After arriving in Skagway and having dinner, we walked through the historic downtown district. During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, Skagway was the end of the sea route and beginning of the land trek to the gold. Thousands of gold seekers (stampeders) piled off of ships and headed overland to the gold fields in the Yukon some 600 miles away. So Skagway became a “San Francisco” of sorts….hotels, saloons, brothels and lots of shady characters. Many of buildings, as well as the narrow gauge railroad, have been restored and much of the downtown area is a National Historical Park. Multiple cruise ships arrive daily, so Skagway is a bustling tourist town full of what Spike calls ‘boat people’.

While in Skagway, Spike arranged for us to meet Ryan Reddington, a Skagway resident. His grandfather was the founder of the Iditarod, and Ryan has run the race since he was a child. It’s a grueling sport and one that we’ll now keep our eyes on with interest. Spike also arranged for us to meet another friend of his, Heidi Sutter, a rural Alaskan school teacher. It was fascinating to learn about the challenges of teaching in a one room school house with 17 students (grades preschool-12th). I could have chatted with her for hours (I settled for a picture and a few laughs).

We also spent time visiting the many different sites in the area. We went to where the Chilkoot Trail began. The trail was an arduous 33 mile trek that the stampeders followed which ended with what came to be known as the Golden Staircase (a straight up ascent on ice stairs). I have to say, the first 20 feet of the trail was steep enough ( and just right for a photo op). We also visited the old Gold Rush cemetery and hiked to waterfall (where John tried to scoop out gold with his bare hands….no luck). One evening, we went to a “gambling” hall where I won $22,000 playing black jack at a $100 table (Oh, if only the money were real!).

Skagway is a beautiful small town with a laid back attitude, very much like the beach towns all along the California coast. We were glad to have visited, but we won’t mind leaving all the tourists (boat people) behind.