Day 43

We left Skagway at 9:09. It was a strange feeling to know Skagway was basically our last stop in Alaska. After all the months of planning and the weeks of travelling, we’re on the downside of the trip. We’re really eager to get home to our family but it will take a while to make our way through Canada and head south for home. Twenty miles out of Skagway and we were in Canada once again.

The terrain north of Skagway was different that any we’ve seen. It was rocky with stunted trees and is referred to as “moonscape”. With the exception of a few green bushes, it did look like the moon. The area is a transition zone between the forests at the lower elevations and the alpine tundra above the tree lines. It was pretty strange looking and not what you’d expect in Alaska. Even in this odd terrain there were huge beautiful lakes.

We stopped in the town of Carcross just because we thought it might be interesting. It was formerly known as Caribou Crossing because of the large numbers of caribou that passed through the area. We didn’t see any. During the gold rush, a sternwheeler (the S.S. Tutshi) in Carcross transported stampeders and goods back and forth between two lakes. The ship had been restored and was prominently displayed in the town. In 1990 it was destroyed in a fire and the only thing remaining is the front of the hull and some engine parts. Jan and Jerry enjoyed reading the history and checking out the remains. Carcross is also the home of the oldest, continually run general store in the Yukon – we had to see that. It turned out the general store was just another touristy gift shop but they did have ice cream. We all had cones and then headed down the road once again.

We stayed at the Continental Divide Lodge & RV Park somewhere between Skagway and Stewart (our next destination).