Even though Haines and Skagway are only a little more than an hour apart as the crow flies, only the crow can get there in that amount of time...unless, of course, one goes by boat. Which is what we did. A fast ferry makes several 45-minute trips each day between the two towns.

Haines is well known as having the largest population of American bald eagles. It was evident (even though October seems to be the month they all congregate) when we took a drive out to the Chillkoot Lake State Recreation Site and saw eagles there.

We left Haines on a morning ferry (leaving the car behind) and arrived Skagway some 45 minutes later. We walked the touristy town, got some fry bread, walked some more, then headed back to Haines in the afternoon. Skagway was pretty busy with tourists, and we were ready to leave. Actually, the journey (there and back) was, once again better than the destination.

Not that Skagway has nothing to offer. It truly is a remarkable little jewel that has a charming western atmosphere, seven blocks of colorful rustic-style architecture. It has lots of interesting sights and is deep in history. Skagway is home to the Klondike Gold Rush era. The White Pass & Yukon Railroad leaves from there, offering a run on a vintage locomotive along the Chilkoot Trail, the 33-mile route to the goldfields during the gold rush. It's also the most northern town of the Inside Passage Alaska ferry route.

But I had done all that on a previous trip, and my travel partner had done a lot of it.

The towns sit at the north end of the Lynn Canal, one of the longest and deepest fjords in the world. It travels 90 miles north and south between Skagway, past Juneau and approximately to Admirality Island and is more than 2000 feet deep.