If you look at a map of Alaska there is a thin sliver that comes down the side of Canada, this is known as the panhandle of Alaska. We went into the panhandle for a day back in Hyder, we were heading back into the panhandle for our 3rd visit to Alaska. Tilly transported us over passes, through misty mountains all against a wind funnelling up from the coast. The US border guard was very welcoming. Before reaching Haines we had several miles of following a pilot car over dirt and gravel past an endless procession of diggers, tippers and construction vehicles. Some major road work going on here with daily blasting 5 till 7 in the morning. We checked in at an RV park with lush green sites, free hot showers, flush toilets, laundrette, electric / water hook ups - and the sun was shining. A little piece of heaven. Haines is renowned for bear spotting, we drove up to the Chillkoot river and sure enough we saw a grizzly on the fish weir. There are marshals here keeping people a safe distance away. The odds of seeing bears during Salmon season are that good that people flock here and unless they have a super duper zoom lens they just keep getting closer and closer for that perfect photo. Before they had marshals people got so close that bear cubs feeding at the weir day after day interacted with the humans and became a danger and had to be shot. After two lots of cubs were shot over several years someone said enough is enough and hence the marshals do their job to keep people and the bears safe. On the other side of town is 'old' Fort Seward also known as Port Chilkoot. A place where WWII veterans called home. The old houses lining the central green are kept tiptop and it has a feeling of an old colonial town. The Stars and Stripes proudly flutter in the breeze. Just outside the town is the original town movie set for the Disney film 'White Fang' based on the book by Jack London who came to nearby gold boom town of Skagway and was inspired to write instead of digging for gold. Haines big claim surely must be that it is home to the only Hammer museum in the world! It proudly boasts a collection of over 1800 hammers. We didn't pay 5 Dollars each to look at a lot of old hammers, besides there was a window on the side of the building that you could peer through for nothing. Donna said it was a bit like looking at all the rusty tools in your Grandads shed! We donned our boots to walk up Mount Riley. The start was through thick forest with bear scat on the trail. We were both frightened and got the bangers and spray out ready for immediate use. Donna and I considered turning back, there were no other cars at the trailhead so no one was on the path in front of us to scare or feed the bears! The sun was shining and great views promised for the summit, so on we went. We jangled our bells and sang Old Macdonald had a farm (with our own verses) and 'There was an old lady who swallowed a fly'. As the path climbed more and more it became harder to sing and breathe at the same time. The treeline finally thinned out and we enjoyed the views we had braved the forest for. Lunch was consumed whilst keeping an owl-like lookout for bears, taking it in turns to sot down. There was to be no stopping on the rapid descent, we just got the flock out of there. Our last morning, we just had time to visit the bear area before checking in for a ferry to Skagway. Before reaching the fish weir we saw a dozen bald Eagles sitting on the beach, by the time we u-turned most of them were too far away to photograph. Haines is also known as 'Valley of the Eagles' come September there are thousands of them feasting on the end of the Salmon run. Although we did get a good view of them. We invested in some binoculars some weeks back and they certainly make a big difference when viewing wildlife. Then we had a close encounter with a Grizzly close to the roadside who disappeared and reappeared from the undergrowth. Upon reaching the fish weir we had just missed 2 female Grizzlies and 5 cubs who had vanished into the trees. Some people spend all day here in the hope of seeing bears, so we can't complain we had 2 short visits here and saw a bear each time. The Ferry was not what we expected. It was not a drive on one end and drive off the other. The ramp took you into an orifice on the side of the vessel and this was also the way off! Donna looked horrified as the large campers reversed down the lengthy buy narrow ramp into the dark abyss below decks. The good news was the shorter vehicles drove on and turned around inside, facing the right way to exit at Skagway. We were one of the last on and the turning area was at it's minimum but Donna even though she was worried managed it easily (I did offer to drive). Haines was a wonderful place to visit, small enough to see in a couple of days, surrounded by mountains and glaciers, quaint harbour, artisan stores, scenic shoreline, pebble beaches, rustic buildings, beautiful blue-green bays, a variety of old cars, bears, eagles, great weather, yummy ice-cream and not forgetting the only hammer museum in the world! One of Donnas wishes also came true, whilst I was at the library blogging, Donna went to the grocery store and they packed her purchases into brown paper bags not plastic carriers (just like in Cheers and other American TV programmes) and then a man carried them to the car for her - this made her unbelievably happy and now she will not part with the empty bags (I will have to sneak them onto our next fire).