A Full-time Life

Learning GOLD RUSH HISTORY from the train

This is Part 2 of our White Pass-Yukon Route train ride.  Here is Part One if you misssed it.

 

This is the White Pass Summit, about 20 miles into our railroad trip.  At 2,865 feet above sea level it is the official border between the United States and Canada.   (I showed this photo in Part One, but didn't talk about the history of this spot:)

During the Klondike Gold Rush (1897 - 1899), there was a contingent of Royal Canadian Mounted Police stationed here to ensure every man, woman and child had a year’s worth of supplies before they continued on their arduous journeys.  Quite a few US citizens weren't able to get that much together before starting their hope-to-get-rich trek, so they took an even more arduous route from Valdez in order to by-pass Canada completely (many of them died trying and few got rich even if they made it).

 

About 20 miles past our stop at Canadian customs, we reached the town of Bennett BC, our lunch stop for this journey.   As we neared it, we could see beautiful Bennett Lake from our train window.  

  

 

 The town  of Bennett was built  during the Gold Rush -- it is  located at the end of the White Pass and the Chilkoot  Trail.  Gold prospectors would pack their supplies over this mountain trail from the port cities of Skagway and Dyea.  

For a while after the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was completed, wealthy tourists also took the train to Bennett and beyond.  But the gold rush ended and interest in the town faded.  By the early 1900s, the town was deserted.  It is still an abandoned town today except during the summer season when the rail line has renovated Bennett Station House in order to provide a  hot meal to modern rail-riding travelers.  

 

 

After our delicious lunch (and a chance to visit with people from other cars on the train),  we had a couple of hours on our own to walk on part of the Chilkoot Trail  (a very small part) and explore some of the abandoned buildings in Bennett.   

 

The train than continued to the town of Carcross, Yukon Territory.  Once a hunting and fishing camp for the First Nation Tlingit and Tagish peoples,  the town became a key stopover and supply center during the Gold Rush.  From there they would build or buy rafts to take them down the Yukon River to the gold fields near Dawson City.    (The name of the town is a shortened version of Caribou Crossing -- it is near a major migration route for these animals.)

Tourism is the major part of the Carcross economy today.  Some of the passengers on the train spent the night there to return by rail the next day.   Others were from one of the cruiseships in port in Skagway and their Cruise Lines had a bus waiting for them.

  

 

We had, of course, made our reservations directly with the railroad and they had arranged a van for our return trip.   The sixty-seven-plus mile journey went a lot faster by van than it had by railroad.     The scenery seemed to go by in a blur and we didn't learn as much.  But we were glad to be "home" (back to our camper van) for the night.  

 

SHARING WITH:  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY.  Thank you to Lady Fi and the rest of the OW team:  Arija, Gattina, Sylvia, Sandy and Jen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE CORPSE FLOWER

 

We visited Seattle's Volunteer Park Conservatory earlier this month while   spending a lovely day with our brother-in-law and  sister  (mine, but after more than 57 years together, it all kind of blends together).  

 

 

There were some beautiful orchids and ferns.  But we really went to see the Corpse Flower.  This odd -- and rare -- plant  bloomed in early September for the first time since the Conservatory acquired it in 2006.   (It takes from seven to 10 years for the plant to make a flower.)

 

 

The Corpse flower (Amorphophallus Titanum) was discovered in Sumatra in 1881.  It grows from a large tuber which can weigh more than 150 pounds.  It is said to be the world's largest flower.  Technically it is an 'inflorescence' or a cluster of flowers.  

All of the above information is from the Conservatory.  The information sheet also said "Yes, the flower does smell --  like rotting flesh."  --  But we didn't need the handout to know that.  It smelled awful!

I hate to end a post on a stinky note, so below is just one of the beautiful orchids grown in the Conservatory.  I'm sorry that I don't have any information about it.  

 

Linking this post to TODAY'S FLOWERS and I HEART MACRO. and NATURE'S FOTOS BLO-MA (on Tuesday).   Thank you to Denise and to Laura and to Monica for hosting these wonderful sharing opportunities.

 

THE WHITE PASS TRAIN

Trains are a big thing in Skagway.  The town is  headquarters for the White Pass-Yukon route.  That's the same route that the Klondike goldrush stampeders followed in 1898.

 

We traveled that 67 mile route -- from Skagway to Carcross (Yukon Territory Canada) -- much more comfortably than those intrepid adventurers.  Our trip was on a train like the yellow and green one in the photo above.  The red train has a huge snowplow on the front (scary to think about the tracks that would need that) and the black one is a steam train that also makes the same trip we took.)

 

 

Above, some samples of the beautiful scenery along the route.  

Although the day started off overcast, the skies turned blue about the time we reached the US/Canada border.    

  

  

I really like looking out the train window as the train goes around a curve and seeing the engine up ahead.  So here is my obligatory photo of that event.    We went through several tunnels and over several bridges which I am sure were safer than they looked.   (There actually had been a derailment earlier in the season ... and we knew about that, but still took the chance.  Call us crazy!)

 

More scenery and me standing on the platform between cars.  It was a great spot to take pictures  (if you could do that with one hand on the rail -- it was a little wobbly).  

The journey was narrated by an excellent guide, but you couldn't hear him when standing on the platform.  So it was a hard choice to make.  Shortly after Bill took this picture and went back to our seat, the train entered another rather long tunnel.  Of course I didn't hear the announcement (and nobody remembered to come get me.  How quickly they forget!).  That was a little spooky.

 

 

 

The train entered Canada at Fraser BC and stopped for a welcome rest stop.  The actual border (in the first picture above) is several miles from Fraser, but it gets so snowy at that particular spot that both countries have their stations in a lower location.

(This is Part One of the rail trip -- more on Tuesday)

I am linking this post to SKYWATCH FRIDAY (thanks to Yogi, Sylvia, and Sandy) to Gemma's SCENIC WEEKENDS and to Judith's MOSAIC MONDAY.  Thank you to all the hosts for these great memes.  

 

NO SPITTING in front of my fence!

 For  SIGNS SIGNS  and GOOD FENCES --  two memes that I've been away from for too long.

 

Views of a pretty little yard in an 'off-the-beaten-track' Skagway neighborhood.  (We were looking for a place to walk that was away from the hordes of tourists -- pretending we weren't part of them.) 

 

 

 

 The people who live in the home are probably one or two of the 900 year-round Skagway residents.  The population of the town doubles in the summer because of the seasonal workers who are employed to help with the influx of tourists.  The town has over 900,000 summer visitors!  Those cruise ships bring a lot of people (this post).

I'm pretty sure the sign was meant to be funny.  Although who knows how much sense of humor those 900 residents can maintain during the summer season!

 

 

 

Thank you to Theresa at the RunARound Ranch for GOOD FENCES and to Lesley for SIGNS SIGNS.

I've missed these memes.

MAGPIES

 

We saw Magpies all the time when we were growing up in Eastern Washington.   Bill even remembers (sadly) that there was a bounty on them when he was a child -- for some reason ranchers thought that the birds harmed cattle. 

 

After we moved to (western) Oregon in 1971, we never saw these birds except when we went back to Washington to visit family.    A year ago, we made a trip to our old hometown for the first time in years and again we saw a lot of these striking birds.  We talked about how they are so common in that part of the state but you never see them in western Washington or Oregon.  I didn't get any pictures then though.

 

But this summer we saw them everywhere in Alaska.   This one posed for me at Blueberry Hill Campground near Valdez.   He wasn't a bit afraid.  We were the only people in the Campground, so I don't know whether he was used to people or just didn't know enough to be afraid of them (us).  

 

Not the loveliest place to pose, but somehow the light made his feathers look so beautifully greenish-blue, I just had to include it.  (All photos are the same bird, taken within about half an hour -- and I didn't mess with the pictures at all, except to add the borders.)

 

 

Shared with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.  Thank you to Stuart.

 

Magpies are a member of the Crow family (Corvidae) and they sound very much like crows.  But I think they are prettier.

POSTCARDS FROM WASHINGTON

Greetings from the State of Washington!  

We are back in the lower 48 after our summer adventure.

 

MT. RAINIER, near Tacoma

Sunny weather -- beautiful views -- lovely visits with family!  Nice to be back.

 

 

Foss Waterway, Tacoma

 

Our kind of place!

I got my postcards all mixed up -- those above are from Tacoma, those below are  from Seattle.  We visited Seattle first of course -- shortly after crossing the Canada-US border near Bellingham.  Tacoma is South of Seattle.

 

 

Two views of the iconic Space Needle ... beautiful Seattle!

 

 

There will certainly be more posts about Alaska --- I have to do something with all the pictures we took!  And besides, blogging helps my memory.   But I wanted to do a closer-to-real-time post to let you know that the trip has ended and we are back to normal (or as close as we ever get to it).

 

 

SHARING WITH OUR WORLD TUESDAY.  Thank you to Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, and Jennifer, the hosts of OW.  

 

 

SKAGWAY

Haines (this post) and Skagway are only about 15 miles apart by water -- Skagway is at the end of the Lynn Canal.   By land, the only way to get from one to the other is 350 miles, back into Canada through part of the Yukon.  

 

view of Skagway Harbor from the ferry

 

So of course we chose the water route -- taking another Alaska Ferry, very much like the one we traveled on (back in early June) to Alaska from Washington State.  But this one just makes the one-hour crossing between the two cities several times daily.  

As we did in Haines, here we also stayed in an RV Park within easy walking distance of the town center.  But Skagway seemed to us like a made-up town.   Three to five cruise ships were docked every day we were there -- and when the passengers disembark they by far outnumber the population.   Many of them walked right by our RV Park on their way into town, so when we were at "home" it made for good people-watching.

    

 

  

This picture, from a viewpoint above town, is a graphic example of how the giant cruiseships dwarf the town --  Skagway really does exist (these days) almost solely to cater to these tourists.  Skagway's downtown blocks are charming at first glance, wooden sidewalks and some old buildings dating from the Yukon goldrush. But there are almost no locally-owned stores.

 

 

The driftwood-covered building above was (in goldrush days) home to the Alaska Brotherhood lodge.  Now it is a Visitor Center for the Klondike National Historical Park.    Next to it (on the left of the picture) is a jewelry store.   Most Skagway storefronts are occupied by jewelry and "gold" stores.  Not our thing anyway and besides nearly all of them are owned by the cruise lines... tailor made so that cruise passengers who may only have a few hours in town can spend their money on something "local."  

But ... although we didn't love Skagway the way we did Haines, we were really glad that we stayed there .... 

Shameless teaser about the next post

...because of the adventures we had when we got away from the town itself.  (And that's another post or two. )   

 

SHARING WITH:  Wednesday Around the World.  A new meme for me, hosted by Betty who blogs beautifully from New Zealand.  Thank you Betty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAINES --- birds, beasts, and a charming town

 

Most of the time we spent in Haines, we were exploring outside of the town...

 

...  watching birds, gazing at scenery, taking a few pictures, fishing a bit,  and watching other wildlife:

  

 

 (Like this guy on the way to his favorite fishing hole.)

But we also really enjoyed the little town.   Here are some of the views of this picturesque  area:

   

 

Like most places in Alaska, Haines is nowhere near a city of any size.  Because of its location and small population, I had expected a tiny village with few amenities.   I was pleasantly surprised.   It actually does not have chain stores and that was OK by us.  It's sweet to see a town that doesn't look like every other place you visit. And besides,  the local merchants offered  everything we needed (good grocery stores and restaurants for us mostly, but there were other stores, none  of which seemed overtly 'touristy'.)  

This bald eagle was fishing near Haines at the same time Bill was.

 

About 3500 Bald Eagles migrate into Haines in late Fall and the town hosts the Chilkat Valley Bald Eagle Festival in November.  (I'd love to be there   --  if only it weren't already so cold by then!)  But we were just happy to see a few of the ones who make their home permanently in the area.  

SHARING WITH:  MOSAIC MONDAY (thanks to Judith, the new host)  OUR WORLD on Tuesday (thank you to the team Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer) and WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY with thanks to Stuart.   

 

 

CARIBOU

 

It is estimated that over 95,000 caribou make Alaska their home, so it wasn't surprising that we saw a few of them.   They are an important part of Alaska's history and culture.   

 

  Archeological evidence shows that ten thousand years ago, nomadic hunters --descended from the people who first crossed the Bering Sea land bridge  -- followed caribou trails into what is now Denali National Park.  The animals were hunted for their meat and fur.   Their  hollow hairs are a natural insulator against the cold weather.   

Today, the caribou population is managed by controlled hunts as well as by predators (they are the center of the food chain).  Many Native Alaskans still depend on them for food and some areas along  migration routes (as they travel from summer to winter grazing areas) are set aside for subsistance hunting. 

 

 We saw a herd of several hundred on the Dalton Highway (past the Arctic Circle) and that was amazing.    (The picture above,  part of a much smaller herd of females and young, was taken in Denali Park.)  In the summer time,  the herds mostly consist of females and young with the males more often spotted alone.

 

Both male and female grow antlers during the summer.    Bulls drop theirs after the Autumn mating season,  while cows carry theirs until mid-winter or even later. 

Caribou and reindeer are  pretty much the same animal.   In Alaska, reindeer simply means domesticated caribou.    (According to the story told  by one of our Denali drivers this means that the reindeer pictured pulling Santa's sleigh are all females, since at Christmas time  males would be antler-less.)

 

When the Alyeska Pipeline was being planned in the 1970s, there was worry that it would disrupt the caribou population (and, therefore, the entire ecosystem).  In places where it was known that the pipeline would cross the migratory paths, the pipeline was  buried to allow them to proceed unimpeded.  But it turned out that step was not necessary; the caribou simply ignore the pipeline, treating it as if it isn't even there.  They slide under the pipe wherever and whenever they want.     

 

Linked to SATURDAY CRITTERS.  (Thank you to Eileen for hosting) and to NATURE NOTES with thanks to Michelle.

 

 

 

BRITISH COLUMBIA SURPRISES

Checking in quickly from our RV Park home for the night -- in Chetwynd British Columbia.      (We are slowly wending our way back to the USA ...   this is the first time in days that we've had  WiFi access.)  

 

Who knew there were American Bison in British Columbia?  We do now -- after seeing three large herds of them earlier this week, plus a few stragglers here and there along the way.

We saw all of these amazing animals a couple of days ago --   traveling the 200 miles between Watson Lake and the Toad River RV Park somewhere along the Alaska Highway (the part of it in Canada).   

 

Of course there was a sudden downpour just as we saw this Mom and her baby -- they were loving that clover and didn't let the rain dampen their enjoyment.  (But it sure played havoc with my camera.)

Our Alaska summer ended with stays at Haines and Skagway  -- both of which we enjoyed for very different reasons and both of which I will eventually blog about -- along with  a few (hundred) other wonderful Alaska places that I haven't yet posted.    

 

A family of Stone Sheep.   There was a whole herd enjoying the minerals in the soil in this particular spot.

  

Although Alaska is behind us,  our camping adventure continues as we head south.  So many places, so much to see!  BC is beautiful.

   

Caribou

 

We still have quite a few miles to go before we cross Canada's southern   border...   and if we have many more amazing photo-op days like this one was, it could take a while!  

 

Moose enjoying a late dinner

 

 Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS and (if I am able) next week's OUR WORLD on TUESDAY.  (Thanks to all of the hosts.)