Alaska

Skagway (and our jeep)




Stone Sheep




Black Bear





Eight days up the Alaska Highway, and as always, a gorgeous trip complete with awesome scenery and wildlife at every corner. We always keep a record of which animals and how many we see each day. On this trip, we saw at least 1 bear every single day, but usually spotted them in groups of 2 or 3. The best part was, we actually saw a grizzly bear (which I thought was awesome), and the rest being black bear. Sheep, Caribou, moose, bison and eagles were among the other wildlife we encountered. It doesn't get any better than seeing wildlife in their natural environment....and, how in the world do those sheep manage to ascend and descend on those rocky mountains?





This year, we decided on a side trip to Skagway...and so glad we did. What a neat little town. Downtown Skagway has lots of shops reminiscent of the gold rush days. We had lunch at a place called the Red Onion...back in the day it was a brothel, and for $5.00 today you can have a 15 minute tour of the 'upstairs.' We elected instead for a burger and beer..expensive, but quite good.


In the year 1898, the Gold Rush brought thousands to Skagway. The town boomed and the busted shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, in April, 1898, there was an avalanche that killed almost 2,000 people....they buried the victims right there and aptly named it 'Slide Cemetary'. What I found pretty cool was the fact that they had headstones, made of lumber, with the name of the deceased, where they were from, and the year of death, 1898. Hey, I love history and delving in to how people lived and survived in those times.

The side trip to Skagway was the only RV park stay we had on the trip. There are so many places along the Alaska Highway to pull off the road. On this trip, we discovered a great spot, right on a lake. Quiet, peaceful and beautiful. Can't beat that!

So, we are here for the summer. It's coming home for us. (Just wish it was a tad bit warmer).