OUR TRIP TO ALASKA AUG. 1-15, 2008
It was time--Alaska had always appealed and held this special fascination for both John and me. Now that we were retired it was time to go. After looking at the possibilities we decided to take the Alaska Ferry.
We left Bellingham with our pack of minimum clothing and maximum food, sleeping bags, tent, and warm and wet weather clothing--it is Alaska after all. We decided to leave from Bellingham, rather than any other port as John's son Eric had agreed to keep our car in nearby Mt. Vernon until our return this meant a three night, four day trip to reach Skagway our first destination.
Our introduction to the ferry was to wait in line while a police dog came along and sniffed our packs happily wagging its tail and appeared oblivious to some people trying to carry on a conversation with him. Maybe he didn't know their dialect.
We left Bellingham with our pack of minimum clothing and maximum food, sleeping bags, tent, and warm and wet weather clothing--it is Alaska after all. We decided to leave from Bellingham, rather than any other port as John's son Eric had agreed to keep our car in nearby Mt. Vernon until our return this meant a three night, four day trip to reach Skagway our first destination.
Our introduction to the ferry was to wait in line while a police dog came along and sniffed our packs happily wagging its tail and appeared oblivious to some people trying to carry on a conversation with him. Maybe he didn't know their dialect.
Dog sniffing at luggage at ferry terminal
After we all passed the dog sniffing phase we were allowed to board ship, and quickly took up a position on the back of the ferry and proceeded to stake out our territory by putting up our small REI tent. We were advised to duct-tape our tents down and the first night found us glad we did. Someone who didn't, made a trip to the bathroom and returned to find his tent pinned against the railing and almost blown overboard.
After we all passed the dog sniffing phase we were allowed to board ship, and quickly took up a position on the back of the ferry and proceeded to stake out our territory by putting up our small REI tent. We were advised to duct-tape our tents down and the first night found us glad we did. Someone who didn't, made a trip to the bathroom and returned to find his tent pinned against the railing and almost blown overboard.
Tent city
Our tent
We spent three nights in our tent at the back of the ferry. We went to sleep with the red sky and woke to the red sky and beautiful scenery, whales cavorting, isolated Islands, only an occasional passing boat, and the constant search to be the first to spot wildlife. Thank heaven for the small digital camera I carried in my pocket always at the ready. During the day we ate meals in the lounge supplemented with extras from the full service snack bar or cafeteria. We never lacked for anything. The ferry even had showers complete with towels and soap for a nominal charge of $1.00. Washer/dryers were also available. Every day there was some kind of entertainment. Movies and the Interpreters from the Tongas National Forest would give talks about the area or wildlife. There was a play area for small children, a video arcade, and a place for people to set up their laptops, and a bar. The good weather, except for Ketchikan--which my friend Mike told me, rain was normal all year-- followed us during most of the trip.
Our sleeping arrangements went without a hitch for our entire trip. We had booked them online prior to leaving. When we were off the ship mostly we stayed at hostels. Some, like Eagle View in Ketchikan were spectacular. We were eye level watching young eagles fly right outside the window, and planes landing on the river. The cost of the hostels ranged from $17.00 to$25.00 each person. We were able to fix our own meals and met many wonderful people. Every town we visited had buses and/or taxis. We found they fit our budget better versus the added cost (and bother) of bringing a car with us.
We spent three nights in our tent at the back of the ferry. We went to sleep with the red sky and woke to the red sky and beautiful scenery, whales cavorting, isolated Islands, only an occasional passing boat, and the constant search to be the first to spot wildlife. Thank heaven for the small digital camera I carried in my pocket always at the ready. During the day we ate meals in the lounge supplemented with extras from the full service snack bar or cafeteria. We never lacked for anything. The ferry even had showers complete with towels and soap for a nominal charge of $1.00. Washer/dryers were also available. Every day there was some kind of entertainment. Movies and the Interpreters from the Tongas National Forest would give talks about the area or wildlife. There was a play area for small children, a video arcade, and a place for people to set up their laptops, and a bar. The good weather, except for Ketchikan--which my friend Mike told me, rain was normal all year-- followed us during most of the trip.
Our sleeping arrangements went without a hitch for our entire trip. We had booked them online prior to leaving. When we were off the ship mostly we stayed at hostels. Some, like Eagle View in Ketchikan were spectacular. We were eye level watching young eagles fly right outside the window, and planes landing on the river. The cost of the hostels ranged from $17.00 to$25.00 each person. We were able to fix our own meals and met many wonderful people. Every town we visited had buses and/or taxis. We found they fit our budget better versus the added cost (and bother) of bringing a car with us.
On our way back we stoped for a few hours 15 miles from Juneau and visited this beautiful lake.
After Skagway we visited the fishing town of Petersburg, with its harbor filled with fishing boats
posted by John Francis & Caye Poe at 7:54 PM
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