I ❤️ HAINES ALASKA and so do Bald Eagles

The road to Haines from Haines Junction was great. 146 Miles of a smooth and wider than average roadway, something rare in the far north.   This highway was originally built in 1943 as a military access highway during WWII. It provided an alternate route from the bay into the Yukon.  We made good time until we got about 12 miles out of Haines.  The road work there was extensive, and the wait for a pilot car through the muddy, rocky road was about 30 minutes and then Very slow going. The road follows the Chilkat River where you can see active fish wheels in motion.

 

In the last 24 hours,  we left Tok Alaska, then entered into the Yukon and changed time zones, next back into British Columbia, then into the Yukon again and then Alaska again with another time zone change. In one day two providences and back into the US.  We had no problems or delays at any of the border crossings. All Agents were polite and asked the typical questions.

We chose the “Oceanside RV Park” overlooking Portage Cove. It reminds me of the camp spots in Seward except we were on a cliff here about 40 feet above the water. We chose the dry camp, but the office offers a nice coin-operated shower if you want to conserve your resources, also a nice dressing/bathroom.  Full hookups are available against the road behind us.   AT&T signal for cell phone and Data was strong here, as well as Verizon. There are a few more options for RVs, Haines Hitch-Up Park is a clean park situated to the north of town about a half mile and a couple of other campgrounds. There are limited boondock spots on the edges of town, but the road construction was a deterrent due to the controlled traffic.

The gals who run the RV park are friendly and gave us many tips on where to see bears, eagles or just where to eat.  Fiona, the Camp Host, visited Haines from Casper Wyoming and never left.  She said Casper was too small of a town for her and her ex-husband anyway. She was originally from England!  Many of the people we have met in Alaska had come for a vacation and either never left or went back and packed up their things and moved permanently to Alaska.

We love it here in Haines. We don’t want to leave either.

 

 

If you come to Haines and want the best Halibut Fish and Chips or Halibut sandwich go to Big Al’s Salmon Shack across from the Post Office.  The owner works at the cannery out at the end of Mud Bay Road and supplies the food truck with fresh fish every day.

Haines has several grocery stores, a nice library where there is free WIFI, and many restaurants and several museums and places of interest.

Give me an Alaskan Amber and my chair, and I could sit for hours and look out at the deep blue water and majestic mountains. Many cruise ships pass through this narrow passageway to Skagway which adds to the charm and beauty of this location.

A cruise ship comes into Haines every Wednesday.  The rest of the week the town is quiet and peaceful.

 

 

 

Haines is laid back and so were we but did check out the outlying areas, Chilkoot Lake, To the end of the Mud Bay Road and along the Chilkat Peninsula. But there’s much more to explore here. Quite a few trails we didn’t get to because it had rained so much before our arrival.

 

There is a resident Sow and three cubs out along the Chilkat River by the fishing weir. She is pretty smart.  We watched her, but I didn’t participate in the “Bear Jam” that was going on there either. So many photographers fighting for a spot along the water to get that Nat Geo shot.  I don’t enjoy arm wrestling for a place to put my tripod. 

 

When the rangers leave their chair after counting fish, Mama arrives with her cubs to fish for their dinner.

 

The Eagles were fishing as well.  It is the first time I have ever watched a big bird like that Swim!  He had a fish in his talons bigger than he was and he rowed to shore using his wings.  I guess I don’t get out much because that was a first for me to see.

 

Haines is to Eagles what Capistrano is to Swallows in the fall of the year.  Thousand of eagles flock here in October. Its the largest gathering of Bald Eagles in the World.  I wish we could linger until then,  but the Fireweed here is completely done blooming, and that means we need to meander south fairly soon 

Stop at the American Bald Eagle Foundation and see several raptors in residence including two female Bald Eagles. The entrance fee is $17.00. They had one of the most extensive collections of mounted Marine mammals, birds, Arctic animals and fish I have ever seen. Very informative.

Have you ever heard of a HAMMER MUSEUM?

Unless you have been to Haines, you probably haven’t. It’s the world’s first museum dedicated solely to the history of the hammer.

  Dave Pahl, a local Haines resident, had been collecting them for years. This is an amazing place!  I thought it might be more of a novelty museum but no way! A visit to this museum is more of a history lesson. From the period of the Egyptians to modern day.  You might look at the building from the outside and think, that’s about a 10-minute visit…. Not at all, we took over an hour and still didn’t look at every single hammer.

Only $5.00 admission  – there’s a donation box too, I’m sure every little bit helps keep this place open and collecting more hammers.

The giant hammer handle out front was constructed by Dave from a 26′ diameter Log. This museum received mannequins that were donated by the Smithsonian museum in DC.

There are about  2000 hammers on display here and over 7000 in the whole collection.

We had the pleasure of meeting Liam, the museum guide who is a student doing his internship here. He pointed out many of the unusual specimens and had so many inside stories it made our visit to this unique museum interesting. Thank you, Liam and best of luck at school in Austria this winter.

If you can’t make it to Haines, check out their website at hammermuseum.org

THE WILD IRIS GALLERY

This is one of the nicer galleries we came upon. I left with a couple items I could not live without.  Talk to Fred, he’s a jeweler/proprietor and has lived in Haines for years. He carries high-end beautiful work besides his own.

Fort William H. SEWARD: In July 1902, Haines was chosen as the site for a permanent fort in upper Lynn Canal. Located 17 miles from Skagway the site made it possible to monitor traffic bound inland over the Dalton, Chilkoot, Chilkat, and White Pass trails. In this way the Army hoped to impose order on the unruly mob of gold seekers heading north while also providing a military presence in Alaska during boundary dispute with Canada. Completed in 1904, Fort William H. Seward was the last of twelve Gold Rush era military posts built in Alaska.

In the many Fort buildings today, you will find B & B’s, Restaurants, Alaska Indian Arts rich in local carving history, and a Distillery called Port Chilkoot Distillery where we sampled their Whiskey.  In the downtown area, you will also find a popular Brewery. Haines Brewing Company. We stopped there one evening to sample their local beers. It’s a gathering spot for locals and visitors. We left with a 32 ounce can of their Capt. Cooks Spruce Tip Ale.  They poured the beer and canned it right before our eyes in a beautifully designed can. I’m sure we will meet up with someone we can share that with.

 

We thought seriously about putting the motorhome on the ferry to Skagway and continuing that way.  That was until we were informed that several of the Ferries had recent mechanical problems.  One had just had a breakdown down the night before we arrived.  Fewer ferries meant the ones that were running were quite full. We also were told by a reliable source that many of the old crew members have retired and the new crew is not as experienced yet, and they are having overbooking issues, problems with damaged vehicles, etc. Nevertheless, the space available for our rig and tow was slim to none.  We will continue the way we came in when that time arrives. The drive on the Haines Highway between Haines Junction and Haines is breathtaking.

Well worth this side trip.

Next Stop: Carcross,Yukon and Skagway, Alaska