Today was a first for me, with two port to visit in a single day.
First up is Skagway, Alaska, and we didn't have firm plans for today's visit. We walked off the ship thinking we could do a combination of a hike and lunch.
Going off of our local's guide to Skagway, we attempted to walk the Dewey trail down to the lake.
Unfortunately, the path was very steep, with lots of rocks. While I think we could have made it, we bailed after about 20 minutes when the terrain got very rocky and steep.
Back in town, we did a little bit of walking around before deciding to try a less demanding trail.
Located near the airport is Yakutania Point, which requires a short walk and easy terrain.
It essentially run parallel to where the cruise ships dock, but across the river.
We easily navigated the terrain and ended up with a great view of the ship and the waterways entering Skagway.
By now, we were hungry and needed to sit, so we headed back to town for lunch at Skagway Brewing. They had a nice menu of options and it tasted great after all of our walking.
We then spent the rest of our time in Skagway exploring downtown.
I also had to stop by the Klondike Doughboy to try one of their fried dough specialties.
Their fried dough is essentially a very flat and round doughnut topped with sugar and cinnamon.
Back on the ship, it was time for a nap to rest up for our next port.
I woke up to clear skies and a beautiful view as we made our way out of Skagway.
Haines is the next city, just a few miles from Skagway. The transit was so short that we ended up docking about an hour early.
Haines is a much smaller port than any of the other places we visited, but it also has a more town feel than the rest.
It's an easy 10 minute walk downtown, where there's shopping and restaurants to enjoy.
Since we were only in Haines for a few hours (4:30 to 9:30) and we are coming back next week, we decided to just enjoy the town and save the tours for next week.
We started off with dinner at the Bamboo Room at Pioneer Bar.
They had a small dinner menu, so we shared the halibut and fried pickles along with a cold beer.
After dinner, we walked to the Haines Brewery, where you can enjoy a variety of brews they have on tap at their distillery.
This was a popular spot, and it was nice to grab a beer and enjoy the drink with a view of the mountains.
The town of Haines was beautiful, and once again our perfect weather really made it a joy to be outdoors.
On the way back to the ship, I spotted a food truck with a woman who was letting everyone know that walked by they not only had fresh fish to enjoy, but all their stuff comes from local fisherman.
I am a sucker for locally sourced food that is fresh, so I stopped by for a bite. They have beer battered halibut fish & chips, sockeye salmon, or coonstripe shrimp.
I met Gabe and Tracey, who own "The Frog Lady Fish Company". Gabe is a native Tlingit, and moved his family back here to live. They started this food truck because of his connection with the local fishermen.
I sampled the salmon and halibut, and they were outstanding. It tasted so good to have fresh fish that was caught just a few days ago.
If you're looking to try them out, they're located right on the main road if you take a right from the cruise ship, near the post office.
We had a full day of fun, and wanted to call it an early night since we had to get up early to get up early tomorrow for the glacier viewing.
