Tidings of Joy: Home of the North Wind

A big blow was coming (20-40knots of wind) so unless we wanted to be stuck in Haines for five nights we knew we had to get up and get out. Skagway "Home of the North Wind" was only a short 16 miles away and our furthest stop north since leaving San Diego in June 2020. Before we undid the lines we confirmed Skagway had a space for us and the nice harbormaster assured us it was no problem and gave us our space assignment over the phone. The cruise was uneventful and as we arrived the wind immediately begin to pick up. We were both very relieved we had made it to a new spot and were secure for a few days while the wind took over. Anxious to explore the town we bundled up and took off for the short meander into town. We were excited to see Skagway again since we had been here previously on a Pollak family cruise. What would it look like? Would we remember anything? Is there still a Sarah Palin store? Much to our surprise it was a ghost town. So much of Skagway's economy relies on the cruise ship industry and when they aren't here nobody else is either. For boaters the trip up to Skagway is a long one up the Lynn Canal and takes some coordination with the wind. Most get as far as Haines (our last stop) then turn around and head south. Nevertheless we were happy to be here.

Lynn Canal

Leaving Haines at Low Tide

Skagway

Skagway Cruise Ship Terminal

Skagway Marina

Tidings of Joy Docked in Skagway

Dewey at Dewey

Downtown Skagway

Downtown

Old Snowblower

The Famous Red Onion

Skagway Marina

The wind whipped us around all night long - clanging the bimini and yanking on the lines until they squeaked and creaked. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night.

We woke up to more howling and I attempted to get a few things done before we did some more touristy activities. No internet so blogging was out but I did manage to clean the boat. While attempting to make a video on the flybridge about how windy it was I noticed that our bimini cover had been ripped and was flapping freely. Jeff got some line and secured it as best he could in the wind. Disappointed and a little concerned we got off the boat and walked to the Gold Rush Cemetary and waterfall. The wind gusted so much that I thought I was going to take flight. I raised both my arms and let the wind whip down my sleeves and thought at any movement I would be in the sky with the birds. Disappointingly I was not. The cemetery walk felt long but once we got there it was really interesting seeing the old gravesite and reading about the people. A short walk uphill from the cemetery lead us to a beautiful waterfall where we sat on a bench, caught our breath and gazed at its wonder.

Poor Bimini

Train Depot on Walk to Cemetary

Walking to Cemetary

Gold Rush Cemetary

Waterfall at Gold Rush Cemetary

Sitting at the Waterfall

After our long walk we decided our wind bashed bodies deserved a reward so we headed to the Red Onion for happy hour where we tried some local beers from the Klondike Brewery. I had a stout and Jeff an ale. Both really good and it was fun having a drink indoors at a restaurant. Our first time since March 12, 2020. Freedom! After a couple beers and talking to the bartender who had just returned ironically from California we made our way to the Skagway Brewery where we spotted a couple vegan items on the menu. This could be really special because finding non meat anything on a menu in Alaska has been a challenge. Fortunately we found our spot. We had more locally brewed beers and Jeff got his first seafood since being in Alaska - Red Kind Crab legs and I had a homemade vegan burger. We were both so happy.

Beers at the Red Onion

Red Onion

Walk to Skagway Brewery

King Crab Legs

We decided to end our nice day and evening by watching On Golden Pond - a classic I grew up with and will always make me think of my grandparents and our cottage on the lake.

The next day the blow continued and we headed out to hike to Dewey Lake. Many of you may or may not know that Jeff's family calls him Dewey because he used to take a karate stance and make a noise that sounded like "dewey" when Laura's kids were little so ever since he has been Dewey. We laughed about the sign to Dewey Lake then and now but it was time to see what this lake was all about. The hike was somewhat difficult, more for me then Jeff. Something about beers then hiking the next day, I don't know. When we finally made it to the top the lake was beautiful and bigger then I had expected. We took our time and walked around slowly admiring the lake and the trees and glad we had made it. On our way down hill we stopped at the market for some fresh food then back to the boat for lunch and to relax the rest of the day. The wind was dying down the rest of the evening and it looked like we could leave in the morning.