A day of mountains – a late-winter drive to Skagway
I had planned a quick trip to Skagway to pick up some stuff at the post office yesterday. It turned out to be a stunningly beautiful day, though, and photography became the primary activity. I rather reluctantly took Cathy’s Jeep so the dogs would be more comfortable – they may be a bit spoiled 🙂
We left home half an hour after the 07:05 sunrise, with the temperature at -10°C (+14°F). This photo was shot at Km 128 of the South Klondike Highway, just north of the Lewes Lake Road.
I made a loop through Carcross to see what’s new (the new fire hall is beautiful!). This is the view up Lake Bennett from the viewing deck.
The classic view of Carcross from the highway bridge was so perfect that I had to stop and walk back to get a few photos.
A setting of f22 got both the sign and background in focus, and turning 3 photos into an HDR image dealt with harsh shadows.
In the area where I see lynx most often, around the huge pullout along Tutshi Lake, a lynx ran across the road quite a couple of hundred meters/yards in front of me. Curious as most cats are, she didn’t go far, but I never got a clear view of her.
Yes, the Jeep is a pretty comfortable ride for the kids. We got this cargo liner cover a few weeks ago, and are extremely pleased with the quality and with how well it does the job. A good investment of $50US.
I of course have spots along the highway that I shoot regularly, and this is one of them, just north of the Yukon Suspension Bridge.
This mountain at Log Cabin has no official name. Although it’s often called Log Cabin Mountain or Shallow Peak now, it was named Mount Halcyon during the Klondike Gold Rush, so that’s what I use.
I was surprised to see the White Pass & Yukon Route railway line plowed. The first cruise ship this year, the Nieuw Amsterdam, arrives on May 2nd. I’m really glad to see the April arrivals gone – that’s just too early to be bringing people up.
Another of my favourite spots along the highway.
Fraser was a busy place on the WP&YR, with a locomotive, a Cat and a backhoe working to clear the large yard where trains and buses meet.
A closer look.
There were quite a few skiers heading into the White Pass backcountry.
The light through the White Pass was superb, though I shot a few HDR images to deal with shadows.
Even after hundreds of times making this drive, it still thrills me on days like this.
Nearing the White Pass summit.
This may be the last year for the William Moore Bridge – I think construction starts on the new one soon.
I really like Skagway’s new welcome sign.
A quick stop at the post office (first building on the right) and then I decided that it was far too nice to leave. Breakfast at the Sweet Tooth Cafe would be a good diversionary tactic. I got a sunny window where I could keep an eye on Bella and Tucker and they could keep an eye on me, and the food and service was really good as always.
Looking down Taiya Inlet from the Broadway Dock. The wind had a bite to it, but the sun was very warm. At 09:00 Alaska time, the thermometer said that it was +4C/39F.
Bus training was being done, with a pylon course set up at the ferry terminal, and a few buses cruising around town doing practise tours.
On a side street off Broadway, a tiny “House of Negotiable Affection”, a prostitute’s “crib”. It gets little attention among all the jewellery stores and other shops vying for attention.
Not done with the warm sun yet, I drove over to the unmarked “middle” cemetery – the Pioneer Cemetery – to get a few more photos for my Cemeteries and Graves project. This is the path up to the cemetery, which was used between 1909 and about 1970.
Looking over the grave markers, I couldn’t figure out a reason that this small part of the cemetery was chained off like this.
Baby girl Bond, born and died in 1930 🙁
Just before 1:00 Yukon time, I started home. There were a few RVs in the White Pass.
Northbound at Km 52.9, another of my common shooting locations.
Along Tutshi Lake at about Km 62.
Another stop at Tutshi Lake was definitely called for, and the kids had a ball.
The south-facing slopes of Dail Peak are getting pretty bare.
Just a couple of weeks ago, ice climbers wer having fun on these frozen waterfalls. For Highways crews working to keep ice off the highway, they’re not nearly as much fun!
I made a few more stops to gather more photos for my Campgrounds & Rest Areas project, but by about 3:00 we were home.
It had been an amazing day, and I was inspired to create this poster. You can see a larger sharable version here
The dogs and I went for a nap, and when I had to get up just over an hour later, they stayed in bed with their cat.
Just after 6pm, I was downtown at a book launch which I’d be asked to be one of the 2 opening speakers at. The Baked Cafe was standing-room-only packed for the event. This was a project that I’m really pleased to have been able to help with, and I’ll tell you more about that in the next week or so.
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