Haines and Skagway, Alaska

Day 29 – Saturday, August 27 2005
Haines and Skagway, Alaska
Miles Driven: 4

Still in Haines waiting for the ferry that does not leave until 9:15 PM, we stayed in our motel room most of the morning. The skies had cleared and it looked like it was going to be a nice day so we decided to take the fast ferry (passenger only) to Skagway. It was suppose to leave at 11:45 AM but was delayed twenty minutes due to over 100 people who boarding with their baby strollers, back-packs, and musical instruments. They were headed to Skagway for a big music and art festival. We arrived in Skagway about 12:30 PM and the return ferry was leaving at 2:00 PM so we did not have much time. We took the short walk into town and visited a few over-priced gift shops. There was a cruise ship in town so there were lots of people wandering around. We found Moe’s Pioneer Bar, a real Alaska bar with nice friendly people, and had a quick drink before heading back to the ferry. Back in Haines we stopped at the Harbor Bar for something to eat then found a parking spot along the Chilkoot River to relax and take a nap while we waited for time to board the ferry to Prince Rupert. About 6:30 PM we drove to the ferry terminal, checked in, and got in line. We spent time reading and talking to other people in line. It is interesting to hear others stories about their adventures in Alaska. The ferry arrived about 9:00 PM and by 9:30 everyone was on board and we were ready to sail. We checked into our cabin which was comfortable and roomy enough for the two of us. By the time we got to sleep it was close to 11:00 PM, then at 2:00 AM we woke up when the ferry stopped in Juneau. We woke up off and on through out the rest of the night; I guess it takes a while to get use to sleeping on a moving ship.

The picture is of Tim in Skagway.