Ferry passenger

Monday at 4 a.m. my brother's ferry got in. I got a picture of the boat, but not him. Thankfully he asked us to pick his luggage up on the way to work so we just had a quick - "hey's there's where you'll be working. Here I'll take your suitcases. See you later." He apparently got to take a 3 hour wildlife cruise up Lynn canal.

Thursday the first cruise ship arrived.

We've been setting rain records all week. Yes. The day he arrived was the sunniest, most glorious day. Now he's seeing what it's actually like here. He's camped out on our floor. Here's to hoping he finds something better soon, otherwise he'll be camping in the rain.

Skagway to Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier

The weather was nice but the bugs were biting

Early on Father's day, we packed the rental car and headed back into town to catch the 7 am ferry back to Juneau.

This time we grabbed a 4 bed stateroom with a sitting room. Mr. X dominated the sleep-a-thon - sleeping 3 hours in the room. The last hour of the cruise, we gathered around the table to watch the view, eat some lunch and hear a book review from Grandpa (End the Fed by Ron Paul, if you're curious).

In the evening, we headed over to the Glacier to see a bear cub, porcupine, Arctic terns and their chicks, and of course the Mendenhall glacier.

Can you see the fluffy grey and white chick?

By now we were beat and the travelers had big plans (again!) for early Monday morning. So we called it a night.

Ferry to Skagway

In the afternoon we headed for the ferry terminal to meet the Malaspina for our "cruise" up to Skagway. Grandpa had insisted on a stateroom so that we would have a nice place for Gram and Grandpa to stretch out for a nap. It was a good thing too because we all took a turn resting for at least an hour.

Mom and I spent a few hours relaxing on deck chairs on the solarium deck watching whales, dall's porpoises, lighthouses, and glaciers slide by.

At 7 pm we warmed up some soup in the cafe and had a pleasant dinner as we approached Haines.

As we departed Haines, Gram and Grandpa and I did our walking - strolling 'round and 'round the deck.

We arrived in Skagway at 9:45 pm and still needed to find the cabin for the night. I had a suspicion of where it was, but wasn't positive. Luckily I drove straight there and Nan was waiting for us when we arrived.

Gram and Grandpa and Mom stayed in Skagway Bungalows - Raven Cabin. Mr. X and I headed to Dyea to camp for the night. When we had gotten everything settled and were just drifting off, I realized I had chapstick in my pocket. The Dyea campground is a clean camp area (i.e. bears), so I didn't want to have anything smelly in the tent. I jumped up to put the lip balm away and promptly set of the alarm on the car. Lovely. Midnight in the campground and I'm the goof who sets off the alarm.

Last day: M/V Malaspina to Juneau

Sunday we hopped up at 4 am, took down the tent and packed the car for the last time. We were out of Dyea by 4:23. At 4:40 we rolled in the Ferry Terminal ready to check in - only they weren't open yet so we sped over to the small boat harbor for showers. Wahoo!

We had a delightful cruise back to Juneau. The sun broke through the clouds and we actually could see a little of the water. We were treated to views of dall porpoises and humpback and Orca whales. The FS naturalist on board offered a series of lectures about ship wrecks in the Juneau area, two with happy endings, one with a dog as the sole surviver.

Mr. X was such a good sport about this trip. All he really wanted to do with his vacation was "sit on the blue couch." But he sucked it up and came with me. I was concerned that he wasn't enjoying himself. In deed, our first evening in Skagway, I saw his shoulders slump and his lip begin to curl, and I was reminded of his scowl in San Antonio (if you'd like to see the pic, email me) thankfully, "Remember[ing] the Alamo" perked him right up. On the Klondike highway he started getting ideas about taking Mom X on a drive of the Golden Circle some day...so he must have liked more than just the train ride!

Monday: Juneau to Skagway

On Monday morning we loaded up the car and hit the road...all four miles to the Ferry Terminal. Our boat was the Columbia which is the Alaska Marine Highway System's flag ship, sailing between Bellingham, WA and Skagway, AK every week.

The boat had lots space to roam around. A deck to pitch tents, a solarium to lay out on, a recliner lounge and 100 cabins. Amenities include a restaurant, snack bar and laundry room. The Columbia holds 500 passengers and over 100 vehicles.

We settled in the forward lounge where we met a family from Spokane and a 72 year old long haul truck driver from South Carolina. The truck driver was headed for a river raft tour and photography expedition. He was a talker and regaled us with tales. He explained that he preferred driving over the road rather than locally because he has three days free time to hit Yosemite, Arches, Canyonlands, etc. to take photos.

Eldred Rock Lighthouse

After passing four glaciers, three lighthouses, dozens of dall porpoises, a short stop in Haines, we arrived in Skagway. 120 miles - 7 hours. The weather was perfect, the sun was hot, the air was salty and the mountains surrounding the town were all out.

We found a campsite in the Pullen RV Park (which we DON'T recommend). And then wandered around town, watching the required Chilkoot trail video at the visitor's center, reading historial plaques and playing on the train cars. We walked out past the tourist area and enjoyed running into the missionaries.

At 10 pm we hit the sack under a light pole and next to Skagway's busiest street corner. I got up early and was amazed at the full moon hanging in the clear sky. At 5 am the train came grinding by.