Skagway, Alaska & Cassiar Highway, British Columbia - July 16-18, 2004 (Re-run)

 Skagway is only twenty miles from Haines as the crow flies, but sits across a fjord, making it some 350 miles by highway.  With a year-round population of about 1200 people, that number doubles during the summer as folks arrive to serve the one million tourists to the city, most of whom arrive by cruise ship.  Having spoken to quite a few of the summer residents, I'm told that it is easily possible to earn enough in four months to live in the lower forty-eight the rest of the year.

During the Klondike Gold Rush (1897-1898), Skagway was the most popular entry point for prospectors.  Even though it was the most direct route, it was still 500 miles from the gold fields and required a difficult climb over White Pass into Canada.  Prospectors were required to bring one ton of supplies to improve survival in the Yukon Territory.  Many prospectors and pack animals died in the effort, and their bodies were merely pushed off the trail.  Meanwhile, merchants, prostitutes and swindlers in Skagway got rich faster than gold miners.  A railroad was built over the pass, but by the time it was completed in 1899, the gold rush was over.  Many books and movies have told stories about Skagway, the most famous of which is Jack London's "Call of The Wild".

 

 

Following our detour to Skagway, we left the Alaskan Highway to follow the Cassiar Highway into British Columbia.  This would offer different scenery than we experienced on our way to Alaska, but also allow us to visit some special places on the way home.

 

As we had heard, this highway was in terrible shape with countless numbers of potholes and construction zones.  It was not only slow going, but very tiring.  We stopped at Cassiar Mountain Jade Store, run by a family who owned a jade mine there and made a living by processing their raw jade into a variety of products.  Their operation was fascinating to watch and we bought a few items for souvenirs and gifts back home.  When the family offered to let us dry camp on their property, we gladly accepted.

The next day we were back on the highway, which had not improved overnight.  The experience culminated with a twenty mile long construction zone that happened to end at a motel/campground that we could not pass up.  After a night of rest, I was dreading the return to that awful highway.  Imagine my delight when we learned the remainder of Cassiar Highway had recently been repaved and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.  The scenery was much more enjoyable thereafter.