Today brought a wonderful excursion to Jewell Gardens in Skagway (which means place of the north wind I think – and very aptly named), an organic show garden. The flowers are simply beautiful and when viewed from the air the beds form a leaf and other garden objects. They grow lots of herbs and vegetables – think cabbages the size of beach balls and rhubarb. Don’t forget the rhubarb – it’s a big thing here, both in importance and in size. The leaves are two feet across! When the gold rush brought tens of thousands of new residents to the region, fresh produce was hard to come by. In the late 19th century, a handful of entrepreneurs tried their luck at farming, including Henry D. Clark. Explore the farm founded by Clark and learn about his early success in cultivating the land; his resulting fame as the “Rhubarb King” spread far and wide. We enjoyed a lunch made from the vegetables grown right there along with eggs from their 20 resident chickens.
Afterwards, the main event was a two-hour presentation by the glassblowers from the Jewell Garden Glass Studio. This was simply fascinating. I’ve seen glassblowing lots of times but the creation of art glass was really something. Topped off with a rhubarb mimosa it was a memorable afternoon.
Alf spent the day taking a vintage rail car through the White Pass Summit (does that sound like something he would do?). Walking back to the ship I passed people dressed in costumes of the settlement era – it was all fun!
journeys 