Skagway

Skagway is a tiny bit of town tucked in between the shore and the mountains. It was a big gold rush town, and today the entire main drag is part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Park. All these tourist shops are renting space from the National Park Service.

Over a decade ago, Aaron heard the fun fact that Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than any other state. Ever since then, eating ice cream in Alaska has been on his personal bucket list.

Quite a difference between the restored main street and this street just one block away.

 

And here's what we found just behind that street.

I wasn't kidding when I said that Skagway is tiny--wildflowers less than a 5 minute walk from the main tourist street.

This chimney is all that remains of a once-prominent boarding house that helped to establish Skagway as a tourist destination decades ago.

"What is that -- some kind of drill?"

"No, it's a 27-ton rotary snow plow." Skagway is also a historic railroad town, and I guess they couldn't mess around with snow on the tracks. This snowplow was built in the late 1800's and retired in the 1960's. Always read the plaque.

These last two photos are actually from Juneau, but I accidentally put them with the Skagway photos. The Red Dog Saloon was founded during the gold rush days and definitely plays up its old timey feel. There's sawdust on the floor, rough wood, and lots of taxidermy on the walls.

Also Wyatt Earp's gun.