A Peak Experience—Talkeetna, Alaska:
Flight-seeing with a bush pilot around the Alaska Range is an adventure way beyond “ooooh” and “ah.” It’s magical, spiritual, breath-taking—and the superlatives don’t stop there. Our two-hour Peak Dodger air adventure was a chance to savor, not just see, the majesty of the striated granite mountains, the carved paths of the glaciers, and the rugged white snowscape contrasting against bright blue sky. I’ve never been more amazed with Mother Nature than in Alaska! Climbing into the tiny confines of a Cessna 185's backseat, camera in hand, I was more than just a little nervous.
My no-fear husband, however, eagerly claimed the co-pilot seat. P.J., our bush pilot, put me at ease with his sense of humor and emergency preparedness. Alaskan law mandates that, among other things, food, blankets, first-aid equipment and survival hunting/fishing gear be carried on back-country flights. So, with our seat belts securely buckled, sunglasses protecting against the bright glare, and no tray tables to stow, we took off from Talkeetna State Airport bound for the snowy mountains on the nearby horizon.
Shortly after take-off my trepidation turned into tingling excitement. Two thousand feet below me lay miles of remote wilderness rarely seen by outsiders. From my bird's eye advantage, hidden rivers, lakes, and homesteads came into view. In no time, the thick forest gave way to humongous monoliths of ice, snow, and rock. We flew straight for them?as well as around, over, down and in-between the peaks. P.J. knowledgeably called out their names as my shutter clicked away?Mt. Hunter rising to 14,573 feet; Mt. Foraker looming at 17,400 feet; and the great one?Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali)?towering at 20,320 feet above sea level. As the small aircraft made yet another steep turn to provide us with the best views, its wingtips seemed to just narrowly miss the walls of the hulking Moose's Tooth! Then suddenly the next grand scene appeared below?the winding river of ice known as the Ruth Glacier.
Just when I thought the adventure couldn't improve, our plane's skis provided a smooth landing on a glacier. We piled out of the plane and promptly sank to our knees in freshly fallen snow. The brisk air was take-your-breath-away cold and the undisturbed frozen landscape sparkled in the sunshine like crystal. I felt small and insignificant standing on that endless carpet of white gazing up at mountains that reached to dizzying heights. And while I've lost track of many of the peak's names, their grandeur is frozen in my mind's eye forever.
As clouds began to roll in, P.J. hurried us back inside the plane and all too soon we were winging it toward Talkeetna. Back at the airport, while I was shaking hands with our pilot and gushing my gratitude for the spectacular flight-seeing, Larry inspected the Cessna's wingtips for scrape marks. Of course he didn't find any, but we both know just how reach-out-and-touch-it-close we had flown to those grand peaks!
My no-fear husband, however, eagerly claimed the co-pilot seat. P.J., our bush pilot, put me at ease with his sense of humor and emergency preparedness. Alaskan law mandates that, among other things, food, blankets, first-aid equipment and survival hunting/fishing gear be carried on back-country flights. So, with our seat belts securely buckled, sunglasses protecting against the bright glare, and no tray tables to stow, we took off from Talkeetna State Airport bound for the snowy mountains on the nearby horizon.
Shortly after take-off my trepidation turned into tingling excitement. Two thousand feet below me lay miles of remote wilderness rarely seen by outsiders. From my bird's eye advantage, hidden rivers, lakes, and homesteads came into view. In no time, the thick forest gave way to humongous monoliths of ice, snow, and rock. We flew straight for them?as well as around, over, down and in-between the peaks. P.J. knowledgeably called out their names as my shutter clicked away?Mt. Hunter rising to 14,573 feet; Mt. Foraker looming at 17,400 feet; and the great one?Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali)?towering at 20,320 feet above sea level. As the small aircraft made yet another steep turn to provide us with the best views, its wingtips seemed to just narrowly miss the walls of the hulking Moose's Tooth! Then suddenly the next grand scene appeared below?the winding river of ice known as the Ruth Glacier.
Just when I thought the adventure couldn't improve, our plane's skis provided a smooth landing on a glacier. We piled out of the plane and promptly sank to our knees in freshly fallen snow. The brisk air was take-your-breath-away cold and the undisturbed frozen landscape sparkled in the sunshine like crystal. I felt small and insignificant standing on that endless carpet of white gazing up at mountains that reached to dizzying heights. And while I've lost track of many of the peak's names, their grandeur is frozen in my mind's eye forever.
As clouds began to roll in, P.J. hurried us back inside the plane and all too soon we were winging it toward Talkeetna. Back at the airport, while I was shaking hands with our pilot and gushing my gratitude for the spectacular flight-seeing, Larry inspected the Cessna's wingtips for scrape marks. Of course he didn't find any, but we both know just how reach-out-and-touch-it-close we had flown to those grand peaks!
Gateway to the Klondike—Skagway, Alaska:
“Ho! for the Klondike. Stick to the trail and mush on!” Those were words to live by in 1898 when more than 100,000 fortune-seekers used Skagway as their “jumping off point” to the gold fields beyond. But even if you’re not stocking up on pickaxes and bags of flour to haul into the Klondike this summer, a visit to Skagway provides fun insight into the extraordinary gold rush era that peaked and plummeted within just two short years.
The small town's architecture and history are well preserved, but not overly commercialized. Most of the downtown has been designated as the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic District, managed by the National Park Service, so there's a good bit of yesteryear mixed in with modern gift shops and museums.
If you arrive by cruise ship like most visitors, it's easy to explore most of the Historic District on foot. Broadway is a bustling 6-block strip of false-front buildings connected by a rough-hewn boardwalk. I was impressed that a few businesses, such as Kirmse's Jewelers and Curios that first opened over a century ago, are still thriving today. If you get thirsty while shopping, stop in for a tasty sarsaparilla at the lively Red Onion Saloon. It used to be a brothel, but now you'll just find good, clean fun inside!
For an amusing encounter with Skagway's history, board a sunny yellow Skagway Street Car on Second Avenue. The authentic vehicles were created in 1923 for President Warren Harding's visit to Skagway. Since then, tourists wishing to see "all points of interest" (as proclaimed by the advertising painted on the side) hop aboard for a two-hour tour. While driving around town, a costumed conductor brings Skagway's wild and lawless past to life. The stories are amazing!
In 1898, Skagway was a chaotic, unkempt city of about 20,000?most of whom lived in tents and make-shift structures. Thanks to a few colorful characters?especially notorious con-artist Jefferson "Soapy" Smith and beloved-citizen-turned-vigilante Frank Reid?corruption and gunfights were commonplace. You'll get the chance to learn more about these men at the Gold Rush Cemetery, and see proof of the epidemics that swept through the town because of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.
After motoring past charmingly restored homes in the residential garden district, get your camera ready. A stop at the overlook provides a panoramic view of Skagway back-dropped by snow-capped mountains. The fun tour concludes with dancehall music and singing at the Club House Theatre where everyone is officially inducted into the "Arctic Brotherhood" (the first social order established by gold miners over 100 years ago). Don't worry if you can't pay your dues in customary gold nuggets, you'll still get your membership card! After the tour, find the rustic, driftwood-encrusted building on Broadway that bears the letters AB (for Arctic Brotherhood) and the date 1899. It was once the Brotherhood's headquarters; today it's the Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau Center and the most-photographed place in town.
One of the most popular side-trips from Skagway is a ride on the narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. The summit excursion train leaves from downtown, climbs 20 miles over 2,865 feet of elevation, and then turns around. Passengers taking the three-hour steep ride get an instant appreciation for the men who labored for a mere $3 a day, even in blizzards, to complete the railroad.
Skagway is a special place where Alaska's gold rush history lives on. With a little imagination, you can almost feel the frenzied pace that first filled this gold rush boomtown over a century ago. And if you look close enough, maybe, just maybe, you'll even find a little left-over gold dust shimmering in the cracks of the plank sidewalk!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau Center
www.skagway.com
(907) 983-2854
National Park Service
www.nps.gov/klgo
(907) 983-2921
The small town's architecture and history are well preserved, but not overly commercialized. Most of the downtown has been designated as the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic District, managed by the National Park Service, so there's a good bit of yesteryear mixed in with modern gift shops and museums.
If you arrive by cruise ship like most visitors, it's easy to explore most of the Historic District on foot. Broadway is a bustling 6-block strip of false-front buildings connected by a rough-hewn boardwalk. I was impressed that a few businesses, such as Kirmse's Jewelers and Curios that first opened over a century ago, are still thriving today. If you get thirsty while shopping, stop in for a tasty sarsaparilla at the lively Red Onion Saloon. It used to be a brothel, but now you'll just find good, clean fun inside!
For an amusing encounter with Skagway's history, board a sunny yellow Skagway Street Car on Second Avenue. The authentic vehicles were created in 1923 for President Warren Harding's visit to Skagway. Since then, tourists wishing to see "all points of interest" (as proclaimed by the advertising painted on the side) hop aboard for a two-hour tour. While driving around town, a costumed conductor brings Skagway's wild and lawless past to life. The stories are amazing!
In 1898, Skagway was a chaotic, unkempt city of about 20,000?most of whom lived in tents and make-shift structures. Thanks to a few colorful characters?especially notorious con-artist Jefferson "Soapy" Smith and beloved-citizen-turned-vigilante Frank Reid?corruption and gunfights were commonplace. You'll get the chance to learn more about these men at the Gold Rush Cemetery, and see proof of the epidemics that swept through the town because of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.
After motoring past charmingly restored homes in the residential garden district, get your camera ready. A stop at the overlook provides a panoramic view of Skagway back-dropped by snow-capped mountains. The fun tour concludes with dancehall music and singing at the Club House Theatre where everyone is officially inducted into the "Arctic Brotherhood" (the first social order established by gold miners over 100 years ago). Don't worry if you can't pay your dues in customary gold nuggets, you'll still get your membership card! After the tour, find the rustic, driftwood-encrusted building on Broadway that bears the letters AB (for Arctic Brotherhood) and the date 1899. It was once the Brotherhood's headquarters; today it's the Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau Center and the most-photographed place in town.
One of the most popular side-trips from Skagway is a ride on the narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. The summit excursion train leaves from downtown, climbs 20 miles over 2,865 feet of elevation, and then turns around. Passengers taking the three-hour steep ride get an instant appreciation for the men who labored for a mere $3 a day, even in blizzards, to complete the railroad.
Skagway is a special place where Alaska's gold rush history lives on. With a little imagination, you can almost feel the frenzied pace that first filled this gold rush boomtown over a century ago. And if you look close enough, maybe, just maybe, you'll even find a little left-over gold dust shimmering in the cracks of the plank sidewalk!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau Center
www.skagway.com
(907) 983-2854
National Park Service
www.nps.gov/klgo
(907) 983-2921
