October 10, 2025
I left my Airbnb early in the morning to spend a little more time downtown, drive up to the ferry terminal to check in for my mid-day ride up to Skagway, and return to where I had seen the grizzly bear yesterday to try my luck again.
Haines is a very small town. I have seen population figures ranging from 1,800 to 2,400 permanent residents. The population increases in the summer as visitors arrive, either in their own vehicles, on cruise ships, or on ferries that shuttle people and vehicles between coastal towns.
This was the view from the deck at my Airbnb, in the woods above the downtown area.
It was a mostly clear morning but there were some clouds above some of the mountains – mainly on the opposite side of the Bay, as seen above.
This is the view from the marina parking area looking across the Bay as the sun was getting ready to rise above the clouds.
And this is the view from the same spot looking north, towards where I will be going to try and see more bears.
These were some of the houses at the former military base. They bordered a large, grassy field overlooking the Bay..
And this is a hotel, across the field from where I was parked.
I wish I had paid more attention and included more of the mountain in the background and less of the grass in the photo.
This black dog showed up with a ball in his mouth and wanted to play fetch. I indulged him for a few minutes but then told him I had places to be.
Back in town I stopped to take a photo of the Hammer Museum. It was too early for it to be open, and it may have been closed for the season anyway.
As I started to drive north towards the ferry terminal and this was the view from a parking area looking back towards town. Some of the buildings near the marina are visible, as are the houses at the former military base which are up on a hill.
Below is the view looking further left, across the Bay, in the direction that cruise ships would traverse to and from the Gulf of Alaska. Some stop here in Haines, some continue on up to Skagway, and they may well go to both. Juneau, the capital of Alaska, is only about 90 miles southeast of Haines, so there are ferries that shuttle people and vehicles between them. In fact the ferry I will take to Skagway originated in Juneau.
While Juneau has streets, there are no highways that go there, so people must get there by ferry if they have a vehicle, or by air. Since I am driving most places, I did not have it on my agenda. I did speak with another visitor at one of my Airbnb’s who told me she had never seen so many bald eagles in one place as she did in Juneau. She even seemed to think the eagles outnumbered people.
Below is the view looking straight across the Bay. I am glad I am on this side, as the clouds over there would certainly make picture taking problematic.
This is the view looking north, where I am going to try and see more bears.
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