Category: travelogue

Aug. 9-10.  We left Juneau at Noon on August 9 and with the clouds and mist having lifted a bit, were treated with nice views of the islands.  We went through some narrow passages and even did some of them twice, as this is a training program for the ferry helmsman/captains to improve their experience ratings.

By the morning we arrived at Yakutat, a small fishing village.  They don’t have an adjustable ramp at the dock to allow cars to get on and off the ferry, but this boat has a clever elevator on board.  Lowered to the car deck, it can be rotated to allow cars and trucks to drive on (maybe 2-3 depending on the size), then it is rotated and lifted to the height of the dock to allow them to roll off.

Cynthia and I took a stroll to visit a newly installed totem pole and the an old narrow guage railway that was used to move salmon from a river port to the ocean for shipment to the lower 48.

In my last post, I said that the next part of our voyage would not have any scenery, but as it turned out, the day turned sunny and our journey out of Yakutat into the Gulf of Alaska allowed us to view the spectacular coastal Wrangell Mountain range.  The photo shows Mt. Logan, at 19,559 feet, the highest mountain in Canada and second (by 800 feet) only to Mt. Denali.

With only 182 passengers aboard, we have enjoyed watching and talking to the other passengers aboard.  That includes tourists from Germany, Australia, Canada  and Norway, military families being transferred to Alaska, backpackers and other with RVs aboard intending to follow a tourist route similar to ours.

Aug. 8-9.  We made our first stop on this ferry ride in Ketchikan, which has had various booms including the gold rush, salmon fishing and logging. The latest is from the tourist trade and we had to compete with four large cruise ships in town.  Ketchikan has made a major effort to preserve its history, although the main attractions near the cruise port seem to be jewelry and souvenir shops.

An interesting part of our walking tour was along Ketchikan Creek, where salmon were attempting to get up stream for spawning. This also the site of Creek Street, which was the center of prostitution through all the booms, boasting as many as 27 houses of ill-repute until the 1920s.

The continued journey from Ketchikan to Juneau could be described as misty or mystical.  It rained some of the time and at other times simply had a low cloud cover, so that if there are snow-capped mountains to the east of us, we can’t tell.  But is has its own allure, and was particularly fascinating as we went through the “Wrangell Narrows,” which is 40 miles long but only a few hundred feet wide in places.  This route is impossible for the big cruise ships and a challenge for this ocean-going ferry.  But it saves a lot of time getting to Juneau, if it is feasible.

In Juneau, Alaska’s capital, we had a bit more time to explore, although we arrived at 7:00 AM and had to wait until things opened up a 9:00 AM. The highlight was a new state museum which has a nice collection covering from native relics from 5000 years, through Russian exploration, to the American acquisition subsequent roles in the World War II and the north slope oil boom.

We are now heading to Yakutat, where we will arrive early on Aug. 10, then cross the Gulf of Alaska (no scenery) to arrive at Whittier early August 11.

We had a pleasant evening leaving out of Bellingham, proceeding through the Canadian Gulf Islands past Vancouver BC.  This was capped off by a gorgeous sunset.

Cynthia and I have an interior cabin with no window, but at least it has its own toilet and shower.  I slept 10 hours, aided by the lulling vibrations of the ship and nearly complete darkness of the cabin, so say nothing of finally relaxing from all the work leading up to our departure.

The morning of August 7, started out quite misty/foggy.  But there were occasional sightings of orcas and humpback whales.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough photograph them.  Later it cleared up and we enjoyed the pleasant close up views of the islands and villages along these fjord-like channels.

We had to stop for about an hour just off Bela-Bela, British Columbia as it was necessary to offload to shore a passenger with a medical problem who was subsequently airlifted to Prince Rupert.  There was a pretty new moon just above the mountains to the west as we continued north.

Cynthia and I are about to set out on our major “adventure” of the year, a trailer camping trip through Alaska and return home through British Columbia. We’ll start by driving our Ford Flex, pulling our Jayco Skylark Trailer to Bellingham, Washington on August 6. There we will get on board the Alaska Ferry Kennicott for a 6:00 PM Departure for Alaska. We’ll stop on the way at Ketchikan (Aug. 8), Juneau  (Aug. 9) and Yakutat (Aug. 9), before finally disembarking at Whittier, Alaska at 6:00 AM on Aug. 11.

This is not a cruise, where you get to take shore excursions and see the glaciers up close, but we should get some great views of the Inside Passage on the way up, which we hope to share with you. However, we may not have internet connectivity until arriving at Whittier.

Looking forward, our trip plan is to spend Aug. 11-13 on the Kenai Peninsula, 14-16 around Anchorage and the Eagle River Nature Area, 17-20 in Denali National Park, and 21-23 in Fairbanks. After that, we will start our return trip home, heading down the Alaska Highway with a side trip to Haines and Skagway, Alaska. Instead of following the Alaska Highway to its southern end at Dawson Creek, BC, we will be heading though central British Columbia on the Cassiar Highway and plan to be home by September 2.