In August 2004 we flew to Juneau, Alaska for nearly a week to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We were returning there since that is where we were married. We then took a cruise up the inside passage to Haines, Alaska then continued on to Skagway, Alaska. From here we caught a scenic train tour to Fraser, British Columbia. Then we caught a bus to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
In Juneau, Alaska we were able to return to where we got married, at the base of the Mendenhall Glacier. According to some information they have, it has receded quite a bit in the 10 years. Much of the surrounding area hasn't changed, including downtown Juneau. Since we knew we were going on to other areas further north, we didn't spend much time outside of Juneau.
Leaving Juneau we took a cruise up the inside passage to Haines, Alaska and nearby Dalton City, Alaska. This had pretty spectacular scenery along the way including the mountains and several whales. Since Haines was small, we walked around the whole town and visited the shops. We happened to be there when they were having the Southeast Alaska state fair in Dalton City. Their entertainment included Buckwheat Zydeco and Johnny Thompson (an Elvis impersonator). Unfortunately, we missed the zucchini contest.
We completed the cruise leg of our journey with a short jaunt to Skagway, Alaska. This town has some 1890's character to it with painted buildings, replica store fronts, and boardwalks. The main street is made up like an old mining town, except with tourist shops and attractions. Since we rented a car, we stayed outside of town near the head of the Chilkoot Trail at a very nice log cabin. The Chilkoot trail was used during the Klondike gold rush before the railway was built. In Skagway is where we caught the White Pass and Yukon Route railway.
The White Pass and Yukon Route is a scenic railway that goes north of Skagway to Fraser, British Columbia. It was built in 1898 during the Klondike gold rush for the settlers to get to this area. Most people take the train or the available bus back to Skagway for a 1 day return journey. Since Fraser was not much more than a border crossing into Canada, here is where we caught a bus to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
In Whitehorse we stayed at Main Street and 1st Avenue, downtown. From here, anything in town was either 8 blocks north, south or west. We had a room right on the Yukon River and across from the Yukon Pass train depot. Most of the tourist shopping was on Main Street. Besides shopping, we also saw the S.S. Klondike sternwheeler riverboat, the log skyscraper, the MacBride Museum on the gold rush, the Old Log Church Museum, and rode the Whitehorse Waterfront Trolley.
Our return trip to Juneau to catch our flight home was interesting to plan out. We took a late afternoon bus out of Whitehorse to Fraser. Here we transferred to another bus to Skagway; we had a couple more hours here. Then we caught a small plane to Juneau. After spending a last night here, we then caught our flight back home.
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