After breakfast at the Westmark Motel, we traveled back to Watson Lake, Yukon. Leaving Skagway at 7:40 am Alaska time, we traveled 284 miles up, over, and through the mountains, arriving at Watson Lake at 3:10 pm Pacific time.
We are staying again at the Stampeder's B&B - a little cabin in the woods.
There wasn't anything eventful on the drive - no wildlife nor new scenery.
I finished another hat and started on the matching scarf.
Sorry there aren't any pictures.
I did find out that the lighthouse from yesterday is called Eldred Rock.
Catch you later.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Skagway, Again
Got on the ferry at Juneau at 8:00 a.m. after checking in at 6:00 a.m., so actually got up at 4:30 a.m. to make connection.
Left the camera in the van when we got parked, so only took one picture with my phone of another lighthouse. Haven't looked up to see what it's name is, but will when I get a chance. Here at Sakgway we don't have internet in the room, but only on the lobby area. I don't always have what I need,. The light house book is back in the room. Hopefully I can figure it out for tomorrow.
The ferry ride was pretty uneventful, just 6.5 hours of water and mountains. Did finish another hat and started to read a book, The Thornbirds. Barry read a magazine. The scenery is beautiful with the forested mountains and the snow cap mountains in the background. No rain today.
Enjoy the lighthouse. Talk to you later.
Left the camera in the van when we got parked, so only took one picture with my phone of another lighthouse. Haven't looked up to see what it's name is, but will when I get a chance. Here at Sakgway we don't have internet in the room, but only on the lobby area. I don't always have what I need,. The light house book is back in the room. Hopefully I can figure it out for tomorrow.
The ferry ride was pretty uneventful, just 6.5 hours of water and mountains. Did finish another hat and started to read a book, The Thornbirds. Barry read a magazine. The scenery is beautiful with the forested mountains and the snow cap mountains in the background. No rain today.
Enjoy the lighthouse. Talk to you later.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Juneau, Again
Back in Juneau for the night, then we catch the ferry to Skagway.
We did get to the Russian Orthodox church this morning. It was a "cruise" day so everything was open and busy. The church is very ornate. I took just one picture of the altar. Too many people to take any more. Then got the second dome of the church.
On the ferry I took some more pictures of the beautiful scenery (after we got out of the rain.) The pictures don't do the beauty justice.
I did get another scarf completed today. Started on the hat to go with it.
Enjoy and talk to you later.
We did get to the Russian Orthodox church this morning. It was a "cruise" day so everything was open and busy. The church is very ornate. I took just one picture of the altar. Too many people to take any more. Then got the second dome of the church.
On the ferry I took some more pictures of the beautiful scenery (after we got out of the rain.) The pictures don't do the beauty justice.
I did get another scarf completed today. Started on the hat to go with it.
Enjoy and talk to you later.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Sitka Day 2
Woke up to more rain. Temps in the 60s. We decided to go ahead with the tour of the rain forest. We weren't sure what to expect. Kayla picked us up at the motel and drove us to a dock where we met Thorton. He took us in a small boat to an island which took about 45 minutes. When he put the boat on the beach, we met Casey. These are all young people in their 20s. Casey was the one that would lead us into the forest. We were surprised that we would be doing our own driving of the ATV 4X4. Barry took that task as I wanted no part of it. At least it had a roof, so we weren't drenched with the rain.
As we drove through the forest, we were impressed with the amount of ground cover and moss. That's picture number 1. Then we stopped in an area where Casey explained the types of trees and the logging that took place in the 1970s and '80s. The second picture shows the new growth from the logging and how it's covered with moss.
The third picture is of trees that grow only about 15 feet, but are about 300 years old. I can't remember the name, but they were left because they weren't the kind of wood they wanted to log. The growth cut down was hemlock, spruce, and cedar.
Next is a small, small pond in the muskeg (that's like a bog in a temperate rain forest). The pond can actually be as deep as 20-25 feet.
Then we came to a meadow and had hoped to see wildlife. We did get a picture of a young bald eagle - his head isn't white yet.
We then reached the North Beach which is a black sand beach. Some people do actually swim the 55 degree water and surf in it as well. We did neither :-)
Got a picture of Barry sitting in the driver's seat of the ATV and Casey took a picture of us both in the vehicle.
On the way back we again scanned the meadow and were happy to see a couple of bears laying in the grass, so snapped a couple of pictures.
On the way out of the forest we did see some deer, but they don't stand still for photos.
All in all it was an awesome time. We were wet & cold, but it was an amazing site. And we were able to get acquainted with Thorton & Casey on the way back to the dock. We were their only customers today. Tomorrow the cruise ships come in and they have five groups of six to take out. We assume the company has more employees to handle the load. We were glad we had the extra time to get to know this neat, young couple. Oh, and their dog, Jenkins, who joined us on our journey. He is a German Shepherd/Rotweiler mix.
After the tour, we came back to the motel to shower and do laundry. The next few days we are back tracking our steps to get out of Alaska and back on the road.
Sorry the pictures didn't come out in order. Hope you can figure them out.
Enjoy & talk to you later!
As we drove through the forest, we were impressed with the amount of ground cover and moss. That's picture number 1. Then we stopped in an area where Casey explained the types of trees and the logging that took place in the 1970s and '80s. The second picture shows the new growth from the logging and how it's covered with moss.
The third picture is of trees that grow only about 15 feet, but are about 300 years old. I can't remember the name, but they were left because they weren't the kind of wood they wanted to log. The growth cut down was hemlock, spruce, and cedar.
Next is a small, small pond in the muskeg (that's like a bog in a temperate rain forest). The pond can actually be as deep as 20-25 feet.
Then we came to a meadow and had hoped to see wildlife. We did get a picture of a young bald eagle - his head isn't white yet.
We then reached the North Beach which is a black sand beach. Some people do actually swim the 55 degree water and surf in it as well. We did neither :-)
Got a picture of Barry sitting in the driver's seat of the ATV and Casey took a picture of us both in the vehicle.
On the way back we again scanned the meadow and were happy to see a couple of bears laying in the grass, so snapped a couple of pictures.
On the way out of the forest we did see some deer, but they don't stand still for photos.
All in all it was an awesome time. We were wet & cold, but it was an amazing site. And we were able to get acquainted with Thorton & Casey on the way back to the dock. We were their only customers today. Tomorrow the cruise ships come in and they have five groups of six to take out. We assume the company has more employees to handle the load. We were glad we had the extra time to get to know this neat, young couple. Oh, and their dog, Jenkins, who joined us on our journey. He is a German Shepherd/Rotweiler mix.
After the tour, we came back to the motel to shower and do laundry. The next few days we are back tracking our steps to get out of Alaska and back on the road.
Sorry the pictures didn't come out in order. Hope you can figure them out.
Enjoy & talk to you later!
Monday, July 7, 2014
Sitka, AK
Got up this morning at 3:00 a.m. to check-in at the ferry at 4:30 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. departure. Lots of sitting around, waiting for the next thing to happen. I did doze a little on the ferry. Not sure if Barry did or not. One thing on the ferry, called the Fairweather, was a monitor showing where the ferry was at all times. I will post a picture of it. The ferry is the blue blob heading south, although we find it hard to keep track of directions with all the curvy roads and not sun, just cloudy daylight. After two days of some sunshine and not rain, we are back to cloudy and rain. Guess it's fitting since we are in the middle of a temperate rain forest.
Also will post a picture of the light house we saw during the ferry ride. It is called the Five Finger Lighthouse because it's on the Five Finger Island. One brochure says it's available for rent during the summer season. That would have been fun to do, but too late for us this summer.
We arrived in Sitka at 11:00 a.m. and got settled into our motel. We then ate a meal as breakfast on the ferry wasn't much. Took a drive around Sitka to see how far all the historic buildings were and decided to park back at the motel and walk the town.
First site was the statue of a pioneer outside the Pioneers Building. The place was first built for homeless men and then a wing was added for women. We don't know what its being used for now, but liked the statue.
We then headed towards the Russian Orthodox Church. It's a practicing congregation today and was started shortly after the Russians settled in this area for the fur trade. It's suppose to be the first Christian church in Alaska. We couldn't get in, but will try again tomorrow. Supposedly if the priest is in the church, anyone may go in and see the sanctuary.
Right across the street is the earliest Lutheran church in Alaska. The czar asked the Finnish Lutheran church to send a pastor over to serve the many Finnish shipbuilders Russia had brought over for the ship yard. The pastor wasn't allowed to evangelize amongst the natives, but only to serve the workmen. It too is still a thriving congregation, ELCA. The picture is part of the original altar rail of the first church. The first and second church both burned. The third and current church was built in 1967, after the second one burned in 1966. Seems the fire started with a hardware store and leapt over to the Russian Orthodox church, then over to the Lutheran church. The firefighters found the water lines were frozen and had trouble fighting it. Many of the artifacts were saved from both fires and are on display in the church entry. There was a couple there from Cleveland, Ohio, who are spending a month volunteering at the church as the welcoming committee to all the tourists who come through. They were told to expect 2000 on Wednesday & Thursday as those are cruise ship days. It's nice to be here on a non-cruise ship day, however, some things are closed or not working because there's no crowd. But it's nice not to battle the crowds. We did that at Juneau.
Our last stop was the National Park Association that maintains the historic residence of the bishop for the Roman Orthodox church. It's call the Bishop's House - bright yellow with a red roof. It has been restored to what it was like in 1823, when the first bishop, Saint Innocence, was sent here to run the congregation - then he was just a missionary, who later became the bishop of Alaska, then much later a saint. The house is quite large and two stories. It served as a seminary at one time and a boarding house for Tlingit children attending school in Sitka. The second floor chapel (the picture you see) is still used on special occasions with the Park services' okay.
Well, enjoy and talk to you tomorrow!
Also will post a picture of the light house we saw during the ferry ride. It is called the Five Finger Lighthouse because it's on the Five Finger Island. One brochure says it's available for rent during the summer season. That would have been fun to do, but too late for us this summer.
We arrived in Sitka at 11:00 a.m. and got settled into our motel. We then ate a meal as breakfast on the ferry wasn't much. Took a drive around Sitka to see how far all the historic buildings were and decided to park back at the motel and walk the town.
First site was the statue of a pioneer outside the Pioneers Building. The place was first built for homeless men and then a wing was added for women. We don't know what its being used for now, but liked the statue.
We then headed towards the Russian Orthodox Church. It's a practicing congregation today and was started shortly after the Russians settled in this area for the fur trade. It's suppose to be the first Christian church in Alaska. We couldn't get in, but will try again tomorrow. Supposedly if the priest is in the church, anyone may go in and see the sanctuary.
Right across the street is the earliest Lutheran church in Alaska. The czar asked the Finnish Lutheran church to send a pastor over to serve the many Finnish shipbuilders Russia had brought over for the ship yard. The pastor wasn't allowed to evangelize amongst the natives, but only to serve the workmen. It too is still a thriving congregation, ELCA. The picture is part of the original altar rail of the first church. The first and second church both burned. The third and current church was built in 1967, after the second one burned in 1966. Seems the fire started with a hardware store and leapt over to the Russian Orthodox church, then over to the Lutheran church. The firefighters found the water lines were frozen and had trouble fighting it. Many of the artifacts were saved from both fires and are on display in the church entry. There was a couple there from Cleveland, Ohio, who are spending a month volunteering at the church as the welcoming committee to all the tourists who come through. They were told to expect 2000 on Wednesday & Thursday as those are cruise ship days. It's nice to be here on a non-cruise ship day, however, some things are closed or not working because there's no crowd. But it's nice not to battle the crowds. We did that at Juneau.
Our last stop was the National Park Association that maintains the historic residence of the bishop for the Roman Orthodox church. It's call the Bishop's House - bright yellow with a red roof. It has been restored to what it was like in 1823, when the first bishop, Saint Innocence, was sent here to run the congregation - then he was just a missionary, who later became the bishop of Alaska, then much later a saint. The house is quite large and two stories. It served as a seminary at one time and a boarding house for Tlingit children attending school in Sitka. The second floor chapel (the picture you see) is still used on special occasions with the Park services' okay.
Well, enjoy and talk to you tomorrow!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Juneau Day 3
Got up this morning to another day of no rain. Actually have sunny skies! Beautiful day!!
Found an ELCA church yesterday, so worshipped at Shepherd of the Valley at 9:30 a.m. Perfect timing for our helicopter/glacier tour at 12:45.
Before church I took a picture of the mountain view outside out motel. Wanted to have one mountain top with the sun shining and no cloud cover! That's the first picture I posted.
Then there's Barry standing by a wood carving in the motel lobby - that's his next project :-) I didn't take time to figure out how to right the picture, so you'll have to tilt your head.
The third picture is of the surface of the glacier. It's not at all like I thought it would be. Guess I thought it would be smooth like ice, but it's very rough, dirty, with water standing.
The fourth picture is of our helicopter pilot standing on the Hole in the Wall glacier. He was kind enough to take a picture for each of the couples on the flight. He took on of us that I posted. Seems surreal to be standing on a glacier!
The next photo is of water flowing on the surface of the glacier.
Then both Barry & I took turns drinking from the glacier water. I posted Barry getting his hand full of glacier water. As expected, it was COLD and very good.
The final picture is of a not so very deep crevice with water running through it.
Enjoy and talk to you tomorrow!
Found an ELCA church yesterday, so worshipped at Shepherd of the Valley at 9:30 a.m. Perfect timing for our helicopter/glacier tour at 12:45.
Before church I took a picture of the mountain view outside out motel. Wanted to have one mountain top with the sun shining and no cloud cover! That's the first picture I posted.
Then there's Barry standing by a wood carving in the motel lobby - that's his next project :-) I didn't take time to figure out how to right the picture, so you'll have to tilt your head.
The third picture is of the surface of the glacier. It's not at all like I thought it would be. Guess I thought it would be smooth like ice, but it's very rough, dirty, with water standing.
The fourth picture is of our helicopter pilot standing on the Hole in the Wall glacier. He was kind enough to take a picture for each of the couples on the flight. He took on of us that I posted. Seems surreal to be standing on a glacier!
The next photo is of water flowing on the surface of the glacier.
Then both Barry & I took turns drinking from the glacier water. I posted Barry getting his hand full of glacier water. As expected, it was COLD and very good.
The final picture is of a not so very deep crevice with water running through it.
Enjoy and talk to you tomorrow!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Juneau Day 2
This was our first full day at Juneau. We went to the Juneau Whale Watch this morning. It was a better day than when we did a whale watch last year off Massachusetts. The weather was great, 'course we were dressed for it to be cold and we were just right. But the sun shone most the time and there wasn't any rain. Out of the pictures I took of the whales I have posted a fluke, one humpback diving and then two humpbacks diving. One whale came within 20 feet of the boat. Scared the heck out of most of us, including the captain. Unfortunately I had already put the camera away thinking I gotten as good a pictures I was going to get. WRONG! But I may not have gotten a shot of the whale that close as I was so surprised. All in all it was a great hour and a half on the water.
Then when we got back, there were three bald eagles on the beach, so I posted that picture. Wish I could have gotten them flying, but didn't happen.
After the whale watch, we did a city tour & glacier stop. I've posted a picture of the Mendenhall Glacier and then a "selfie" of us in front of the glacier.
We then took a tram to the top of Mt. Roberts and took pictures of the view from on high. Posted one of them.
We finished off the day with a meal at the Red Dog Saloon. There was a sign about the service that I posted. The saloon had sawdust on the floor a couple of inches thick, lots of animal heads, signage, and a country western singer. The food was good, too. The story goes that during the territorial days, Gordie Kanouse would meet tour boats with his mule and wore a sign saying, "follow my ass to the Red Dog Saloon." The saloon is now owned by a group of local residents. It was a unique place to visit.
That's it for now. Enjoy,
because we certainly are!
Then when we got back, there were three bald eagles on the beach, so I posted that picture. Wish I could have gotten them flying, but didn't happen.
After the whale watch, we did a city tour & glacier stop. I've posted a picture of the Mendenhall Glacier and then a "selfie" of us in front of the glacier.
We then took a tram to the top of Mt. Roberts and took pictures of the view from on high. Posted one of them.
We finished off the day with a meal at the Red Dog Saloon. There was a sign about the service that I posted. The saloon had sawdust on the floor a couple of inches thick, lots of animal heads, signage, and a country western singer. The food was good, too. The story goes that during the territorial days, Gordie Kanouse would meet tour boats with his mule and wore a sign saying, "follow my ass to the Red Dog Saloon." The saloon is now owned by a group of local residents. It was a unique place to visit.
That's it for now. Enjoy,
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