North to Alaska… by Ferry

July 12

I boarded the MV Kennicott in Bellingham for what was to be a three day trip to Haines, Alaska.  From there I intended to ride to Anchorage.  But plans change, which is just fine with me.

The Kennicott carries about 200 vehicles and 500 passengers.  It’s definitely not a cruise ship, but it is comfortable enough.  Fortunately I had reserved a cabin about three months ago.  I certainly didn’t want to spend three days sitting up in a chair.  It turned out there were many more options:  A lot of people were well prepared and put up tents on the deck or in the solarium.  While they looked comfortable enough, I preferred an actual bunk. 

Our route took us up through what is called the Inside Passage, a set of islands and passages that go along the British Columbia and Alaska coastline.  There were spectacular views around every bend. 

This is a very remote area.  We saw a number of cabins along the shoreline, but most could only be reached by boat or float plane.  I particularly liked this lodge in BC, with its totem poles.

On the third day (Monday) our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska.  This is a cute little city very popular with the cruise ships.  We had about a three hour stopover which I used to catch up on email at a local coffee shop and a little sightseeing.  Aside from salmon fishing, Ketchikan had a very active red light district (now closed… damn!) which is now a bunch of tourist shops and art galleries.  However, there is one very well know artist, Ron Troll, who does some incredibly clever T shirts. 

This is the artwork on the one I bought.  Since El Pinguino is a Kawasaki, it seemed only appropriate.  Actually, it's just perfect!

A Change in Plans, and an encounter of the idiot kind.

Wednesday morning (6 am) we arrived at Juneau.  I was originally scheduled to change boats at Juneau for Haines, and then ride the bike (about 2 days) to Anchorage.  I had figured I would be bored after three nights at sea and ready to get back on the road.  But I was really enjoying the boat.  The scenery was spectacular, I met some nice people to talk (and drink.. thanks, US Coast Guard) with, and I was actually getting caught up on this blog!  So I decided to see if I could continue on another two days to Whittier, just outside of Anchorage. 

Changing my passage wasn’t a problem, but the clerk told me that the car space was sold out.  “Wait”, says I, “this is a motorcycle and can fit in anywhere.  And besides, it’s still tied up on the boat”.  Not to be deterred, he firmly told me that if the computer said there was no room for another car, there was no room. A car is a car… even if it is a motorcycle (huh?).  Undeterred, I asked him to call someone capable of actual thought (OK, I was a little more tactful), and he finally confirmed me space.  I had gotten even luckier regarding a cabin (I was still not willing to sleep on deck).  A couple that I had met earlier who was camping on deck had a cabin booked from Juneau to Whittier.  They decided that they enjoyed the deck (and didn’t want to pay for a cabin) so sold me their cabin.  A win for everyone!

Later Tuesday was Whale Day (officially named by yours truly).  I don’t think they planned it, but we were treated to a number of spouts and a couple of flukes near the shore.  Always exciting! 

During the voyage the car deck was closed off for security reasons.  However, four times a day we were allowed access to vehicles.  For those with big RVs this was a good opportunity to re-stock their coolers with beer.  For me, it was an opportunity to tell El Pinguino I still loved him, but he had to stay on the car deck with the other vehicles.  But it was a real necessity for those traveling with animals, and the car deck turned into (at least for 15 minutes) a floating doggie park. 

Other than that, it was just one spectacular view after another of mountains. 

And glaciers, like the Malspina Glacier  

And finally, on July 12, the final stage of the journey begins:

  

Salmon, Snow, Seattle, Slipped Chains, and Off to Alaska!

July 7

On July 2 I left Ashland and headed towards Hood River, Oregon.  I avoided the major highways and had a nice ride to the Columbia River.  The scenery was beautiful, as I passed Mounts Adams, Baker, Hood, and a couple of more that I can’t name. 

I finally got to the Columbia River, where I hit winds that just about took me off the road.  No surprise… this is one of the wind surfing capitals of the world.  I couldn’t find a [affordable] hotel in Hood River, so crossed the Columbia to White Salmon, Washington.  I had forgotten how much I dislike crossing the Hood River Bridge.  It is a narrow bridge with a metal grate roadway that makes it very hard to steer a motorcycle.  And the high cross-winds make sure that you are swerving all over the place… not a good idea since the road is narrow with oncoming traffic.  I finally got to the other side in desperate need of alcoholic rejuvenation.  I found the White Salmon Inn, and had a pleasant evening.

The next morning I intended to ride to Seattle.  I still wanted to avoid Hwy 5, since it is a miserable stretch of freeway with too much traffic and nothing much of interest to see.  However, there is a back Forest Service road that goes over Mount Saint Helens.  This is closed in the winter, but was to have opened last night (June 2).  First thing in the morning I called the Forest Service to confirm that it had opened, and it had.  I couldn’t get any information on conditions since “nobody has been over it yet”.  Exuding confidence (if not good sense), I set out to be at least one of the first.  I evidently was a pioneer, because I only saw two other cars on the whole road.

The road itself was in generally good condition, although it was wet, and the weather was foggy, and drizzling.  And it was also COLD.  After about a half hour I had to pull over and put on my electric jacket and gloves.  In fact, this was a good time to make sure they worked before hitting Alaska.  I also hit snow on the side of the road, something I don’t get too much of in Panama. 

The other minor inconvenience that Mt. Saint Helens can offer is lava… it is an active volcano and last had a major eruption in [I think] 1986.  There are “Evacuation Route” signs all over the place, but I’m not sure how El Pinguino would do trying to outrun a lava flow.  Fortunately this morning the mountain was quiet and I was able to descend unencumbered by a layer of soot or stone.  After Mt. Saint Helens the road to Seattle was a case of déjà vu, as I had ridden these roads a lot when we lived in Seattle.  Finally I arrived in Seattle and the house of my good friends Don and Deeann Smith.

The next day was the Fourth of July, and Don had the day off.  So what to do?  GO RIDING, of course.  Don and I have ridden all over the Northwest, so it was great to have a day together.  Fortunately, the weather was spectacular as only it can be in the Northwest (when it’s not raining).  We took off to the east and made our way through the rural roads to every bar that we could find.

It really became obvious that this is Harley Davidson country

There were also numerous reminders that bikers in this neighborhood really do control the bars, as the exquisite piece of sculpture on the roof in back of Don attests. 

On the way back we passed an area where they were doing parasailing.  This sport consists of jumping off a mountain with a piece of cloth strapped to your back and pretending you can fly.  In fact, I had done this off of the cliffs in Lima, Peru, three years ago.  I still have the pair of browned skivvy shorts that I wore as a souvenir, but I certainly had no desire to try it again.  Been there, done that, crossed it off the Bucket List.

I spent the rest of the week in Seattle visiting friends, doing errands, and generally hanging out.  On July 7 I was scheduled to catch the Alaska State Ferry from Bellingham (about 1 ½ hours north of Seattle) to Haines, Alaska.  This is a 2 ½ day trip through the Inside Passage of British Columbia and Alaska.  In 2001 I rode to Alaska through BC and the Yukon, so I didn’t feel the need to ride this particular road again.  Also for this reason, I didn’t feel like I was “cheating” in my Circle-to-Circle ride.

Don decided to ride to Bellingham with me (and it was a damned good thing he did), and we decided to take the scenic route.  Just north of Marysville we turned off Highway 5 to take the back roads.  At the top of the freeway offramp we stopped at the light, and when the light turned green and I gave it gas… the bike didn’t move.  Tried shifting again… nothing.  I thought there might be a clutch problem and pushed the bike to the side of the road.  While I was standing there scratching my head and contemplating my navel a woman came along in a car to inform me that my drive chain was still on the offramp!  “[Expletive]”, I said to myself, parking the bike and running back to retrieve it.  Then I rolled the bike down the hill to the parking lot of a gas station to figure out what to do.

On inspection, the master link of the chain had broken.  Since I carry a spare, this should not have been a major problem but it also appeared that the next link had gotten bent and wasn’t moving freely.  This I didn’t like and decided a new chain was the more prudent route to take.  We called the Honda dealer in the next town, they had a chain in stock, and Don went up the road to get it while I prepared to make the change. After an hour Don was back with the chain, I made the change, and off we rode.

I do have to say that this made me just a bit nervous, not because it’s difficult to change the chain (I’ve done it many times) but because if I was late for the ferry I would have to wait a week for the next one, and then wouldn’t be able to get a cabin.  But it all worked out… quick chain change and all.  We even had time for a couple of tacos and beers in Bellingham before parting at the ferry dock.

And then I was ready for the next stage of the adventure: 

It took about three hours to load the boat (the MV Kennicott), but then we were off:  

NORTH TO ALASKA  

To Be or Not To Be: Ashland to Seattle

June 30 - July 2

I spent three days in Ashland, Oregon, mostly at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  This is an incredible theater festival that has been going on for 75 years.  While I love working on our little theater with the Ancon Theatre Guild, it’s amazing watching the big time productions. However, like any entertainment, some I liked and others not so much.

I managed to see three plays at the OSF, and one community theater production in a nearby town.  At the OSF I saw a play called Medea/MacBeth/Cinderella which combined all three plays simultaneously.  While I really appreciated the production value and acting, I found the combination extremely hard to follow and very confusing.  Most comments I heard agreed.  I also saw an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor”, set in Windsor, Iowa.  I’ve basically come to the conclusion that most of The Bard’s comedies are purile, which makes sense given the “lower classes” that they were intended for.  I found this production silly to the point of ridiculous.

One night I went to the next town, Talent, and saw “1776”, a musical about the Congress’ discussion over American independence.  I hadn’t realized that this play got the Tony for best musical in 1969, beating out “Hair”.  Obviously a political decision, given the mood of the country at the time.  In any event, despite having to ride through the rain to get to the theater, the play was extremely well done.  I was also very jealous of the new theater that the local community theater group had built.

But the highlight of my time in Ashland was a play called “White Snake”, based around an old Chinese legend.  While it was incredible in all aspects (acting, staging, sets, music), the fact that the writer/director had actually written it while already in rehearsals made it even more extraordinary.  Evidently this is her style, and she doesn’t develop the dialog until she sees how the actors are doing, then develops it to incorporate their personalities.

I also got to take a backstage tour of the OSF theaters.  This was sold out, but when I explained my interest and involvement in the theater in Panama they were kind enough to fit me in.  It was an interesting couple of hours seeing how the “big boys” stage a production.