We woke up in Juneau and had a couple of hours to visit the capital of Alaska. It is a very pretty town but way too touristic. While we were there, there were 3 huge cruise ships docked at the harbor. It was hard to walk on the sidewalks without bumping to someone with a big camera around the neck, wearing a shirt written Alaska on it.
Early afternoon we headed to the ferry to start our second trip in the Alaska Passage. We left Juneau at 3:15 pm and embarked in which was going to be our longest ferry ride: 37 hours. This means the afternoon, the night, the full next day and get there very early in the morning, on the third day. Fun!
Still on the line to embark we met this crazy character, Ubbe, a wild man originally from Sweden, but he has been living in California for many years. He rides an old Harley Davidson, with no suspension. He was very proud to tell us that he’s ride his bike through the 49 states. Alaska was the 49th and last one and he got a tattoo on his right arm in Anchorage marking it. Well, he is missing Hawaii, but it would be too complicated to take his bike there, although he has done Europe with it too.
With him, we also met a man from Calgary, one from Vancouver and a girl from England, all on their motorbikes. It sounds that bikers work a bit like backpackers. They take off on their own, meet each other along the way and travel together, or not. These guys have been sleeping on the side of the road, fishing their own food and a lot of time they don’t wear a helmet, because it is not mandatory in some American states, like Alaska.
The ferry hide was beautiful. There is not too much on the sides besides untouched nature. The water was calm and the sky was full of clouds, but the sun tried really hard to make an appearance, which made a more interesting and rewarding ride. You just want to keep clicking your camera away. So many fantastic photo opportunities, but nothing compare to the magic of being here and feeling the wind on the face, while admiring the trees and the powerful nature.
We saw some whales on the way, but from too far away. It was cool, tough. We could see some small icebergs as well.
The night came and the bar called us. Our biker friends were there and we became a big group around Mary, the bartender. She was a really nice lady, always smiling and serving us not just with beer, but with kindness like a mother would serve a child. She moved to Alaska in 1976 “to visit a brother”, and she never left. Now she lives in Juneau and goes up and down along the passage in this ferry meeting people and making sure they don’t get thirsty. We closed the bar, again.
Mike and I rented a cabin to spend the night for $100. You don’t have to, since there are nice washrooms and showers along the boat. Most of the young people just sleep on top of the ferry, in a place called solarium that is opened, but also has a heating system. You just have to bring warm clothes, a sleeping bag and if it is a clear sky, you can fall sleep counting the stars.
I counted sheep from our comfortable and dark cabin.
Day 10 balance
Kms: zero, we are in the ferry
Hours: by the end of this ferry ride it will be 37 hours in this ferry
From to: Juneau to Prince Ruppert, British Columbia (stopping on Kake, Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan and Prince Ruppert)
Animals: whales and birds, including eagles
Hotel: a ferry cabin ($100)
Curiosity: even though Juneau is the capital of Alaska, the only way to get there – and to many of these towns along the way - is by boat or plane. This ferry boat runs all year around. There are no roads connecting the continent to this part of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment