September 8, 2016

At the harbor in Skagway, the mountains are covered with a sort of graffiti. Apparently it is a tradition when a ship docks in Skagway for the first time, the ship’s crew is allowed to document that event by painting a sign on the side of the mountain with the ship’s name, date of arrival and the Captain’s name.

I was surprised to hear that because everywhere I went in Alaska they were obsessive about preserving the environment. They are very strict about littering, especially around the rivers and streams, but, I guess a tradition is a tradition. These signs went on for miles.  Here is a sample:

We were only going to be in Skagway for about six hours, so I had to decide what to do. I narrowed the choices down to these two:

1. A four hour train ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. This train starts at sea level and then climbs at a very steep grade. In about 20 miles it rises around 3,000 feet. The tracks are right on the edge of the path and you get some very impressive views of the valleys and rivers and waterfalls and tunnels and bridges and trestles along the way.

2.  The Ghosts and Good-time Girls Walking Tour. A sumptuously dressed madam will greet you with a garter and walk you through Skagway’s streets and alleys telling stories of luscious “good-time” girls such as Klondike Kate, Pea Hull Annie and Diamond Lil. These girls followed the men who came to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890s. The tour ends with a champagne toast at the world famous Red Onion Saloon and Brothel Museum. There you will explore the halls and bedrooms of this celebrated brothel, observing relics and images of the girls who worked upstairs.

Care to guess which tour I took?

No cheating. Scroll down

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You are wrong! I took the train ride. Everyone knows I don’t drink champagne.

Here are some pics:

Lot’s of people like to hike up this mountain and camp out. The railroad set up this old caboose about halfway up the mountain for hikers who want to spend the night: