We got off the ship and caught a small ferry boat over to Haines. In Haines, we were bussed out to Chilkoot Lake for kayaking. The guides and bus drivers provided great commentary about life in Haines and 'small town Alaska' in general. They were entertaining and shared some great insight about living in Haines and also the sights along the way. An interesting fact in this area is that they have four tides a day instead of two like we have; also the tides can vary up to 25 feet...makes a huge impact along the shoreline. They also shared that in this area that land mass is increasing. As the glaciers melt off the land, the land 'rebounds' and comes back to the surface.
We drove alongside the river just before getting to the lake. Tons of salmon are spawning, thus, great timing for seeing bears...and we were not disappointed. Just as we rounded a corner, tons of people were stopped and watching the river. There was a mama bear and her two cubs. The two cubs were playing and we got some great photos. They were eating, rolling around, and generally being playful with each other. It was so fun to watch. Then mama bear came and they followed her into the river. It was great to see!
Then it was off to the lake for some kayaking. The cloud cover kept the air cool, but not too cold and not too much rain. We ventured out in a three-person kayaking with Todd, his dad, and me. The lake is a green, silty color and not too deep along the shoreline. However, the guides shared that it is up to 700 feet deep in the middle. The lake was surrounded by forested mountains. The cloud cover shifted and allowed peek-a-boo views of the peaks as the time passed. We paddle around fort about two hours, enjoying the water, the views, and were able to get close along the shore to see salmon spawning.
Off the lake, a quick sandwich for lunch and back to the bus. Along the same route back, we saw another mama bear with her triplets. They were alongside the same river's edge and enjoying some salmon. What a treat to see two families of bears. While traveling back, we witnessed how much the tide had come up and how much land the water covers. Before getting back to the ferry, they drove us through Fort Seward. This was a facility constructed in the late 1800's/early 1900's for protecting the border from Canadians. As this was not an overly active job and the area is very snowy in the winter with not much to do, the Fort had to provide many amenities to get officers to this port. The houses/quarters were very high-end for the time period, there was electricity, many had butlers, etc. The houses still stand today and many have been privately purchased. They are very nice and have beautiful views.
We took the ferry back to Skagway, joined up with Todd's mom, and into town for some shopping and sightseeing. We wandered through the shops of Skagway and enjoyed seeing more local art and stores. We also found a 'Starbucks' type coffee shop to get a latte. They do not allow chains within the town since it is within a National Park, but since this coffee shop had been brewing Starbucks before it became a Park...they were allowed to continue (making them do a pretty good business).
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