Fort Seward Lodge Haines

... Cafe and boy is the ship rocking down here. People are walking around like they've had too much to drink. The ocean has a lot of movement and the fog isn't as dense on this floor. It sounds weird but it's rather peaceful looking at the ocean from this angle. <br><br>I went to the casino and held my own for awhile. While playing video poker I tried a Toasted Almond martini and I highly recommend it.<br><br>Other than reading ...

... because the old diesel engine huffing and the metal grind on the tracks and the rail cars creaking were all very noisy. Cathy -ever-smiling- looks around, and adjusts her earpiece waiting for some kind of instruction. She makes a generic announcement. (and the band kept playing on the Titanic) This is meant to keep everyone calm during any situation, which according to her, has never happened ever before during her one season ...

We head into Haines in the Mustard Yellow Scion for a quick tour of the town, then off on the fast ferry which takes us to Skagway. There's a light misty rain and once we are out on the water of the Lynn Canal, the water appears as a deep minerally opaque green. In 45 minutes we are in the Skagway Harbor about to enter the "Town that looks like a movie set" according to Tyler (cute ferry friend from yesterday) It does look ...

... hugging the harbor. The original settlement was built on stilts over the river, which provided transportation and possibly sanitation at the same time. The old town is now a collection of artsy/tourist shops, connected by the hanging walkways, and the setting is picturesque. Forests and mountains rise up behind it. There is a 14-mile trek from the back of town through the forest to the other side of the mountain, with spectacular views after mile 7. Carol tried a bit of ...

... along the river.<br><br> The Southwest Alaska State Fair started the last day we were there. Saw the buildings from the movie set White Fang. The totem being carved was very impressive, and the homemade items entered were very impressive. Ate all kinds of food, desserts, and even got homemade root beer. There were all kinds of music groups during the day. You can tell we&#8217;re getting old ...

Our early start was 4.15am! Due to our problems with the car and our suspended booking we had to show up early to make sure we'd get on the 8am ferry to Ketchikan with our vehicle, and to clear US Customs. The ferry only goes every two days so we wanted to ensure we weren&#8217;t delayed further. We spent most of the six-hour trip glued to the windows on the observatory, and later when it cleared up, sitting on the ship&#8217;s deck looking for wildlife. The coastline was lovely and we saw a ...

... some serious bear scratchings on a tree. <br> Soon it's time to return to our put-in spot, as we haven't brought lunch. But it's been good, getting our feet wet (and thankfully, nothing else). It's been a very pleasant morning and now we have another activity to add to our 'things to do on vacation' list. <br> We keep driving by this great orca sculpture at the fire station, and after lunch, I finally pull over to ...

... s IGA more than once before we leave, but for convenience's sake, we'll use the front door, which opens onto the street.<br> It's still early, so we take a drive up Haines Highway, looking for eagles. It's not really the prime season for viewing them, but we do spot a few along the river. Having read about 33 Mile Road House, the last chance for food and gas before crossing the border, I'm thinking it might be worth a look. Sure enough, it's loaded with ...

Since we did not have to catch the ferry until the afternoon, we had a little time in the morning to do some more exploring of the Juneau area. We returned briefly for one last look at Mendenhall Glacier hoping for blue sky, but that was not to be. We then went in search of eagles. Our first stop was Eagle Beach, but unlike its name no eagles were at the beach. One did perch way behind in a ...