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20050722 Haines AK 50/70 Partly cloudy, cool but comfortable. Picture Link
We took off for Haines after I checked the truck's engine oil, found it a little low, and added about a pint.
The road from Haines Junction to Haines is one of the best up here, and has mountain scenery that rivals the best. The Kluane Range gives way to the St Elias Range as you go south.
The Haines Highway summit is at 3,500 feet. After that, you go downhill rather rapidly to the river bed. Then you follow the river bed down to Haines. There are a number of turnouts along the river for eagle watchers.
We set up in the Oceanview RV park, where we've been before. We like the view of the Lynn Canal, the fjord that runs from Juneau to Skagway passing Haines.
We had lunch in the little house, then took off on a rampage of souvenir-buying, grocery-shopping, getting tickets for the boat ride to Juneau and return tomorrow, getting a propane bottle refilled (it ran out early this morning), topping off the fuel in the truck, chatting with the RV Park owner and a few other chores I can’t remember. Ah, yes, we went to Chilkoot State Park and talked with volunteers there about it and then went to Chilkat State Park on the other end of town to look for bears.
In the early evening, we went to the dining room at Fort Seward Lodge. Dolores craved dungeness crab. I had a rib-eye. We came back to the little house, then saw the catamaran ferry we'll take tomorrow headed into the harbor. We dashed over to its dock and asked questions of the couple that hopped off during its brief stop here.
They loved the trip, saying that they saw humpback whales broaching and other nice things. I hope we have similar luck tomorrow.
We came back again and processed the photos from today (no eagles, no bears, lots of flowers). Now I'm doing these notes, then we're off to bed.
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20050723 Haines AK 53/68 Cloudy, then partly cloudy. Cool. Picture Link
We got up a little early, ate, and walked to the small-boat harbor. There, we waited for the catamaran ferry "Fjordland" to show up from Skagway.
It arrived, about six of us hopped on, and away it went for Juneau. Juneau, the state capitol, is only accessible by plane or boat - no roads.
Fjordland served coffee (of course), blueberry muffins, and applejuice. It's a displacement-hull cat driven by two 600-hp Lugger diesels and makes 28 knots max, 26 knots cruising.
On the way, the pilot/captain pointed out various glaciers and lighthouses. Then we started getting into humpback whale territory (shallow water next to deep water) and we started seeing whales. We must have seen four whales blowing and then sounding with flukes in the air. Also, one humpback did the full leap into the air exhibition; he was so far out of the water it was unbelievable. Dolores saw a couple of eagles.
We got to the dock in Auke Bay, north of downtown Juneau; there we boarded a bus for a brief tour enroute downtown. The bus dropped us at the Marine Center, next to the new parking garage with a library on top of it. We branched out and walked around the downtown area, which rivals Wisconsin Dells or Panama City Beach for people-money separators. We first had lunch at the Hanger and watched float planes take off/land. We bought a few souvenirs and gifts.
Eventually, we rendezvoused with the bus, which took us first to Mendenhall Glacier for viewing and picture taking, then back to the Fjordland for the return trip.
On the trip, they served a light dinner. We saw more humpbacks, at least four, and one of them put on a display of slapping the water with its pectoral fin repeatedly. Really neat. A sea lion watched us for a bit, and later we saw a sea lion rookery, with 50 or so sea lions lying on the rocks.
In continuing to point out interesting places, the captain/pilot showed us Vanderbilt Reef, the location of the sinking of S.S. Princess Sophia in October of 1918. She ran onto the reef in a blizzard and storm. The ship hung on the reef waiting for help that couldn't come out to help due to the storm. When help arrived, they found the ship had been lifted by the tide and slid off the reef - only the tip of the cargo mast showed above water. None of the 350+ passengers and crew was found alive.
Because the Sophia was carrying many of the more well-to-do passengers from Dawson and Whitehorse who were "going outside" for the winter, the sinking devestated those towns. There's a monument in Dawson to those who lost their lives on the Princess Sophia.
The sun came out on the return journey, so the pictures taken were nicer, especially those of the glaciers and the Eldred Rock Light.
Fjordland dropped us off at the pier and we walked back to the little house with our purchases. We settled in and did the photo-filing and now we're going to take it easy. Tomorrow is a 260-mile run to Whitehorse in Yukon Territory via the Haines Highway (again) and Haines Junction (again).
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