This was a big day on shore. An eight hour adventure leaving from our port of Skagway. This little town stretches for seven blocks and features historic false-front shops and restaurants, wooden sidewalks and locals dressed in period costumes. This was the starting place for more than 40 000 gold rush stampeders who headed to the Yukon on their way to the Chilkoot Trail chasing the dream of gold. Today, it is the permanent year round home for 800 residents who host over 1 million tourists a year.

Thank goodness the bloated sausage man fingers had improved because it was a day of border crossings today. We needed passport identification to get across the border back in to Canada and visit British Columbia and the Yukon Territory and then to get back into the U.S. and Alaska.

The first part of the trip was on the coach which wound its way along 65 miles of the South Klondike Highway with spectacular views to the summit at White Pass (873 metres). It is hard to imagine the determination, raw courage and endurance needed by the stampeders to haul their mandatory one ton of gear over this pass. No stampeder could head to the gold fields without their load of provisions. And it would have been devastating to climb the coastal ranges and then be presented with the desolate vista that was Torment Valley.

The 1897 gold discovery saw one hundred thousand men and women headed north lured by gold, but only between 30 000 and 40 000 actually reached the gold fields of the Klondike. Four thousand or so prospectors found gold but only a few hundred became rich.

In only five months, between July and November of 1898, the United States Mints in Seattle and San Francisco received ten million dollars of Klondike Gold. By 1900, another thirty-eight million dollars had been recorded - the combined results made for the  largest gold rush the world had ever known.

We travelled in the stampeders' footsteps and passed over the White Pass Summit into Torment Valley, down Dead Horse Gulch, through Fraser, by the Pitchfork Falls, took in "another" Emerald Lake and zoomed by Bridal Veil Falls and Inspiration Point to finally arrive at Caribou Crossing just in time for lunch (...because we don't eat enough on board!)

Caribou Crossing is a tourist park that serves as a feeding station stopover and throws in some up close and personal opportunities with animals in the petting zoo. There's a museum, a gift shop, gold panning and a team of dogs for the sleds. The dogs were going crazy with excitement as people boarded the wheeled sled for a once around the track.

Again, a quick stopover that included a cup of coffee from the Aussie waitress in the bakery. Before we knew it, time was up and we were heading back to Fraser to board the train.

The White Pass train was incredible. Vintage cars with rickety outdoor viewing platforms and so many breathtaking views of suspensions bridges, mountains, snow and ice, forests, gorges, boulders, rock pools, the train, tunnels and flowers. Again, to see the country up close you really do marvel at the "stampeders."

I pity anyone who ever asks to see our photos. We have thousands that will bring back the sights, sounds, smells and vistas of this trip for us but will be numbingly boring for them! Seriously, just don't ask, it will be safer.

Thinking that Mac enjoyed this one because when I left him unattended inside the carriage he bought the hat, the book and the DVD! Don't ask to watch that either!

At the conclusion of the train ride we thought we would disembark in town and have a wander around before heading back to the ship. I lingered a little too long in front of a jewellery store and a very buxom wench in period costume man-handled me inside for a closer look at the 7.5 carats of diamonds that were priced at $76 000. The jeweller said he could do a deal on the diamonds for cruise ship travellers at $15 600. Um, no deal.

Exploring more in our price range, we did try the ice cream counter in the Sweet Tooth popcorn shop though and shared a single scoop of caribou caramel. We found the Famous Red Onion Saloon and we still have no idea about why it (or The Red Dog) were famous.

This was the first day that Mac had not thoroughly checked the "on board" time and we had a little moment as we realised that the onshore cruise ship crowd was thinning significantly. Plenty of time as it turned out...but lesson learned.

The Stardust Room tonight featured the comedian Richie Minervini. We, along with about 800 other guests, were rolling in the aisles. I think he is reading our blog because he did about 20 minutes on the cruise shower and cruise buffet eating. The way that everyone was laughing about the shower, the soap and the curtain makes me think we are not alone. He took the most mundane and simple things in life and bent them with humour. His segment on his elderly father and his oxygen lead was irreverent ..... but we really did laugh so hard. Love his show and will certainly be in the audience for his finale on the last night.

No day is complete without a restaurant visit at night. And this was a repeat....because I needed a break from seafood! It was back to our steakhouse, Cagney's. Again we tucked into delicious, tender, perfectly cooked rib on the bone (inspired by @Michael) and a filet mignon. More decadent chocolate Oreo slice (Mac ate both pieces, no worries) and macadamia ice cream rounded out a light dinner!

Looking forward to two days on board and the magic of the glaciers.

Friday
Temperature: 9C
Pedometer: 7 561
Bear Sightings = 0

Total Bear Sightings = 12


Things @AuntyGail and @Paul forgot to tell us about cruising:

1. Always check the on board return time before leaving the ship for shore excursions.

2. When they say the tour bus is leaving at 8.15 am they really mean 8.45 am.... no hurry.

3. When docked in the harbour, never ever allow personal wind to escape in the cabin when the balcony doors are on automatic lock.

4. People are allowed to smoke in the on board Casino.

5. The shower curtain is very friendly and seems to get stuck everywhere.

6. Undies dry over night but socks take two days.

7. It's cheaper to buy a new shirt than use the on board laundry services.

8. When you are on shore, the land seems to rock just like the boat.

9. Fondue pour deux...means for two...you are supposed to share!

10. Americans do say things are "Dang beautiful." Dang, who'd da thunk that.

11. When you "luck out", that means you had good luck eg "You really lucked out with the weather." means we got great weather conditions!