Thursday, July 11, 2013

There's a mouse in the house. . .

Looks like a Disney cruise is in town. At least there are mouse ears on the smokestacks!

There is quite a bit to look at here in Skagway. This morning we left in MinnieMee and drove north of town to the cemetery. This is an old cemetery with graves dating from 1898 when the Gold Rush started. The notorious "Soapy Smith" is buried here along with the hero who killed him, Frank Reid. It is typical of very old cemeteries, with wooden headstones and graves marked out by rocks. It is very rough and I read later where many graves were flooded and washed away at one time. It continues to be maintained, however, even though no new burials have occurred for quite some time.

From the cemetery we hiked a short distance to the Reid falls, named for the man who "freed" Skagway from Soapy Smith. The falls are beautiful and hidden away in really dense woods.

Afterwards we drove along the Dyea road to the town's overlook. It allows a broad view of the town. We had wanted to go on to look at the start of the Chilcoot trail, but the road is dirt and not recommended for RV's. We weren't sure what it is like, so decided not to attempt it.

When we left there, we parked near the museum and walked the block or two. The city museum was small, but very informative and had a movie we watched about the various modes of transportation that Skagway has had. They currently continue to maintain traffic via roads, airplanes, trains, and boats.

We walked back to the motorhome and had lunch right there on the street, then checked out the public library, just a half block away. We can bring our personal computers in here and surf and conduct our business as needed. It's pretty convenient since otherwise we have to pay big bucks for an hour of internet.

We are about done for the day as we have a few errands to run. . . fuel, groceries, etc. Tomorrow we will ride the ferry to Haines for two nights before heading down the inside passage.

Till next time. . .

Dale

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