Catch-up and Skagway

Coal Train at Torrington, Wyoming - 5 engines up front and 2 pushers! My guess is these would be from the Powder River Basin :)

I hung around the "Golden Triangle" for an extra day and then drove to Skagway, Alaska from Haines Junction, Yukon. Each time across the border is a time zone change so it is confusing. I am also a little sick and tired of customs staff asking "Where did you come from today" when it has to be the most obvious question they could possibly ask someone driving out of what is basically a  cul-de-sac. The drive was awesome and it was only a little cloudy. Skagway is about the same size as Haines, Alaska but is lot more tourist orientated. There were 4 large cruise ships and one small but expensive looking one in port so the strrets were full of window grazers. The airport was were I thought it would be and I drove straight there, went to the front counter and asked how to book a scenic flight. The staff were so helpful and called one of the operators who was landing from a scenic flight in 15-20 minutes and taking off in 25. Within 25 minutes of arriving I was on the runway taxing!
The flight goes South West out over Haines and to Glacier Bay were we circled around.

Very scenic! On the way back I was thinking it would maybe worth a hike around Haines but then we spotted about 10 bears and I decided it was not worth it.

Skagway

Even the drive out was awesome. I staid the night in a Rest Area on the Alskan Highway with about 3 trucks, 2 RV's and a caravan.

Next day was a big drive down to Stewart, BC which borders the last bit of the Alaskan pan handle. This drive was made up of huge valleys and really, really long beautiful lakes almost the whole way. The peaks were often snow covered, coming down to pine forests ending in crystal blue lakes. One of them is formed by the Yukon river and is the longest distance up river traveled by Salmon to spawn. An incredible journey.

I will need more time to make a new post as the Salmon Glacier was close by Stewart and this blew me away. Tonight I am staying in a relatively seedy hotel in Prince Rupert, BC after another awesome drive which is at the end of the Skeena river Valley.