Sail On To Skagway - 2026 Nautical Miles From Long Beach

As we were getting ready to sail away from Juneau, I captured a video from our balcony of two gondolas in motion. The cover pic is a screenshot when the two gondolas were close by.

Our next port is Skagway which will be the most northern port of this cruise. The sea distance between Long Beach and Skagway is 2026 nautical miles.

One of our ship's TV channels provided us with a constant map showing where our ship was located. The following map shows Skagway in relation to Long Beach and was taken a few days after our Skagway visit.

The Klondike Gold Rush

Skagway's claim to fame was its connection to the start of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. If you want to know more, here is an excellent link from the National Parks Service to check out.

Living in that harsh environment was very tough. However, the lure of finding gold attracted about 100,000 prospectors. Only 30,000 succeeded in reaching the gold fields the rest having either perished or turned back.

Wild West Feel

Skagway had the Wild West feel from a plethora of original buildings and the wooden sidewalks.

Seeing our cruise ship docked at the other end of the main street looked surreal. Of special interest were the schoolhouse, the theatre where a show was in rehearsal, and the many jewelry and souvenir stores.

Schoolhouse

The Theatre

Jewelry Store

Souvenir Shop

I even spotted an Indian restaurant that was out of character.

Bombay Curry

An Eagle In Flight

By sheer luck, I was able to capture an eagle in flight.

To The Summit

We boarded a tour bus that drove us to the summit that was the boundary with Canada. There were many waterfalls along the way fed by melting glaciers. The rocky mountain surfaces bore scars from the moving ice at a time when glaciers dominated this area.

Peering Into Canada

Near the top, we could peer into Canada.

Canadians driving into Alaska are welcomed by this sign.

On driving back down to Skagway we passed an old suspension bridge that was out of service, being replaced by the bridge we used.

And then on to the US Port Of Entry. It felt strange seeing this building high in the mountains.

Back To The Ship

We made one more stop at the Christmas shop before boarding our ship. We were relatively close to the North Pole and this was so appropriate!

After returning to our cabins to freshen up there was something special waiting for us. We had early reservations for Nick & Nora's Steakhouse where we enjoyed a sumptuous dinner while the ship departed for Icy Point Straits, our next stop.