June 24, 2008. Skagway.
The first thing one does in Skagway is to get off your boat . . .
and get on the White Pass and Yukon Route train out of town. The town fathers don’t want all these tourists – notice all the other big cruise ships in port – hanging around, clogging up their streets. So, away we went – destination White Pass Summit, at 2,865 feet of elevation above Skagway, on the Canadian border. Here’s the train ride:
[Up, up, and away!]
[Tunnel!]
[Early settlers to the area climbed this treacherous route, carrying provisions purchased in Skagway, because they heard White Pass had really good theater.]
[There’s Skagway, and the ocean, far below us now.]
[Not a trip for the faint of heart – which would, incidentally, include me!]
[Late June, but we’ve hit the snow line.]
[There’s Canada. Pretty nice trip, eh? A stirring version of “O Canada” was sung by all. Then we tried to figure out how we were going to get back down.]
[Ray braves the elements for a photo op.]
[Almost back to town, this is Gold Rush Cemetery. A local legend with a strange sounding name is in there – I’ve since forgotten?]
[Home]
[Time to peruse beautiful downtown Skagway. For some, that meant shopping . . .]
[For others, that meant seeking a house of libations.]
[We initially compromised by seeing things historical. Here’s an early White Pass theater buff.]
[Whatta backdrop!]
[Maybe it was Jeff Smith (strange sounding name?) buried in the cemetery? More likely a competitor? Oh yeah, his nickname was “Soapy.” Maybe he was the settler who bathed?]
[Our token totem.]
[At last! The Skagway Brewing Co.]
[Later, back aboard ship, modeling a new shirt from the above establishment! 🙂 ]
[Our final contribution to the local economy.]
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About tomobert63
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! This is the follow-up to the original, “alexandriacardinals.wordpress.com,” which overwhelmed the system’s ability to handle it any more. Thus, this is “Part 2.” As the original was initially described:
10-26-07-4
“It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota. We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day. Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.” It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion. It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits.
~ The Editor, May 9, 2014
p.s. The photo border around the blog is the Cardinal girls’ hockey team after just beating Breck for the state championship in 2008. It’s of the all-tournament team. The visible Breck player on the left is Milica McMillen, then an 8th-grader – she is now an All-American for the Gophers. The Roseau player in the stocking cap I believe is Mary Loken, who went on to play for UND; and the Cardinal player on the right, No. 3, is Abby Williams, the player we blame most for making us girls’ hockey fans who went on to play for Bemidji State.
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Photos contained herein are available for personal use. All you have to do is double click on any of the photos and they will become full screen size. You can then save them into your personal “My Pictures” file. They make lovely parting or hostess gifts, or holiday gifts for such as Uncle Ernie who wants to see how his grand niece is doing on the hockey team. If any are sold for personal profit, however, to, for example, the Audubon Society, National Geographic, Sven’s Home Workshop Monthly, Curling By The Numbers, or the World Wrestling Federation, I only request that you make a donation to the charitable organization of your choice. You have two hours and fifteen minutes. Pencils ready? Begin!
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alexandriacardinals 