July 24th to 28th - Skagway, Atlin, YT

July 24th – Tues – Skagway
Once again Margo & I took advantage of a very close laundry room in the RV park to do a couple of loads. Terry washed the 5th wheel & Dave cleaned his MH windows & helped Terry a bit. After lunch and some computer time, we all walked to another RV park to get tickets for another outing to Liarsville Salmon Bake. We were picked up in a bus by Sourdough Sam. He took us on a little tour of downtown and added some interesting history to what we have already heard about the town. Then it was a 3 mile drive up the Klondike Hwy to an old tent “city” – Liarsville. It got the name from newspaper reporters who chose to stay there during the gold rush and file stories based on hearsay rather than make the tough trip to the goldfields themselves. We wandered around, had a beer, watched some entertainment, panned for a couple flakes of gold and had a good buffet with grilled salmon before taking the bus back.
Sam dropped us off at our RV park and we drove to town to take pictures of the 4 cruise ships that are docked here. We stopped for a drink at the Elks club and then played a couple of games of Uno when we returned. I posted the blog and read emails before heading to bed.

July 25th – Wed – Skagway
Since we have been keeping pretty busy here, Dave & Margo wanted to stay for a quieter day and we thought it was a good idea. We went to the old cemetery (where “bad guy” Soapy Smith and “good guy” Frank Reid are buried) and from there took a short walk to a lovely waterfall – Lower Reid Falls. Then we drove to Dyea which was the start of the Chilcoot Trail and which is now nothing but signs, a park service house and a few tourist adventures – zip lines, rafting and horseback riding. The weather was gorgeous so we went back to the RV park to cook Farmers’ sausages on the BBQ for lunch. Next we all walked to town and checked out the stores that we had missed previously. Margo & I went through a great little museum that is part of a gift shop and talked a bit with the interesting owner. The favored ice cream store had a huge line – still 4 cruise ships in town but not all the same ones as yesterday – so we stopped at a different place for our ice cream fix. Back at the RV park it was still plenty warm to sit outside for happy hour.

July 26th – Thurs – to Atlin B.C.
Another lovely day for the 154 mile drive to Atlin. We stopped at Carcross for fuel but the station was closed for some reason. We both had plenty of fuel to get to Jake’s Corner where we filled up, then it was south to Atlin. The road was way better than it was for our trip 5 years ago. We had to wait for a pilot car through 4 ½ miles of ambitious road improvement which included a water truck to keep the dust down and the mud flying.
As Terry was backing into our site at the Norseman RV park, the young man working here and I noticed that a back tire on the 5th wheel looked a little squashy. When I neared the rig I could hear air escaping from the tire and located a hole but no nail or screw in it. So Terry got to remove the tire and take it to be repaired to the tune of $29! The repair cost is determined by the size of the tire. The guy wanted Terry to leave the tire and come back later to pick it up but since we couldn’t set up until the tire was back on and the jack removed, Terry & Dave hung around until the guy fixed the tire.
While they were gone, Margo made sandwiches for lunch which we enjoyed outside. Then we went exploring in the truck. We tried unsuccessfully to find the public gold panning area and found Warm Bay, Warm Springs and The Grotto – none of which were too interesting.
Margo made taquitos and I made crispy green beans for snacks with our much deserved and appreciated happy hour drinks. We bought a couple of small wheelbarrow loads of fire wood and enjoyed a fire even though it was still warm. After a light late dinner, the guys sat outside with the young man who works here – 15 year old grandson of the owner – and a neighbor while Margo & I relaxed & chatted inside.

July 27th – Fri – Atlin
Dave & Margo showed up with goodies from the bakery for breakfast. They got a little ”lost” and walked around quite a bit so they used up calories that would be replenished by breakfast.
We got a map from the museum/visitor info center and found the public gold panning claim which we were very close to yesterday. We tried hard but didn’t find any gold and when it changed from drizzle to rain we headed back. On the way back we toured the entire town which didn’t take too long.
The rain didn’t last very long so we were able to be outside when we weren’t relaxing inside! A couple of nests of mud swallow babies entertained us. We enjoyed burning the rest of our wood before & after dinner and a nearby couple from California came over to visit with us.

July 28th – Sat – to junction of 37 & 1
We got another early start in sunny weather. We were delayed slightly again waiting for the pilot car in the road construction area but otherwise the drive was uneventful. We stopped at Johnson’s Crossing for a cinnamon roll – of course – and Terry got some diesel there as well.
We are staying at Junction 37 rather than the Baby Nugget as my phone worked enough to check prices. It is a no-frills RV park with huge pull-throughs and full hook-ups.
Terry & I finally cleaned the inside of the truck so at least we got something constructive done. Margo & I went for a walk all around the park area, checked out an old motel that had scary-small rooms and then we all sat outside for happy hour. We chatted with a neighbor from WA who is going to visit his son in Soldatna.
We shared a good dinner of halibut, salad & rice and then played a long game of Uno which Terry led for most of the game but which I finally won.
We have not had email for quite a few days – we were too cheap to pay $5 per day in Atlin! We will have email tomorrow so the blog will be posted.