Copyright 2006 Lydia Hinshaw
SKAGWAY, AK -- If you've visited Skagway on a cruise ship, you may think of the place as a vibrant, colorful community. And you might not recognize it now, in its ghost-town persona.
The first ship isn't due here for four more days, and most of Skagway remains closed down. In fact, there's a big trench dug across Broadway right in the middle of the tourist district. How different it will be with the stores open, 5,000 vacationers swarming and, hopefully, the sun out.
We've gotten only tantalizing glimpses of the mountains surrounding us, enough to know that the view will be stunning if the clouds ever lift and we can see all of it. The rain we wake up hearing in the night means snow is falling at higher elevations.
But the forecast for the next week is more of the same -- cloudy, with rain likely. We've been assured that there will be times this summer when we will wish for air conditioning. For the moment, we are bundled up in fleece and huddled near our propane heater. We spent this afternoon reading magazines in the local public library, a small but pleasant (and warm) spot.
At least we do not have to drive anywhere, since everything in Skagway is within walking distance. It's been great not to have to pack the car and head down the road these past two mornings.
Tomorrow we begin learning to be tour guides.
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