7/21 Haines Jct to Whitehorse to Skagway and Back

Breakfast at the Raven was a traditional (we were told) German breakfast with various cheeses, yogurt, fruit, and meats as well as some incredible pastries. The weather was cool enough to warrant our use of the electric vests. Whitehorse is a fairly large town dating back to gold rush days and had many accomodations. We booked a room at the Edgewater since it was labeled as being "Motorcycle Friendly". They even had the basement of the motel reserved for motorcycle parking. Once in and mostly unpacked we took off for Skagway. It was overcast and misting for the entire ride into and out of Skagway over roads cut into cliff faces, steep up and down grades, gravel patches and emerald lakes. Though overcast the light and the mists served to fluoresce the greens of the trees and the yellows of the lichens that covered the rocks of the barrens above Skagway. Once in town we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the bay, the glaciers hanging above the village and the number of ravens. We walked through town and did not succumb to the temptation of the hundred jewelry shops lining the streets. We saw the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon railway and the wharfs where the cruise ships tie up. While there we saw a fur seal swimming in the bay. If you get there check out the National Park Service Gold Rush Museum and the Visitor Center. Very helpful and knowledgeable folks about the Klondike Gold Rush. We headed back to Whitehorse in raingear and electric vests for warmth, but broke out of the rain as we reached the motel. Pasta at a very good Italian restaurant set us up for the evening. Tomorrow to Watson Lake.