Oh yeah, this blog was supposed to be about "Mountain Trails" too....

 This blog originally started as a means to share my adventures in Alaska, and elsewhere I may travel. 

Here recently I have been trying to find new "content" to produce and publish to folks. Hence why this blog tends to be neglected as right now I am fighting with the Tiktok algorithm monster, and trying to find ways to repost old content on youtube. However those are my problems not yours. So there will be posted more content on the other non-train related adventures I embark on in the "Mountain Trails" Section of this blog. 

Changes... etc

 It has been a long while since I last made any new content available on here. There are updates coming, some new and hopefully interesting reads. Along accompanying youtube content soon! Life has been a whirlwind both literally and figuratively since my last "big" Adventure. With the aftermath of Hurricane Hellene being what occupies my home area at the time being. Pushing forward there will be continued updates on projects on the ET&WNC Railroad at Doe River Gorge. More adventures to share, and one BIG  adventure I plan to embark upon soon and I greatly look forward to sharing with y'all. Feel free to comment and let me know of any questions or suggestions of what you would like to see in the coming days. 

Glacier Gardens Juneau

 While I was on my way back home from Skagway I needed to take a long layover in Juneau. Being without a car Activities in Juneau were limited to just what was semi walkable between the Juneau Super 8 Hotel, and the Airport. 

Arrival at the Juneau Ferry Terminal Note the daylight at 10:00 PM! 

This Bald Eagle remained perched on the Dock the entire time we were mooring up. 

The two hotels in Juneau: During this trip I had two separate hotel stays in Juneau. The Juneau Travel Lodge which I would not recommend to anyone looking for something "Decent" in town. The layout of the Hotel doesn't make much sense, the hallways are almost too narrow for the luggage carts and Cleanliness was, deficient to say the least. 

The Juneau Super 8 was moderately better, Much cleaner and easier to navigate than the Travel Lodge. Neither are particularly worth the premium price one has to pay to spend a night in Juneau, and neither offer a Hot Breakfast. However the staff is friendly at both, that was a big plus. 

While in the hotel lobby waiting on my flight to SeaTac I was looking for activities near the hotel. I found the "Glacier Gardens" to be on the list of nearby Attractions. Being someone who enjoys large Botanical Gardens I figured this would be worth the visit. 

In true Alaska fashion this quirky little roadside attraction was located in the backyard of it's owner. Tucked away in what Appalachian folks would call a "Hollar" Just along the only highway in Juneau (Note: the Highway begins and ends in Juneau) 

The Entry Building for the attraction is located inside of this massive greenhouse at the front of the property. The Greenhouse houses a small snack shop, restrooms, and a gift shop. According to the employees this is where most of the plants in the gardens are kept during the winter. This is also where you purchase tickets for the tour.

Several varieties of Rhododendron are on display in the gardens, while Rhododendron are not native to Alaska they do thrive in cooler wet climates which makes Juneau a decent summer home for these flowering Appalachian natives. 

Also on display were these Yuka plants in the rock garden. 

The Icon for the Glacier Gardens are their famous "Upside down trees" 

As the story goes when the property owner acquired the land to build his home, he was concerned about the risk of mud slides thanks to water running off the Mendenhall Glacier just above his land. His solution was to plant a large garden and build small ponds to collect water, and control the flow as it made it's way down the mountain side. To build his ponds he rented a backhoe from a local equipment rental service, that he did not know how to operate. Despite his wife's protest he also chose NOT to buy the rental insurance as well. One afternoon while he was working away at digging his pond, he backed his uninsured backhoe into a large log completely gutting the undercarriage. The now totaled backhoe was rendered practically useless, except for the fact that the bucket still operated. So in a fit of unbridled rage, he picked up the offending long and rammed it as hard as he possibly could into the mud hoping to see it shatter into a million pieces. Instead the log sank straight into the mud upright and unharmed. 

The owner noticed that the root ball when inverted resembled a hanging flower basket. He then decided to run down to his nursery greenhouse, and replanted some of his hanging baskets into the root ball of the now upside down tree. He liked the idea so much that he covered his property in his new creation. 

The Tour begins just behind the Greenhouse/Gift shop where you board these little miniature buses to take you up the homebuilt log lattice roads to the summit of the mountain. 

At the Summit you are greeted with fantastic views of Juneau, the Linn Fjord and the Mendenhall Glacier. 

One of my last views in Alaska, a creek lined in flowering Rhododendron, which made me excited for the trip back home. 

The Juneau Airport Polar Bear that welcomed me to Alaska bid me farewell as I bordered the plane and began the journey back to Charleston.

 

My time in Alaska has ended, the Adventure continues...

 It has been a while since my last post on here. However it has been a busy two months. 

As the title suggests I am no longer in Skagway, I left Alaska at the end of  June. I have been relatively quiet on social media as I work towards whatever comes next after Alaska. Alaska was without a doubt one of the greatest adventures I have ever went on, it's something I never thought I would ever get to do. However while I was in Alaska I learned a lot, a lot about railroading, a lot about history, and I learned a lot about me. Who am I, and what I need out of my life. 

I learned that I absolutely cannot spend a single day separated from my God and my faith. While I was in Alaska I waned away from my faith, I wasn't reading scripture, I wasn't praying, and I wasn't attending any gatherings of Christians for worship or fellowship. Essentially I unplugged myself from the very source of my strength and expected things to "just be fine" without it. Spoiler alert, things "were not fine" without it! By the time I had realized what had gone wrong it was too late for me to try and start over. 

I learned where do I want to live? I have grown extremely tired of just moving around the country, trying new things in new places. Hopping from place to place searching for something I might never find. I want a home, I want a place where I can stay in one spot and put down my roots. Alaska taught me that my dreams of living out west would not be as easy as I had previously thought. I had become ferociously home sick. I missed humid summer mornings, I missed the feeling after a hellacious thunderstorm in the mountains. I missed my Momma, Sweet Tea, and the smells of home. I missed not being able to call up my friends after a long day at work, because by the time I got off the clock everyone back home was already in bed. Perhaps running out west to start a new life isn't quite for me? Perhaps I am not in that season of my life yet. The only person that knows what's next for me is my Father in Heaven. The Master Craftsman and Devine King of the universe, and he has not let me know what he is thinking, but I know that wherever I go in this world I am NOTHING without him. 

THE MAGNICIENT SEVEN-TY THREE

The pride of the line for the White Pass and Yukon Route is their Steam Locomotive #73

Built in 1947 #73 was the very last Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotive built to operate in the United States/Canada. 

She was retired in the 1960s and put on display at the Bennett Depot/Eating House. However in the 1980s she was restored to fully operating condition by the team at the WP&YR. 

73 Is currently the only Steam Locomotive operating in the entire State of Alaska, and a ride behind her is like stepping back in time. Not very many steam locomotives in the United States still operate on their home rails, doing the same job they were built to do 80 years ago! 

#73 showing what she's made of as she turns one of several hairpin curves departing Glacier Station and beginning the arduous climb up the White Pass highline. 

 #73 Arrives at Lake Bennett Depot before turning around to return to Skagway. 

Lake Bennett BC has always been an important stop on the WP&YR. In the old days, Bennett was the meeting point for South Bound and North Bound trains. The crew and passengers would disembark at Bennett to have lunch in the Depot "Eating House". Where Job briefings would be given over pots of Moose stew and Poutine. Before the Whitehorse and Skagway crews would mount their engines swap consists, and return home.

The #73 Crew Lead by Cap Raia, and Brakeman Danielson a veteran of the Colorado Narrow Gauge make plans to return to Skagway with a brief stop to disembark passengers in "Downtown Fraser". 

 #73 After Having been turned on the wye at Bennett is facing south, ready for the trip back down the White Pass. 

One week down!

 I am officially in my second week here at the WP&YR. This has definitely been one of the most interesting periods of my life to date. There is so much about this job that is oddly familiar to me. While at the same time drastically different. Starting with these new "30 Class" Locomotives. Designed for use in Australia these locomotives are totally unique compared to anything else I have ever worked with. In terms of Narrow Gauge Railroading they are the most modern narrow gauge locomotives currently operating in the United States, and Canada. While a little odd looking, and not exactly "Brakeman Friendly" (I miss my geeps) These are extremely impressive locomotives. They take the grades that the White Pass has like absolute champions. 

 Skagway, Alaska.

The White Pass and Yukon Route is one of the most awe inspiring trips a person can take in the world.

The grade alone, coupled up with the amazing scenery is one thing. However the massive contrast of the scenery and even the weather is astonishing as you make your way up the mountain. 

Fraser, British Columbia.

Both of the above photos were taken, on the same train, same day, on the same railroad just 20 miles apart! 

There is no Railroad on the planet quite like the White Pass. It isn't a museum, nor a theme park. It's not a recreation of the past either. As Musician/Skagway Local/ Former WP&YR Conductor Steve Hites said in an interview with the BBC: "This is the real deal, it's no candy coated dance hall dream!" 

White Pass is a real living breathing narrow gauge railroad in the 21st Century, the last railroad of it's kind. A living Dinosaur roaring over the ice and snow of Canada, 

and flying through the trees of Skagway Alaska.

A familiar face.

 Sitting over by the Skagway town hall is an old worn out steam engine. This locomotive served on the White Pass and Yukon Route from 1943 until the 60s. While I have never been to Alaska before when I walked over to the town hall I saw a familiar face. 

"December 7th 1941, a date which will live in infamy"

The Empire of Japan performed an unprovoked surprise attack on the United States Naval Base in Pearl Harbor Hawaii. Other attacks on other U.S.N. bases around the pacific soon followed. The U.S. Territory of Alaska was very much at risk as well as the United States citizens who lived there. 

The decision was made, that a highway should be built to connect Alaska with the interior of the United States, passing through the heartland of Canada on the way. Should the Empire of Japan decide to invade Alaska. This would be the last line of defense for the two allies on this side of the globe. 

The Alcan Military Highway, would become one of several massive government projects happening simultaneously throughout WWII. The only problem with building a highway where no road even existed before was the question of how to get personnel and material from the ports along the coasts into the interior. The answer came from a small narrow gauge railroad out of Skagway Alaska. 

The United States Army took over the WP&YR Railroad and quickly deployed the 770th Railway operating battalion from the United States Army Transportation Corps. 

When the Transportation Corps arrived in Skagway they found a tired little railroad with tired, and worn out little engines.

The Army began buying up narrow gauge steam locomotives from all over the United States. 

The Sumpter Valley Railway, Denver and Rio Grande Western, and the ET&WNC RR. All sent locomotives, and other equipment to help with the war effort in Alaska. However the round the clock trains that the Army needed required more motive power. The USATC ordered ten brand new meter gauge class S-118 steam locomotives to be modified to run on three foot gauge track, and prepared to be sent to Alaska. These locomotives would be called "The 190 Class" 

The United States Army Transportation Corps classified their engines by weight. 

The smallest locomotives ordered by the USATC were the S-100 tank engines. So called because they possessed super heated boilers, and weight just over 100 tons with fully loaded tanks, and coal bunker. 

Likewise the S-118s were Superheated locomotives, weighing at around 118 tons. These locomotives had a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement. 2 pilot wheels to navigate sharp turns, 8 large drive wheels propelling the locomotive, and 2 trailing truck wheels holding the weight of the firebox. 

At any other time in US history these locomotives would have been called Mikados. However with Mikado being a Japanese word for "Emperor" this was not exactly a politically correct name for a locomotive type built to fight the Japanese. So these 2-8-2s were named "MacArthur" type steam locomotives. 

After nine months of construction, the impossible highway proved to be possible, and the ALCAN Military Highway was finished. After the war WP&YR held on to a few of the US Army steam locomotives. 190, 192, 193, 195, and 196. 

One by one each of the 190s were retired, 193 and 196 were buried in the Skagway river to serve as levies. However 190 and 192 both went down to the lower 48, as they were purchased by a North Carolina businessman who had dreams of bringing tourists to the southern Appalachian Mountains. 

WP&YR 190 "The Yukon Queen" would find herself working at Tweetsie Railroad theme park in Blowing Rock, NC. 

WP&YR #192 "KLONDIKE KATY" AS SHE WOULD HAVE LOOKED WHEN I RODE IN HER CAB IN 2004

192 "Klondike Katy" would go on to pull the world famous "Dollywood Express" 

at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN. Growing up I rode behind both of these locomotives 192 will always hold a special place in my heart as she was the very first steam locomotive I ever got to ride in the cab of in 2004. 

So it is only fitting that three thousand miles from home, I find some comfort in a somewhat "familiar face."