The Windy City

Day 45 June 24 Skagway

The morning started out clear. Sophie had a good night sleep in her own bed and was chipper this morning. She obviously knows something is different, and was looking out the windows a lot this morning.

Nicole took Sophie for a walk up to the local Espresso Stand. She came back with drip coffee for her Aunt Maryann and a grande non-fat vanilla latte for herself (wanted to start the day off on the right foot, Hee-hee). She reported that when she asked for her drink the barista apologized, saying that she was new and her help didn’t show up for work. She also said she didn’t know how to make the drinks, but she did know how to make a plain latte. So, Nicole proceeded to tell her that it’s a latte with vanilla syrup and non-fat milk, instead of regular. The barista then asked, to confirm, if a grande was two shots, or one. When told two, she began making the drink and Nicole watched her put eight shots of espresso in the cup, topped off with a little non-fat and vanilla. This is why Nicole decided to only get her aunt a drip coffee.

Nicole will be a bit speedy today while doing her deck crew chores. Hum, maybe all the stainless will get polished today. She says ‘Maybe not’.

We began our trip towards Skagway. Coming up on Haines, we called Bill Rostad (ski patrol buddy), and he waved at us from his porch with a large Norwegian flag. We hope to stop by and see him tomorrow, up close instead of through binoculars. As we continued on, the water got a little wavy with about 3ft waves, (mom says ‘crashing to the side of the boat’, however the more realistic Maryann says ‘gently rocking’), so mom went to sleep to help her make it through.

Entering the narrow Skagway harbor, we passed by four cruise ships. We had a little fun docking, with the wind blowing us all around and the autopilot trying to go the wrong way. Finally turning off the autopilot, Glen didn’t know the rudder placement, and took us for a little spin, scaring all deck hands on the neighboring tour boat. Glen then redeemed himself by gently parallel parking, thanks to the bow thruster. No wonder they call it Skagway, which means ‘windy place with white caps on water.’

We walked through town and scoped out places to visit in the morning. We also hope to catch a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. We then headed to dinner at the local Mexican Italian restaurant; good food was had by all. We were welcomed back to the boat by two critters, Sophie and her new friend Ollie the Sea Otter, who was twice the size of Sophie.