Dave Koz Travelogue: Monday - Day 4

We arrived early morning in Skagway, our second stop on the Rhapsody. Again, there were a vast amount of ways to spend our day—but I was all gung-ho to take the mountain train. I had heard a lot about this train line that was once used for the gold trade in the 1800’s—and now was used as a passenger train, taking visitors high up in to the mountains for a 3 hour tour. So, we boarded the White Pass/Yukon Route Railway around noon—it was like going back in time…the cars were reconditioned old railway cars—replete with the old-fashioned conductors and engineers. Very safe though. It took us thru downtown Skagway and then all the way up through the mountains through twists and turns and tunnels and bridges—everywhere you looked was like a postcard. It was 90 minutes to get up to the top before turning around for the trip back down. It was one of the single best experiences I’ve had in a long time. Just the views—words can’t possibly do it justice. Going through the mountains on a train looking at sights that you’d never see elsewhere. Glorious.

Some of the other things to explore in Skagway should you be interested: Horseback riding, a Yukon jeep adventure, a Bald Eagle reserve, bicycle tours, nature hikes, dog-sledding, helicopter rides to glaciers, glass-blowing experiences, a Golf-Alaska adventure, zip-lining, snow-shoeing, rock-climbing at Klondike Summit and countless more.

After our train arrived back, we walked through the center of Skagway which is like an old western town—almost like it was stuck in time, turn of the century…horse-drawn carriages taking people around—general stores. Great shopping can be found there too, fun bars and restaurants. We got so lucky with the weather too—it was in the mid to high 70’s all day (in May)…sunny and warm like the best Summer’s day in Alaska.

When we got back on board, we immediately went up to the top deck to sip drinks and watch the sailaway from Skagway. A reminder…it gets dark in Alaska really late—sometimes not until 11pm! So, it was 8:30 and fully sunlit—against the most unbelievable backdrop of the mountains of Skagway. Even Captain Stein Bjorheim who I saw later that night, mentioned to me that this particular sailaway was truly special—one of the clearest evenings in recent memory. A rare sight indeed. We followed our drinks up top with a spectacular dinner in the main dining room and then we club-hopped, sussing out the action on the ship to see where people were congregating and what they enjoyed doing. Everyone was in great spirits from a fantastic day in Skagway, but it was to be an early night for most as the ship was pulling into Tracy Arm Fjord bright and early at 6am!!