MAY 24, 2019 – Ferry to Juneau, AK
Today, Friday, May 24 we g0t on the ferry to go to Alaska!!!! Yesterday we left Portland on a 6 hour train ride to Bellingham, WA. We stayed overnight in a terrific Airbnb in Fairhaven, the old port part of Bellingham and also where the train station is as well as the ferry terminal for the Alaska Highway System ferries.
We wandered around Fairhaven a bit today. We found Mark Twain in front of the book store!!! We had a great breakfast and then after a little walk about out along the coast, we stopped to get some takeout for dinner. Not sure what the food options will be, but it’s likely the dining room will be a bit pricey so we’ll save that for night #2 and #3. We arrive early, 4AM, Monday morning. We have some supplies for breakfast – bars, fruit, and other stuff, but will need real coffee from the snack bar!!
We boarded at about 3pm and got our cabin key from the purser’s office. This is not Amawaterways!!! But it’s fine!! There are plenty of people who are spreading their sleeping bags out on a plastic chaise in the heated, roofed, solarium. They and their stuff are there and if they need lockers, there are lockers to secure stuff in needed. Then there are about five tents pitched on the aft deck areas. There is careful “pegging” with duct tape!! There are even some who top off the layers of duct tape with fluorescent tape to avoid anyone tripping and tipping the tent over. We pulled away from the dock at 6pm. And then now we switch to Alaska time, 1hour behind Pacific time. We will arrive in Juneau at 4AM on Monday morning. Not a pleasant thought but it’s not tomorrow!!
Our cabin is comfy enough with a stackable chair to sit in and look out the good-sized non opening window. It’s fun typing and watching the forest covered islands slip by. We expect at some point to spot wildlife along the way.
(Thank you T Mobile for the plan that lets me have data while now in Canada!)
MAY 25, 2019
Today was an all day cruise along the coast of British Columbia. There was a 2 hour period that was open ocean to the west and the boat was roly poly in the swells. Not too bothersome to me but others found it difficult. I sat outside amidships facing the shore side. Didn’t see any critters but the scenery was terrific.
We came inland and started along the Inland Passage. The town we passed during the day was Bela Bela. There were channel markers and a lighthouse as well. There was a narrow passage that was fun!!! But the narrowest portions were in the middle of the night.
It was fun sitting in the sun and occasionally talking with people. I also did some napping just to stay in practice!
The ferry occasionally shows movies and at 7 I watched the Avengers – Infinity War. It was shown on a large tv in the lounge area where there is cushy recliner seating. I snuck in a beer and some munchies!!! Fun…..
MAY 26, 2019
We docked in Ketchikan at 7am Sunday. I wandered off around 7:45 and walked along the waterfront for about a mile. There were 3 cruise ships in the main part of town and a number of float planes flying out. I didn’t get all the way into town as the ferry terminal is about 1.5miles north of town. We did find a nice grocery store where we bought some big salad bar salads for dinner. The chicken gumbo looked good too. There is no refrigeration available but ice is 25 cents so we fill a plastic bag with ice, keep it in the shower, and keep things cold.
We pulled away from Ketchikan at 10 and headed to two more stops before Juneau early Monday. We stopped at Wrangle and Petersburg before the night run to Juneau. I stepped off for 15 minutes to visit the Trading Post in Wrangle next to the ferry’s parking lot. There were pelts!!! Beautiful fur, but what do you do with it??? There were also earrings of “cod ear bones” and Alaskan jade. I found a pair of whale’s tails in jade and thought it a good souvenir for the journey.
