Ferry Adventure Along the Inner Passage

Sunday, July 5, 2009 – First thing this morning we moved the motorhome to a less expensive site in the campground since we will be gone for several days. Bill and Pam drove us to the ferry terminal in time for our 8:00 AM check-in time for the 9:00 AM ferry to Juneau. As we were in line to board the M/V Malaspina we met a young man with a bicycle loaded down with gear and adorned with flags. We asked about the flags and discovered that he is the young man we have been hearing about throughout Alaska who is traveling all the way from Anchorage to Argentine by bicycle. His name is Axel Miguez and we talked to him a little about his trip as we were boarding for the 4 ½ hour trip to Juneau. We got settled in the forward observation lounge where we read, watched the scenery, and listened to short presentations by the on-board interpreter from the U.S. Park Service. We had planned to check into a hotel and stay in Juneau for the night and then re-board the ferry at 8 AM for the trip to Sitka but when we arrived at the terminal we found out from other passengers that the ferry that usually leaves at 3 PM had been delayed until 10 PM with a scheduled arrival in Sitka at 7:30 AM. In what we initially thought was pure genius on our part we decided that rather than pay for a hotel we would change our tickets to the 10 PM ferry and sleep on the ferry for free and have an extra half day in Sitka! We got a cab into town and at the recommendation of the driver we had lunch at the Hanger. We both ordered fish and chips and found that although the cod was good the halibut was much better. The restaurant is right on the waterfront and you can see all the cruise ships docked and watch the float planes taking off while you eat. After lunch we walked around a little and looked at some of the dozens of jewelry, fur, tee-shirt, and gift shops. When we were dropped off we scheduled an 8:30 PM pick up time with the cab driver to take us back to the ferry terminal and the driver arrived right on time. As soon as we boarded the M/V Matanuska we headed up to the solarium to secure a lounger for the night before they were all taken. The 10 PM departure turned into 11:45 PM by the time we finally pulled away from the dock so the arrival time should still be around 9:30 AM right? Wrong! Because of the currents and tide changes our arrival time was almost 2:00 PM the following afternoon. We slept part of the night on the lounge chairs in the solarium and then at different times abandoned those to find more comfortable sleeping on the couches in the observation lounge. In spite of the delays it was a good experience as Axel was on the same ferry again and we spent most of our time with him and got to know him. He is very interesting and has a good command of the English language and we both really enjoyed his company. Through Axel we met a young Australian woman, Emma who is bicycling from Anchorage to San Francisco with a friend. I never realized there were so many bicycling adventurers in this world. In addition we saw the most beautiful full moon and many whales during the trip.

Monday, July 6, 2009 - When we arrived in Sitka there was a shuttle bus waiting who charged only $10 per person round trip (way cheaper than a taxi) and the driver agreed to hold our luggage until we had to re-board the ferry at 3:45 AM. Sitka is quite small and doesn’t even have the large number of shops that most port cities seem to have. We were starving at this point so stopped at the Agave Mexican Restaurant for a very tasty lunch. After lunch we did the little tour of town with stops at St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Bishop’s House, the small boat harbor, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum featuring the Eskimo and Tlingket cultures. The weather was very hot and by the time we had finished at the museum the prospect of walking further to the Historical Park to see the totem poles and the nature walk seemed very unappealing. We walked back into town to find someplace to get a drink and after talking to one of the residents we were given directions to walk to McDonalds – cheap drinks that are refillable! We walked about 1 ½ miles through a pretty seedy section of town along the commercial fishing docks before finding our destination. By the time we arrived we were both completely dehydrated and drank about 5 glasses of iced tea apiece. We really got more than our money’s worth for the $2.74 we spent on drinks. When we finished we walked back into town and although it was still early there was not a cruise ship in sight so the town had rolled up the sidewalks. We still had hours to go before the bus driver was going to pick us up so we bought movie tickets for the 7:30 PM showing of Transformers. The show has great special effects but as usual in that type of movie most of the time I didn’t know what was going on – those robots all look alike to me but it did take care of almost 2 ½ hours. After the movie was over the only place open in town was the local Subway so we got a sandwich and then waited in the lobby of the Westmark Hotel for the bus driver to take us back to the ferry terminal.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 – We boarded the M/V Taku back to Juneau at 2:00 AM and promptly found a place to sleep for the night. Although we were sleeping in recliner chairs we fell right to sleep and slept until almost 10:00. After we woke up we read and explored what little there was to see on board which wasn’t much since this ferry was quite small. When the cafeteria opened we got a little lunch on board to save time when we got to Juneau. We arrived back in Juneau at 1:00 PM and called for the free shuttle van to the Driftwood Lodge where we planned to stay for the night. The van arrived very quickly and we checked into the hotel. The rooms are clean but lacking in basic amenities such as shampoo, lotion, and Kleenex. As soon as we checked in we walked down to the cruise ship docks and arranged a narrated city and glacier tour. The tour took us past the touristy section of Juneau where we learned that most of the shops are actually owned by the cruise lines themselves. Further up the street is the historic section of town that was the site of bars, brothels, and boarding houses servicing the miners during the Alaskan Gold Rush. We went past the Governor’s Mansion, a very small Russian Orthodox Church, and the State Capitol building. We then headed out of town and stopped at Mendenhall Lake where we had a good view of the glacier. After a short stop at the lake for photographs we headed to the Shrine of St. Terese. The Shrine is a simple wooden church on a beautiful little island. There are stone monuments depicting the Stations of the Cross along a wooded walking path. The view of the mountains and water was spectacular and was complemented by sightings of a stellar sea lion, a pair of humpback whales, and several bald eagles. When we got back to town it was about 5:30 PM so we had dinner at the Twisted Fish. It was a good choice for dinner and specializes in sea food as the name implies. After dinner we walked through a few more shops to pick up a couple of gifts we needed for friends back home. We stopped in at the Alaskan Bar for a drink and found that it is more authentic, less touristy, and much less expensive than the famous Red Dog Saloon where all the cruise passengers stop. We walked back a short few blocks to our hotel and both enjoyed a good night of sleep in a real bed for after our two nights of sleeping on the ferry.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 – We took our time getting ready this morning and then walked down to the Sandpiper Café for breakfast. The restaurant is recommended in the Frommer’s Alaska Guide and its reputation is well deserved. They serve a very good breakfast, give generous portions, and are reasonably priced. After breakfast we made a last quick trip to town and then took the free van shuttle back to the ferry terminal back for our return to Haines. We boarded the ferry and got settled in the front observation lounge for the 4 ½ hour trip. Along the way we spotted a few whales and a Dall Porpoise and the onboard interpreter from the U.S. Park Service gave talks on bald eagles and the towns of Haines and Skagway. We arrived right on time and Bill and Pam were there to pick us up. We dropped them off at the campground, opened up the motorhome and then headed over to Mosey’s Cantina for Mexican food. The food is a little pricey but it is great. The restaurant is in a converted house on a hill just up from the cruise boat dock. The décor is colorful and charming and the staff was very nice especially considering that we arrived only ten minutes before closing time. We arrived back at the campground and did a little reading and catching up before going to bed. The ferry trip along the Inner Passage was an experience but is good to be back in our own bed.

Happy Birthday, America

Saturday, July 4, 2009 – The town of Haines had a full day of activities planned to celebrate Independence Day so we set out from the campground in time to see the big parade down Main Street starting at 11:00 AM. The parade featured fire trucks, kids on bikes, tractors with trailers in tow, and people and dogs decked out in their red, white, and blue regalia. Virtually every unit in the parade was showering the parade goers with candy which was a delight to children lining the route who came armed with bags for their loot. After the parade we followed the crowd to the city park where they had a craft sale, pies by the local women’s club, and a barbeque. Other amusing activities included mud volleyball, a fire hose competition to move a buoy suspended from a rope between two tractors, a pie eating contest, nail driving competition, and a variety of foot races. Virtually the whole town showed up to celebrate and it really made you feel that you were seeing Americana at its best. We watched all the different activities and then returned to the campground where we grilled steaks and had baked potatoes and corn with Bill and Pam. At 11:00 PM the town hosted a fireworks show but since we have an early morning date with the ferry we passed on the show.

Heave Ho and A Broken Windshield

Thursday, July 02, 2009 – We left Kenny Lake heading for Tok via the Tok Cut-off. Although paved, the road was about as bad as any we have seen on this trip. There were frost heaves, pot holes, pavement breaks, and gravel stretches for most of the route. When we reached Tok we made a brief stop for fuel and then rejoined the Alaska Highway. We continued about 80 miles to the Canadian border where we crossed with no problems. It was close to 5:00 PM by the time we crossed the border so we stopped at the first RV Park we came to which is next to the Westmark Hotel at Beaver Creek in the Yukon Territory. The park doesn’t have much in the way of amenities but it is conveniently located right on the highway. In the morning we will continue on toward Haines.

Friday, July 03, 2009 – Since we had a fairly long drive today to get into Haines we left Beaver Creek and continued south on the Alaska Highway. As bad as the roads were along the Tok Cut-off they were worse today! All the way from the Alaska/Canada border through Destruction Bay and even a little beyond the roads were a never-ending series of potholes, frost heaves, and gravel breaks. At about mile marker 1079 near the Quill Creek Mine Road we got hit with a rock from a passing motorhome. The impact made a loud crack and you just had to know it did something but on my initial check from inside the coach it looked OK. However, an hour or so later the sun hit the window in such way that I could see “the curse of the Alaska highway,” a large crack making its way across the lower part of the windshield. I marked the spot with a sticky note and noted the time and within an hour it had grown another 3”. When we finally made it to Haines Junction we stopped for lunch and put a strip of clear tape on the crack in a fruitless effort to stop the crack from spreading. The good news is that from Haines Junction south into Haines the drive is quite scenic and the roads are good paved roads with not a frost heave in sight. The Haines Hitch-Up RV Park is a little expensive but it is the nicest park we have stayed in probably since leaving West Yellowstone. After dinner Bill and I drove down to the ferry terminal to get information on routes and rates to Skagway, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. What we found is that trying to do a loop to all of the various towns is not as easy as it might seem and the travel time between the stops varies from a few hours to more than a day depending on whether you take the regular ferry or the fast ferry. To complicate the situation even further the schedules are overlapping and don’t all run daily so you have to plan for layovers in each town. From Haines you have to go 4 ½ hours to Juneau and then another 4 ½ hours on to Sitka and then from there it is a 24 hour trip each way between Sitka and Ketchikan. Since we were in Ketchikan several years ago on a cruise we have pretty much decided to skip it this time. We also found that when leaving Haines we can take the ferry from Haines to Skagway for less than the cost of a tank of gas and save close to 200 miles of driving and not have to retrace any of our routes. Sounds like a good plan to me.

100 Miles of Gravel - The Road to Kennicott

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - We left Valdez and retraced our path north on the Richardson Highway. After hearing from several different people that McCarthy and Kennicott were worthwhile stops we changed our minds and decided to go see for ourselves. We only traveled about 100 miles to Chitina which is the gateway to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. As mentioned before, the road into the park ending at McCarthy and Kennicott is a gravel road in fair to poor condition so we stopped at the Kenny Lake Mercantile and RV Park and dropped off the motorhome. We then drove on into Chitina to the Copper River where we watched dip netters and fish wheels fishing for Copper River Red and King salmon. The only fishing permitted is subsistence fishing for Alaska residents who are allowed 300 fish per year. We drove down through the river bed and talked to two guys who were checking their catch in a fish wheel. The fish wheel is owned by one local woman who makes up a schedule during the season and local fishermen can sign up for 3-day blocks of time. Approximately 100 fishermen sign up to use the fish wheel without charge other than sharing equally in all maintenance and repair costs. The owner reserves about 1/3 of the time for herself and also gets any unused time from fishermen who either don’t show up or catch as much as they want and then leave early. The fishermen are allowed to give salmon away to friends and family but may not sell or barter with the salmon but we talked to some local women who said that she thinks a lot of people do. We figured they probably have a lot of “friends” who just happen to do brakes, repair appliances, cut hair, etc. We did not have enough time to drive all the way to Kennicott so returned to camp and made dinner together.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 – We left this morning about 9:00 AM for the drive to McCarthy and Kennicott. Although it is only about 90 miles, due to the road conditions it took a little over 3 hours to make the drive. We arrived at the end of the road and walked about ½ mile over a couple of foot bridges to the somewhat restored ghost town of McCarthy. From there we took the shuttle van about five miles on to Kennicott and got our tickets for the tour through the 14-story copper mill. The mill operated from 1911 until 1938 when it closed abruptly with only a few hours notice. We hiked up a wooded hillside to the top of the mill and then made our way down a series of boardwalks and narrow steep staircases to get a good view of the mill used to concentrate and process copper ore before bagging it and shipping it off by railroad cars. Considering the condition of the mill it is a little surprising that the National Park Service allows tours but the guide said they have determined that it is in a state of “arrested decay” and therefore safe enough to allow tours. It was an interesting tour and afforded excellent views of the Kennicott Glacier and surrounding area. At the end of the tour we took the shuttle back down to the foot bridge and walked a short distance to the car for the 90 mile drive back to the campground. When we arrived we were met with a note on our windshield telling us that we were supposed to have checked out by noon so they charged us an extra night. The only problem with that is that we had already paid for the extra night before we left this morning. We immediately went to the office and found the problem to be a classic case of the “right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing” so they apologized and refunded our money for the extra charges. We stopped at the little diner in the campground and even though it was about 5 minutes after closing time the owner told us to come in and she made us hamburgers for dinner. Tomorrow we will head back to Tok to begin the last leg of our Alaskan Adventure by heading down to Haines which will serve as our base camp while we use the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry system) to see Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Skagway.

Bumps, Curves, Hills and Beautiful Scenery - Glenn Highway to Valdez

Saturday, June 27, 2009 - We left Girdwood and headed back north on the Seward Highway through Anchorage where we stopped for fuel. Outside of Anchorage we took the Glenn Highway heading toward Valdez. The highway which is designated as a national scenic by-way passes through beautiful mountains and forested areas, and passes the Matanuska Glacier. Although it is a beautiful drive it is strenuous due to steep inclines and declines, winding roads, and several areas with construction and frost heaves. We stopped for a break in Glennallen and decided to stay there for the night and go onto Valdez in the morning. We took advantage of the early stopover to do a little grocery shopping and laundry. I made a big pot of chili for dinner and after we ate we just relaxed for the evening.

Sunday, June 28, 2009 – Next stop Valdez. We left Glennallen and headed south on the Richardson Highway. Our first stop was at the ranger station of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park which is the largest park in the National Park System. This park is different from most national parks in that it is mostly wilderness, there is a sizeable amount of privately owned land, and subsistence hunting is allowed within the park boundaries. There is a single sixty mile long gravel road leading into the park with another ranger station and an historic copper mining town and mill. Since we have all had our fill of gravel roads we decided against driving all the way into the park. We continued driving down the Richardson Highway through amazingly beautiful mountains known as the “Switzerland of Alaska.” We stopped at the Worthington Glacier which is right off the highway and has interpretive signs and a path leading to a view platform. At your own risk, you are allowed to walk up to the glacier but it is not really advised and none of us was feeling particularly daring so we looked from a distance. There are many waterfalls throughout the mountains and we stopped and took pictures of one especially pretty one called Horsetail Falls. We got into Valdez around noon and checked into the Sea Otter RV Park. We have waterfront sites right on the Port of Valdez. We have seen barges and tugboats and there is a large cargo ship docked right near us. All evening we have watched and listened to thousands of birds feeding in the water. Bill and I drove around town a bit this afternoon and other than the mountains surrounding the town no one would ever describe Valdez as picturesque. The buildings are small, mostly older, and functional but not attractive. We had planned to go salmon fishing which is why most people come to Valdez but the salmon have not arrived so we will spend tomorrow taking a glacier and wildlife cruise aboard the LuLu Belle and perhaps be able to fish for salmon later in the trip.

Monday, June 29, 2009 – We had 2:00 PM reservations for a Wildlife and Glacier Tour aboard the LuLu Belle so we decided to go into town and look around before the trip. We visited a couple of stores and then met Bill and Pam at the Totem Restaurant for breakfast. The food was good, the portions generous, and the prices reasonable so you can’t get much better than that. Around 1:45 PM we made our way to the boat dock and after a few words of welcome from Captain Fred and his warning to wipe our feet before boarding so we don’t get his oriental rugs dirty we boarded the boat. With its oriental rugs and polished teak woodwork the LuLu Belle is a yacht more than a cruise boat. In addition, she is a smaller boat than those used by most of the other glacier cruises so it was easier to get up close to the shore to view sea life. We saw stellar sea lions, otter, porpoise, and horned puffins but despite the captain’s efforts we never saw any whales. The most awesome part of the trip was when he navigated the boat through a field of icebergs in Columbia Bay to get as close as possible to the glacier. We were able to get within 7 miles but were blocked from going further by the size of the icebergs. To stand on the deck of the boat and be surrounded on all sides by icebergs was an amazing and unforgettable experience.

The Seward Highway in Reverse - Ninilchik to Girdwood

Friday, June 26, 2009 – We spoke to our friend Chris about having our halibut shipped to her house since we won’t be home for a few more weeks. She agreed and made the shipping arrangements at the office. We spoke to Bill and Pam and made our plans for the day to head back toward Anchorage with a couple of stops on the way. We packed up and started on our way around 10:00 AM. Our first stop was at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The center is a research and rescue facility for large animals. We saw elk, musk ox, bear, moose, bison, red fox, and great horned owl. It is not quite the same as seeing the animals in the wild but it was neat to see them up close and personal and see all the babies. From there we drove back about ½ mile to the Portage Glacier turn-off. We drove to the Visitors’ Center and discovered that to really see the glacier you have to take a boat tour. I thought it would be fun to do but I got outvoted so we took a couple of pictures and headed on to Girdwood. Girdwood is the foremost ski- area in all of Alaska. There is a nice hotel, The Alyeska Resort, as well as condominiums, shops, and a tram ride to the top of the mountain. The hotel allows RVers to dry camp in their parking lot for $10 per night so that is where we are staying. I heard about a restaurant called The Double Musky Inn that has been rated by Food Network as one of the top ten restaurants in America. They specialize in Cajun cuisine which we both love so we went there for dinner. We shared our entrees of French Peppercorn Steak and Crab Stuffed Halibut. Both of the dishes were superb! At the hotel gift shop I bought the Double Musky Cookbook and the lady said I should take it back to the restaurant and have it autographed. We drove back to the restaurant and the owner’s son who is the executive chef signed my book. We drove back to where we are parked and just relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

Kenai Peninsula - Halibut Fishing

Thursday, June 25, 2009 - We got up at 3:15 AM and notice I said got up as opposed to woke up to go fishing. At the suggestion of the office staff we took a motion sick pill before we went to bed so it would be into our systems before the boat trip. Well, apparently the pills have something in them that keeps you awake because at 2:00 AM we were both still wide awake. If we slept at all it was some dozing between 2:00 and 3:15 AM. We met at the office with 5 other people and loaded into what looked like a paddy wagon for the ride down to where the fishing boats are launched. They do not use a launch ramp but a large tractor hooks onto the trailer and launches right off the beach. The captain of the boat took us about 40 minutes out into Cook Inlet and anchored the boat. The deck hand gave us a quick lesson on technique then handed us fishing rods and turned us loose. We all started catching fish immediately and released many more than we kept. Each person is allowed to keep two halibut and the average size is about 20 – 25 pounds so anything smaller than that we let go. One lady caught a 57 pound halibut and I caught the second and third largest fish of the day. The two I caught were close to 30 pounds each and the two Bill caught were a little smaller. We ended up with 43 pounds of halibut fillets that will be vacuum packed, frozen, and shipped home for us. We got back to the camp around 10:30 in the morning and picked up Bill and Pam to drive down to Homer, AK. We drove down to Homer Spit and stopped at the Salty Dawg Saloon to take pictures and get a couple of shirts. The Salty Dawg is an interesting place with dollar bills on every inch of wall and ceiling space – that seems to be a common theme up here in Alaska. We couldn’t stay for long because the place reeks of cigarette smoke and the pool room had some other odor that I thought smelled like urine. I guess the drunken red-necks who hang out there either don’t notice or don’t care. The whole Homer Spit area is lined with small shops, galleries, restaurants, and fishing charters built along boardwalks. We didn’t walk around because it was cold and windy and the shops and small towns are all starting to look alike at this point not to mention that Bill and I were almost falling asleep on our feet. We headed back to our camp and stopped at a little Chinese Restaurant. The food was OK and we had the whole place to ourselves. Hopefully there are other nights when the place is busier or they won’t stay in business for long. Earlier today I received a text message from Amber telling us that Farrah Fawcett had died after her long battle with cancer. Then this evening as we were driving back from Homer, I got text messages from both Amber and Corey telling us that Michael Jackson had died suddenly. When we got back to camp we watched a little news which was non-stop coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and by 9:00 PM we were in bed and sound asleep.