Kodiak Island, AK

Hey Everybody!

In for the night before dark for the first time since getting in at 6am on the 7th. The mist was turning to rain so I decided to skip my dusk bear searches and try to get some pics posted instead. Guess you'll have to wait for news of the bear searches.

First, allow me to introduce some of the local characters: This is Ophelia the Octopus who was created out of marine debris as an art project by local high schoolers. It's mostly plastic.

Not sure who this dude is but I see him ALL the time. He's all one piece, except the arm.

The harbor in the center of town.

Salmon fishing season seems to be coming to an end... Not that you'd know by the number of people in rivers, streams, and on the shorelines. I can, however, confirm it for two reasons. The smell of dead fish is getting stronger and the nets are being stacked.

This skipper and his crew has just finished stacking salmon nets. They'll stay on the trailer until next season, then back on the boats.

One of the crew taking a break after stacking a 1/4 mile long net. Wait! That's FlatJen....I've been looking for her all day. Sadly, the crew was shy & didn't wish to be photographed, but at least she's got a skipper's reference for the Dutch Harbor leg of the journey.

This is "Sometimes Island" - because sometimes you can walk over to it & sometimes you can't. When the tide is low it's just a short walk over. This piece of land is native owned, so all that's allowed is walking. No camping, driving, fires, etc.

The local Russian Orthydox church. I believe it is more than 200 yrs old.

Two pictures because sometimes you just need a place to put stuff. This couch was not here 36hrs ago...

Why not park in front of the house....seems to fit. This is just minutes from the center of town.

Look closely....do you see that patch of white sand? That is just about the only place to find white sand in Kodiak. Most of the beaches are smooth stones & the rest are black sand.

I'll tell you more about Kodiak soon, but at least you can see a bit of it. Actually, I should post one photo to give you some idea of the beauty of this island. As always, thanks for stopping by!

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The Rest of the Ferry Trip

Hey Everybody!

My goal is to wrap up the ferry trip so we can get on with the land-based trip segment. So, after Juneau we spent another full day traveling to Yakutat (pop. 646) - 22hrs I think - arrived early Wed. It was pouring rain, but a few of us decided it didn't count if we didn't get off the ferry & touch land for a bit. Turns out there was only one thing to see....this OLD steam-engine. Not a great pic, I know, but not easy to take in the rain before sunrise. It was about 6:30am. Their National Park office bldg is quite nice too...if you ever get here. You'll pass it on the way to the engine.

Our next stop was Whittier - the Gateway to Prince William Sound - on Thurs. morning (we were docked 6-11am). I realize that the days of the week don't actually matter....it's just the best way to tell you how BIG the distances between ports of call are.

Of course, most places in "the gateway" were closed while we were there.... although I heard somebody talking about trying ice cream somewhere after we were back on board. Wish I had known about that! I also wish the operator of the day cruise to see 26 glaciers had been open...if only for a short tour.

Having said that, Whittier was by far the least rushed port stop during the trip & most of us seemed to like it best. It is beautiful. Of course, it helped that we had good weather all day. No doubt making up for rough seas and rain.

This is just about all of it....

Most people live in this apartment building...

The view from their apartments...

The glacier most visible from town....

FlatJen finally had a chance to get some sun on deck. The crew has really been working her hard.

Our final stop before Friday morning's arrival in Kodiak was Chenega Bay. We don't know why this huge people/car ferry stops here! Except that it might be the small native fishing community's best chance for contact & supplies. Its population is about 160. We did see one van exit the ferry loaded up with toilet paper and other supplies - enough to last until spring probably. We heard that when a plane comes in they have a BBQ.

We were in port for one hour and just wandered the dirt roads. It is a BEAUTIFUL place....and EXTREMELY isolated!

Next post will be from Kodiak Island. Thanks for being patient! More soon...

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Juneau, AK

Hello again...

After a 38hr nonstop trip on the ferry from Bellingham to Ketchikan we were off to Juneau. Here's a belated post about the few hours we were docked.

We made it to rainy Juneau....it started clearing up about the time we had to get back on the ferry. Kind of a bummer, but not surprising in a town that has 255 or so rainy days each year.

This stop was a bit crazy because we docked about 15mi out of town & then had to taxi in, which was pretty cheap in groups. There was a public bus route about a 45min walk away, but most of us didn't take that option. Some did. Unfortunately, our taxi didn't come to get us in 20min as stated, so we waited an hour to get a ride into town. I know....should have taken the bus!

So, I made a quick (30 min) run to the Mendenhall Glacier, grabbed a quick bite in town & that was it. The glacier has receded so much since I saw it two years ago. Another woman had seen it 7 years ago & was even more shocked than I was.

Just a couple pics. One from the glacier, two as we are leaving the Juneau dock, & one that doesn't do justice to the cape we approached on the way to open water (Gulf of Alaska).

It's about 11pm on Friday night & I should probably get some sleep. I'd like to be up & out for sunrise.....we'll see. I hope to get caught up on the ferry drive posts soon, so I don't get too behind on Kodiak. Already much to report......stay tuned! :-)

Hope this finds all of you well and enjoying the rest of summer. Thanks for stopping by! And I wish you were here.....this island is unbelievably beautiful & cool!

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Ketchikan, AK

Hey Everybody!I am in Kodiak, Alaska....but wrote this a couple days back....more soon.

It is 1am and we are traveling through Prince William Sound. This is newsworthy because it's the first time (with one brief exception at Yakutat) since Tuesday evening that we've been in calm waters. If you saw the news about 100mph winds in Anchorage, then you will understand how nice calm waters are! We didn't have those winds, but it sounds like we entered the back of the storms and even with stabilizers this boat rocked A LOT! But all is well....I finally drugged myself as a precaution & haven't been sick.

Anyway, on Monday morning we stopped in Ketchikan for a few hours. There was a light rain, but that stopped for a little while. The pics below are the harbor, the AML (Alaska Marine Lines), and Hoadly Creek & spawning Salmon.

The next two pics were taken after reboarding the ferry. First, this is how Alaskans travel - boat, ferry, sea/bush plane. The next one shows a ferry crossing from town to the Ketchikan Airport. Not especially significant until I learned that this was one of the two "bridge to nowhere" sites. The ferry crossed in under two minutes....pretty sure the bridge wasn't necessary!

In honor of Alaskans' love of flowers in the warm months....

And a distant lighthouse....

All is well on the ferry. It's pretty much self-serve, but as relaxed a trip as I have taken this year. The crew members are readily accessible if you want or need something. The showers are excellent! There are announcements when the elevators are secured due to weather. Announcements for car deck/pet check times, movies, interesting scenery or wildlife. But otherwise we are left to ourselves....I've already read one book: John Muir's Travels in Alaska throughout which he sings of Alaska's beauty. Best of all, most of it was read outside on the back deck with nobody around.

Going to end here and try to get the next post started. Thanks for stopping by!

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On the Water.....

Hey Everybody!

For the first time in 38hrs I am on land. Thought I'd try to get off a quick post (and give the rain a chance to pass over) before wandering further around town. Town is Ketchikan, Alaska for about 3hrs this morning. But first, a few shots from Bellingham.

This is the M/V Kennicott - my home until Friday morning when I arrive in Kodiak, AK. You are looking at the car deck, which is also where passengers walk on.

Living in FL means that our local news shows boat fires from time to time, but this is as close as I've been to one. The photo doesn't show it, but I could see the flames. Guess everybody knows it's a goner....nobody is doing anything except watching.

Last shot from the ferry terminal.....

Images from the first sunset (Sat. night)

And the moon as it rises next to Mt. Baker.

The water is like glass at times, except when we're in open waters (3x so far). We really do some rocking in those waters. Because this ferry adventure is my big pre-Drake Passage test I haven't taken any motion sickness pills & I mostly stay outside, moving around. Well, except for that one very nice nap...

Sunday morning began with a pod of Orcas in the distance. But maybe you can see their blows in the pic in front of the fishing boat. We are passing a good number of southbound fishing boats as we head north - their season is about over & they are heading home.

You are now looking at the view by late Sunday afternoon..... It's much better now, but this is fairly typical northbound weather.

I have to get back to walking now....must reload ferry in 75 minutes. I will tell you more about the ferry another time though. Thanks for stopping by!

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A Note From Washington

Hey Everybody!

In a few hours I will check-in at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal for a long ride on the Alaska Marine Highway (approx 10-11 days total). The State Ferry System is how Alaskans travel, so I decided after my first trip to Alaska in 2010 that if I ever had the opportunity to return I would do it like a local. As it turns out, the route I've planned seems to be a dream trip for many Alaskans. Knowing that locals think of this as a trip of a lifetime tells me it must be something special.

This is not my ride, but mine also will look like this. People refer to the Alaska ferry as "the big blue boat." As an aside, MB has nicknamed my beautiful blue car "the blue booger"....for some reason I think my Alaska ride is about to be renamed "the BIG blue booger." :-)

I should have wifi again in a week. Between now and the 7th I am not sure. I doubt I will have any access between the 19-25th...but I will be in touch. Before I run off to the Alaska bush, however, I wanted share a few pics from my first trip to Washington (unless you count the two SeaTac Airport layovers - I don't).

I left Billings on the 29th...even with all the smoke and haze the westbound drive through Montana on I-90 was beautiful. It's been a long time since I've driven that route. The next day I drove into Seattle for a visit (and tour!) with my aunt & uncle. I took just one photo in Seattle.....

This is the Fremont Troll. You've probably seen him in the news - I learned of him while living in FL, but hadn't expected to see him. I confess it was a happy surprise. After all, anybody can visit the Space Needle. My tour was led by knowledgeable locals with colorful inside info! :-)

Did you you know that the same neighborhood has a statue of Lenin? They brought over one of Russia's towering Lenin statues and put it on a street corner. Not without controversy - apparently it's an artistic (maybe communist) neighborhood and they wanted it preserved....

Pike's Place Market in downtown Seattle is famous for its Fish Market (do you know the FISH Philosophy?). I was there to see the guys throw & catch a fish. The very first Starbucks is a few blocks away with the longest line I have ever seen at a Starbucks. We were pretty sure it was all tourists. Back to the market....it's a bit crowded, like an arena when a game is over. If you brave the masses long enough to reach the water's edge you are rewarded with a great waterfront view at a quiet restaurant, Maximilien.

It had been years since I'd seen my aunt & uncle, so as the evening traffic picked up we head for home to continue our visit. It was a lot of fun catching up with them, revisiting old memories and learning new things along the way.

I left Seattle around 12am for Bellingham where I caught a day cruise of the San Juan Islands. Beginning way back in March while I was still in FL people kept mentioning these islands, so I'm glad to have finally gotten a glimpse. To tell the truth, I would have rather skipped the Friday Harbor docking and stayed out on the boat!

We did cross paths with one of the famous resident Orca pods (J Pod - no relation to me) from a distance. They were on the move - our guide told us we travelled further west to find them than he has all summer.

The islands are beautiful! Some are inhabited. Some are owned by the state and have hiking trails & fresh water lakes for a swim. Some have summer cabins, but no electric or fresh water. Sailboats (and ferries) are plentiful. I'm including the lighthouse because I don't want you to be disappointed.

This is Friday Harbor with a small WA State Ferry (1 car deck). The larger ones have two car decks & look like they hold 160-200 cars.

I would have rather stopped here, but somebody else got their first......

Last but not least....I think I should tell you that I have company on this trip. Do you remember the Flat Stanley story (and craze) from a few years ago? Well, this is Flat Jen and she just has to get to Durch Harbor to see the famous fishermen. I told her she could come along, but not without contributing.... Here she is getting ready to save an overboard passenger. Flat Jen's alter ego is stuck at work in Billings.....

That's all for now....I must get packed up and hit the road for a bit more sightseeing before boarding. Thanks for stopping by!

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