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A Fishing Story - 1989 the f/v My Colleen
by C. C. Crow photos by author
After a miserable wait in the rain for the ferry to arrive, one
of the ferry workers told me, "you know, there are showers on board". Oh man, it
felt so good. By the time we arrive in Skagway an hour later the sun was peaking
out. Skagway is the famed gateway to Chillcoot Pass and the Yukon goldrush, and
it has a narrow guage railroad.
Skagway and The White Pass
Robert, Canadain hitchhiker I met earlier in Denali
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7-25 TUE
Rain, rain, rain. I hate the rain. It slows down a little around
8:30 when I get up. It's foggy over the water. Well, I wanted to
come to southeast Alaska. I break camp and put a wet tent on my
wet bike. But this is the first day I've really had to put my rain
gear on. I go over to the ferry terminal at the prescribed time,
10:30, two hours before departure. The rumor is confirmed, there
is a big sign about the threatened strike. I get my will call
tickets and then talk to Hazel at her coffee stand. They do it
every year. Hope so. Nothing I can do so we'll see. I get a hot
tip from a dockman, there's a hot shower on the boat. Good idea.
So I get in line and watch the ferry arrive. Finally I'm directed
in. They don't know what they are doing. It's a big self inflicted
hassle. Or maybe they do know what they are pre-strike doing. I go
up and find the free hot shower. Have the place to myself and take
as long as I like. It was great, and much needed. Afterwards I
roam the Taku, have a cheeseburger, $3.75 with fries! Cheapest in
Alaska and good. Only one hour into SKAGWAY. The rain is off and
on. Now I have to decide what to do. Go up to Dyea campground, or
stay in a hotel or B&B? It's stopped raining and I find an in-town
CG for $6.00 and do it. If it is too bad I can do the hotel
tomorrow. I set up camp and then tour the town. The cruise ship
tourist herd through town. See eagle movie, city hall museum and
walk the town. Lots of girls- I've been out too long. Big chow
down dinner, steak, fried potatoes done to perfection. Talk to old
folks and drunks.
7-26 WED
At 8 a.m. the train rolls by. I think he lays on the whistle by
the campground for his own enjoyment. Time to get up. I cook
oatmeal, then decide to go into town. We'll look at the train
first. I follow it up the pass. There are some good views and
there are some great ones. One great one, where a waterfalls
ribbons down the entire mountain side. Well, I'm here so I
continue up over the pass. It is rough and rugged. It's easy to
see why so many lives, both man and animal, were lost crossing
this place during the gold rush. It is bitter and wind swept,
treeless rocks at the top. It's appropriately cold and wet as I
return. In town I meet Pa and daughter on motorcycle, Connecticut
bicyclists, and too many friends. Weather improves and I
photograph downtown. I decide to go back up to the pass, bring a
coat and my helmet this time. Customs lady tells me to go to
Spirit Lake to eat but I turn back at Carcross. I'm just goofing
off. Have poor (lots of) ice-cream. Run into Robert- a hitchhiker
I met in Denali, at the RR crossing. He's just come off Chilcoot
Pass. Run back to Skagway and have big cookout, pork chops, Rice a
Rooti, salad and green beans.
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7-27 THUR
I get up early and go down to White Pass & Yukon RR depot and
question the schedule. They do two round trips to Frasier, so I
take the 7:45 up and back. I have my tank bag and that's it. I bum
a donut from Terri, the hostess. She's pretty sweet. It is very
relaxed, I'm the only full trip passenger- three others get off at
Denver, mile post 5, for a day hike. The rest of the crew is back
in the "prison car" or "war wagon", the cupola car. Terri's duty
is to entertain me. Rather than make her narrate the whole trip I
tell her to maybe just point out her favorite spots. It is a wild
ride. The route clings to the mountain side like a poorly
constructed model train layout. On the side of cliffs, across
thrown together bridges, past Dead Horse Gulch, wisely bypassing
the old steel girder bridge. Finally at the top we turn around at
customs and fill up with tourist off of busses. I climb up to see
the locomotives and probably could have talked my way into a cab
ride however a pushy Brit ruins it. Back aboard, though there are
only a couple of people in my car, I lament that the ride up was
much better. I liked having the whole train, and especially Terri
as my personal guide, alone to myself. Back in town I cook up
lunch and break camp, do laundry, and then have beers at the
Golden North Hotel, my home for the night. Sully, the conductor,
comes in and I talk to him about the railroad. I check in to room
10. The hotel is furnished with 1900s decor. I should have stayed
here when it was raining. Oh well. I shave and shower, re-humanize
myself. Then wonder around town before dinner, F + C downstairs.
Retire to my room and read.
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They wouldn't!
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