August 18, 2013 Sunday
Day 42
Another cool rainy day though the sun broke out for a couple of hours. We booked a day trip through our campground host to go by ferry to Skagway on Tuesday.
Then we browsed through some shops and went to the Sheldon Museum to see exhibits on native Tlingit art and culture, Haines history and some local arts. Small, but impressive museum with a great book selection in their gift shop.
Took a nice picnic alongside the road, then went to watch bears, eagles and salmon again at Chilkoot River. It is so thrilling to be in Alaska when the salmon are running, we are so fortunate to be able to witness this!
We really love Haines, it is such an artsy town, over 20 galleries and gift shops locally owned, local artists. The laid-back lifestyle, spectacular scenery, and friendly people make this a very cool small town, located on the coast, sandwiched between water and beautiful mountains.
Only one cruise ship per week comes to Haines and several of the shops and restaurants close on cruise ship day because they don't want to deal with the crowd. We heard that when the cruise ships owners approached Haines with an offer to buy up many of the locally owned shops, Haines refused. The town wanted to retain their quaintness and did not want to be run by cruise ships. It is truly an authentic Alaskan town.
Wildlife Sightings
Brown Bears
Bald Eagles