Alaskan Adventure Part Three: Skagway

It has been a while (again) since my last post.  This time, we were in Chicago working at Pacific Garden Mission (blog to follow).  I thought before blogging about our latest adventures, I should wrap up the first summer adventure, Alaska, with my last two blogs on the topic, Skagway and Vacation Food.

Skagway was our last Alaskan port of call.  We arrived in Skagway, and immediately thought it looked what I picture in my mind as a "gold rush town."  It still seemed, in many ways, rustic, rugged, and, simply put, old (but in a charming way).  Skagway in knowsn as the "Gateway to the Klondike."

Our original plan in Skagway was to walk around the town, enjoy the sights, then get back on the ship.  There was an option to take a train ride, but we thought for the amount of money it would cost, it might not be worth the experience.  Therefore, much of the morning was spent walking the town, buying a cupcake (of course), borrowing a fellow passenger's rented bike for a short ride, and perusing the shops for our last few souveniers and gifts.

me (left), Jason (right)

After we exhausted the two main streets of this tiny town, my mom and Veronica, bargain hunters of the world, had found us a driver to take us in a small bus to see the sights in Skagway, the same we would see on the train, for 1/3 of the price.  I am so thankful they convinced us to take this trip, because it was another amazing experience.  We drove up the mountainside, saw wild goats scaling the cliffs, drank from a waterfall running from a glacier, saw the US/Canada border, a gorgeous lake, and several more glaciers.  Besides Tracy Arm and Mendenhall Glacier, these were the most gorgeous views of the trip. 

Sadly, I have no photos from our last stop of the cruise in Victoria, British Columbia.  I got a sinus infection on our last full day of the cruise, which was the evening we stopped in BC, so I stayed on the ship in bed with Connor's stuffed Muno.  It was disappointing, but the views I saw from the boat seemed to indicate that Victoria was a gorgeous city I wish I could have seen.

All in all, this cruise was one of the most enriching, fun, exciting, and adventurous experiences of my life.  I will never forget the beauty I saw and the memories made with my family and friends.  Although I feel that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I would gladly visit Alaska again!