Oh baby! This was a great day! We scheduled a Chilkoot Canoe Wildlife Safari, this was one of only a handful of adventures that we scheduled before we left for our trip.
We road the fast ferry from Skagway to Haines. We had to be at the ferry dock at 9:15a and it was just a hop, skip, and a jump from our RV park. The ferry left at 9:30a (or slightly later), and it was a cool, but mostly dry 45-minute ride to Haines. We saw some great sights along the way and the ferry actually has a tour guide pointing out all the amazing things to see: wildlife, lots of waterfalls, etc).
Once in Haines, we met our guide, Sydney. Boy, did we luck out. We were the only ones on the tour – score!! Sydney was great. She was so knowledgeable, personable, and just a real nice earth loving, appreciative, positive person. If only there were more people like her around…..
From the dock, we boarded a bus and Sydney took us to Chilkoot Lake. Once at the lake, we were outfitted with lifejackets and paddles and taken down to the water were we got in our canoe and paddled away. The weather was mostly cloudy and a bit breezy, but all in all, it didn’t deter our enjoyment at all. We saw so many waterfalls and Sydney took showed us several salmon spawning grounds where the salmon were spawning. We saw several eagles, most of which were “stalking” the spawning grounds.
Near the end of our paddle, Sydney took us to a Salmon Berry bush that was right on water’s edge. We were able to sample a few. They kind of look like a large orange colored cross between a raspberry and a blackberry and have a real mild sweet-tart flavor. Pretty tasty little treasures.
A feeling of sadness came over each of us when our paddle was over, but we perked up when Sydney reminded us that we get a tour of Haines and then lunch on the beach before heading back to Skagway.
Haines isn’t big so the tour went pretty fast, which was good because we all realized how hungry we were. At the beach there were sandwiches, salt and vinegar chips, cookies, and a variety of beverages. Sydney introduced me to a “Mountain Mocha” which is coffee with hot chocolate mix. The two of us drank several of these…
Our ferry ride back was a bit choppy and cool but the sun was trying really hard to peek out from behind the clouds. The ferry tour guide was also on the way back and it was funny how many new sites there are to see when traveling in the opposite direction. For example, there are some waterfalls that can only be seen from a particular angle.
Tonight was also the night we met up for dinner with the nice Airstream couple from Colorado. We ate at the Skagway Fish Company, known for their fish and chips. We ate on the covered patio and really enjoyed our food. If you’re in the area, you should give it a try – make sure you’re hungry, the servings are generous.
After dinner, Braxton went back to the Airstream to chillax and Mike and I walked into town to get a beer at Klondike Brewing. It took us a minute to realize that not only was Klondike Brewing closed, but pretty much the whole town was. We looked to the pier and yep, the cruise ships were gone. So the rumor is true, once the cruise ships leave Skagway, businesses and restaurants close.
Better turn in for the night, tomorrow we have a bike tour around Skagway. We are looking forward to that adventure, too!