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On the ferry I'm assured that the bike doesn't need to be tied down. OK?
There must not be any bears on board to knock it over. As it turns out, the trip is very
smooth. |
Setting up tents on ferries is slowly being phased out. For the short trip to Haines
and then to Juneau, this isn't a problem. I take my Kermit chair up on deck to avoid the
inevitable fight for seating and marvel at the views along the marine highway. We pass
several humpback whales, a killer whale and what appears to be a Right whale. These were
so named because if you were a hunter in search of oil, these were the "right"
whale. If I could see a bald eagle my trip would be complete.
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Haines would be the place for this to happen. In the fall, with the salmon
run, the eagles congregate to gorge themselves. It is said that the eagles are so thick in
the surrounding pine trees that they resemble Xmas tree ornaments. Well, it isn't fall and
I don't see any eagles. Maybe President Clinton should put them back on the endangered
species list. |
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Down the marine highway and we dock in Juneau, but where's the city? The
ferry drops you off over 10 miles from town. I'm looking for a campground and the first
one I find has only 15 spaces and is full. There's a campground at the Mendenhall Glacier
and for $8.00 I get the smallest campsite I've ever seen. The mosquitos are fierce as I
set up the tent in record time and dive in. At least it's starting to get a little dark at
night. I'm starting to feel the psychological effects of lack of darkness which is unusual
because must people would say I spend most of my life in the dark. I need some quiet and
uninterrupted sleep. |
| When I wake up in the morning I notice that the ceiling of the tent is
covered with mosquitos. We must have come to some uneasy truce in the middle of the night,
because I wasn't bit and they were still alive. Maybe they were just waiting for it to get
totally dark. Either way, when I begin to pack the truce is off and the war begins in
earnest and I'm glad to get out alive. |
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I had several hours before the ferry left for Prince Ruppert, so I
explored Juneau. Exactly how long will this town remain the state capital? There has been
talk of moving it to Anchorage, where most of the population of the state resides anyway.
Juneau is a pretty town built on a hillside and is very picturesque. I get invited to
participate in the 4th of July parade by a lady who works on the committee which would be
very neat. The Florida license plate on the cool RT has wowed her, but I've got a ferry to
catch. |
| Since I can't set up a tent on the ferry I get a cabin. It has 4 bunks and
a shower. Amazingly, you can do a lot of laundry in the sink. In typical fashion I trip
down some stairs on the boat and pull a couple of muscles in my side among other things.
For some reason this trip has had an incident everyday whether it was the bike that died,
the bike that broke or this. I'm beginning to fear what tomorrow will bring and go to
check out the lifeboats. |
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On the boat are several other motorcyclists. One Goldwing rider vows that
he'll never come back to the bad roads. He should have tried the Dalton Hwy. Alaska is his
last state on a motorcycle, including Hawaii. I don't have Hawaii, but I've got all the
Canadian Provinces. |
| Our first stop is for a 1 hour transfer in Sitka. I'm embarrassed to say
that I took a cab to the park for the stamp and that was it. Many people suggest that this
is the most beautiful town in Alaska. If the bike hadn't broken down, I would have spent a
day here, but now I'm missing it, including the vast collection of totem poles and
volcanos. |
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Our next stop is Petersburg. My initial guess would be that it was named
after Peter the Great. Instead, it was named after a Norwegian who came to Alaska in 1891.
This is one of the most lucrative fishing areas in the state and the town has a pretty
harbor. I spend almost an hour walking around the town during the short layover. |
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As the boat approaches Wrangell at 11 P.M. the captain makes an announcement that the
city is having a fireworks display that evening. It is the second largest display in
Alaska and I wonder why it's happening in this small town. As we approach the city, the
bursts of light get larger and larger. We have the best seat for viewing the display even
if it's getting very cold and windy. We never quite know when the display is over since
there are long gaps in the program followed by a flurry of activity. Rather than walk
around the town I head to bed.
| In the morning we arrive at Ketchikan, which is a bustling port. It's
cloudy, cold and my side is giving me problems. I watch the city form the observation deck
and realize that I just can't see all of Alaska in one visit. Fortunately, the parts that
I'm missing are, for the most part, down south. |
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We arrive at Prince Rupert, B.C. and it's time to switch ferries. In typical fashion,
I'm put in the slow custom's line and count 10 vehicles in the other line moving for every
vehicle in my line. Motorhomes are almost being waived through and there are two agents
working in the other line. Now is not the time to complain unless I want to be strip
searched. Hmmmm. No, I'll just bite my tongue. I would learn later that the agent in my
lane must have been a trainee. They are required to ask all of a series of questions for
each vehicle. An agent at another crossing asked me what the last question was. When I
told him he said, "Yep, she was a trainee."
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