribou Lichen (like snow) |
Well, off to bed now - life is tough!!
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