Skagway - Day 3

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A cloudy day, but no rain. Not bad for a day with a 70% chance of showers. A hike this morning up to the Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls, yielded a surprise. As we were approaching the cemetery on the gravel road, a black bear suddenly appeared and stood looking at us. We were a good distance away and so I told Dave that we needed to turn around and go the other way. He had not seen the bear yet, but knew that something must be wrong. That’s when he looked straight ahead of us and the two of them just stared at each other, and then the bear turned to the side and walked away. He climbed over the railroad tracks and swam across the Skagway River. What a relief! It’s a little scary when you see a bear out in the open and you have no protection, like your vehicle to jump into.

We saw the graves of the notorious Jefferson Randolph (Soapy) Smith and Frank Reid, the man they say shot Smith. Soapy Smith was a con man and he and his gang scammed and stole from everyone. He was shot when he tried to enter a meeting the town’s merchants were having about getting rid of him and he and Reid both fired. Smith died immediately and Reid died 12 days later from his wounds.

Reid Falls was roaring with spring waters tumbling over the rocks. It’s quite a beautiful and secluded spot. After viewing the falls and talking with some nice folks from Alberta, we went into town for lunch. Our hike after lunch took us to the “Point”. Yakutania Point is a rocky point of land that extends out into the Taiya Inlet and affords great views of Skagway’s harbor. It’s a very popular hiking spot for locals and tourists alike. We met some very nice folks there from Japan and exchanged stories of our adventures in Alaska with them. The sun came out as we walked back to town.

Back at the house, it was a time of seeing old friends. Stacey and her daughter Cassie and son Nicholas stopped by for a visit on their way to a fundraiser. Stacey and my daughter are best of friends, as are their daughters, Cassie and my granddaughter, Sahara. Later, Laura, Brian and their son, Frances arrived, as did Ajit. Dalia, the fantastic cook, made a delicious meal for all of us. After a very late dinner, we played poker and we drank wine, lots of wine, too much wine. We had a great time and we finally retired around 2 am. Dave and I are usually in bed by 10 pm so it was indeed a very late night for us.

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Photos

Black Bear in Skagway
After sizing us up this bear decided he didn't want to tangle with Dave and left over the tracks.

Bear swimming across river
He then swam across the Skagway River.

Soapy Smith
He was buried just outside the cemetery as not to contaminate the "hollowed ground"

Carolyn at Reid Falls
The falls were roaring over the rocks.

White Pass and Yukon Train
Passing the cemetery on it's way back to town

Poker Partiers
We had a great time but stayed up too late and drank too much wine