Why We Like Haines, Alaska

Haines, Alaska

From Muncho Lake to Fort Nelson, then on to one of our favorite destinations, Haines, Alaska.

Why do we love Haines?  Unlike its sister city, Skagway, the lovely town of Haines allows only one cruise ship to dock each week (Wednesdays).  Skagway allows five cruise ships to dock each day... and they are building another dock to accommodate a sixth ship.  The town of Skagway has less than 1,000 inhabitants.  When the cruise ships dock, however, the town's population may swell as much as 10,000-12,000 people per ship.  You can do the math... Skagway was a zoo.

Haines has eagles and bears and few tourists... what a wonderful combination.  We saw our eagles and bears while we were here... and LOTS of water.  Haines has had a tremendous amount of rain this season.  July's rainfall broke all records.  The rivers were swollen, and the townspeople weary of gray skies.

We camped at the Chilkoot Lake campground, near the fishing weir that attracts many bears during the salmon run.  Unfortunately the river was so high that the mother bears dared not bring their babies down for fishing.

As rain continued on our second day, we opted to take in some of the town's highlights.  We feasted on a delectable dish of halibut fish and chips at the Bamboo Room Restaurant.  Later, we took in the world's only hammer museum and its 1,600-plus exhibits.

Haines, Alaska, Hammer Museum

Haines, Alaska, Hammer Museum

We did see bears.  As we crossed the weir yesterday evening, I caught this shot from the passenger's seat of the truck along a section next to the weir where vehicles are not allowed to stop.

David and I parked the truck and waited.  When the bear left the weir, we drove across to the other side, hoping to get another shot at her.  David parked right in front of another Four Wheel Camper.  I walked towards the bear, hoping for another photo while David stopped to chat.  I caught a quick shot of the bear through the bush and saw her turn toward the trees just up the road.

Uncertain where she would come out of the bush, I turned back.  David and the other man met me in route.  I told them that the bear was just in front of a clump of brush about 25 feet or so in front of us.  Both men continued chatting and walking towards her, so I joined in step.

Suddenly, I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, flanked by the Tin Man and Scarecrow.  The bear popped out of the brush a mere 20 feet in front of us.  She stopped and more than glanced at us.  We also stopped... in utter shock to be so close to so large a bear.  Thankfully, she darted up the hill and into the forest.  Just to let you know how shocking an encounter it was... I only got one shot off... and it was only bear butt.  David and I are still talking about our close encounter.  Wow!!!  It was AMAZING!!!

We tried to wait out the rain here in Haines, but the rivers were so terribly swollen that we were concerned that we may get stuck on this little sliver of land.  So after two nights in Haines, we opted for higher land.  Uncertain where we will go next, we packed up this morning and left the wonderful town of Haines, Alaska, hoping for bluer skies.

Thanks for joining us on the ride!

Haines on Dwellable