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Ferry ride out of Haines |
We said goodbye to Haines on a sunny day. This was the first leg of the long ferry
ride to Prince Rupert. It was a 4 hour
trip to Juneau where we planned on staying till we could catch the ferry a few
days later that would take us the rest of the way. It was a glorious beautiful evening and the
sailing was very calm. I was hoping to
see the stars while we were on the water. That did not work out, even thou it
was dark when we arrived at the port in Juneau.
The owners of the RV park were expecting us and helped us get to the right
spot and setup. We had thought about
staying at the nearby state park, glad we didn’t due to the darkness. It was a challenge setting up even with the
owners of the RV park directing us and shining headlights!
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Haines Ferry Boat |
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Juneau |
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and interesting enough only
accessible by boat or plane. It is fair
size city for Alaska. It gets quite a
bit of cruise ship activity and crowds at the popular tourist spots. The next day we took the short drive to
Mendenhall Glacier but did not stop. It was too crowded; we could not even find a
parking spot! The RV park owners
suggested taking the drive up the road on the ferry side of the town which
follows the northern shoreline. The cruise
ship folks don’t go that far. We stopped
at the
Shrine of St. Theresa and enjoyed a scenic stroll around the beautiful
grounds and then continued up the shoreline. We watched a few sea otters playing along the
shores and enjoyed the warm sunny day. Good thing, the next two days were overcast
and raining. I took a few bike rides
when the weather cleared a bit and Jack and I took
a few drives around the town and up to the ski area. We went into downtown Juneau for my birthday
and enjoyed a nice dinner on the wharf. We
walked around the area and visited some of the shops. Oh and we even stopped one night at the Mendenhall Glacier when all the crowds were gone. All in all, it was a pleasant stay in
Juneau!
Sunday we laid low and rested up for the next leg of the
ferry trip. We left the RV park in the
dead of night to catch the 3:30 AM sailing. We asked why such an early sailing? They time
the tides to allow safe passage through the
“The Narrows”. Sounds ominous! The
Biff was tucked safely in the belly of the beast, Wodi was resting soundly in
the back of the truck. It was time for
us to hunker down in the cabin we booked.
No luxurious cruise cabin, just two bunks and a private bath. We tried to get some sleep that first night
but not successfully.
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Tucked away in the belly of the Beast! |
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On the "poop" deck |
Soon we were at
the first port and time to walk Mr.
Wodi. They do not allow free access
to the cargo hold only at designated stops. He did
well doing what he needed to do on the “poop” deck. So if you have pets, be aware that a few
stretches between ports are over 7 hours. We were incorrectly told that they
allow access every four hours even if not in a port. It was going to be a long 30 hours! The
weather was cold ,wet and dreary. My stress
level over Wodi was rising with each stop. That first 7 hour stretch he did not make it and had an accident in the
truck. Highly unusual for him and I
suspected he was not feeling well. We were able to get permission for an escorted
visit to the hold halfway through the next long stretch to let Wodi relieve
himself. Finally, we arrived in Prince
Rupert on the morning of the 8th.
Even thou it was a beautiful drive from Prince Rupert back to Smithers,
I was too tired and stressed about Wodi to enjoy. Neither of us were well rested and poor Jack
had to drive! We arrived in Smithers and the first order of business was getting Wodi
to a veterinary! I noticed blood in his
urine. Turns out he had a nasty bladder
infection and stones.The vet pumped
him up with antibiotics and tried to flush some of the stones. I thought we might lose the little guy but he
is tough and rallied. We stayed a few
days to let Wodi rest up but now we were in “Get Home Mode”. We
left Smithers on the 11th and started the long trek home.
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The Wrangell Narrows |