Panhandle

"Adventure is not outside man; it is within." - George Eliot

The final leg of the trip.  South out of Whitehorse, down through White Pass and back into the US by way of the Alaska Panhandle.  This landscape was different than anything we had seen so far.  Ruggedly mountainous.  As we climbed up, we merged with the snow line (snow in September!) at the top of White Pass and then down to Skagway.  Breathtaking.

We headed first to the ferry terminal to deal with the final legacy of the car rental fiasco and had to wade through hordes of tourists disgorging into the town from several cruise ships docked in the harbor.

Since I was anticipating a different car when I made the ferry reservations and had to provide vehicle dimentions, we wanted to make sure there wasn't a problem with the change.  There was...to the tune of  $15 for the extra foot or so.

We stayed at the Historic Skagway Inn where rooms were named after the building's original  business' "employees".  I stayed in Grace.  In the bistro on the hotel's main floor, I got the first perfect salmon.  Smoked salmon in puff pastry.  Kind of hard to over cook raw salmon!  I wish I had asked for the recipe.

So, on the ferry the following morning through the Inside Passage down to Juneau.  We saw two Orcas WAY off in the distance.

As the state capital, Juneau was cosmopolitan, yet, since it was only accessible by plane or ferry, it still had a rural feel to it.  I loved it.  I also got my first perfectly COOKED salmon dinner.  My salmon quest had become something of a running joke.  Who would have thought finding Alaskan chefs that could manage salmon would be so difficult?

From Junea we flew home.  What an amazing adventure.  I'm grateful for the opportunity and hope someday I'll be able to go back.

Stacked stone monument on White Pass

Historic railway snow plow

Inside Passage from Ferry

Lighthouse

Orca off Juneau

Juneau from Douglas Island

Mendenhall Glacier

Mushrooms in the rain.