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: