Day 22 - Train trip to Skagway

We were picked up by the bus at 8.30am this morning for our trip to Fraser where we caught the diesel train to Skagway. Our female bus driver was very informative and good company for the trip. We stopped for a photo shot at Emerald Lake which is very aptly named as it is different shades of green. The bottom of the lake is made up of shells from the time when it was an inland sea and this creates a muddy bottom. The smallest sand desert in the World is at Carcross. 

Morning tea stop was at Carcross where we had coffee and cake from the bakery. There was an old boat which was going to be fully restored but unfortunately someone was "matches" happy and only the hull remains of the original boat however they have restored what remained. Quite a quaint little town with lots of interesting buildings. The large lakes near this town feed into the Yukon River.

Another lovely drive along the edge of a lake which apparently is home to some pretty big fish. Silver was discovered in this area and unfortunately due to the amount of arsenic used the ground became contaminated and it is not until recent years that people have been able to pick berries grown here.

At Fraser we then caught the train through the very steep and picturesque mountains to Skagway. It is hard to imagine that in times gone by men travelled through these mountains in search of gold. Because they had to have a stipulated amount of supplies to last them through the winter the men had to make several trips back and forth carrying the appropriate amount.

The train went through and along the edge of the mountains and there were some very steep ravines

As Skagway is in Alaska we had to go through Customs clearance to enter.

It started to drizzle by the time we arrived at Skagway and there were a couple of ships docked in the port so there were lots of people around the shops and streets. We had been told that there was a place that cooked great Halibut and chips so that was our treat for the day. We poked around a few of the shops before it was time to head for home. The trip back on the bus was on the other side of the ravine so what we missed seeing from the train we saw on the bus as we managed to score seats on the best viewing side.

Entering back into the Canada meant we had to go through Customs clearance by Canadian authorities.

After a long day there were a few of us in the land of "nod" for part of the trip back.