North to Alaska!

Wow today is the day, we are excited and nervous. Off to the coffee shop at Fred Meyers (like Wal-Mart) for a quick breakfast then back to camp. We went through our Ferry checklist and packed what we wanted to take on board. This is the longest ferry route. It will take us 37 hours to get to Ketchikan.

We left camp about noon and went to the ferry loading area. There she was parked at the dock - The Matanuska - just waiting for us. Naturally we were the 1st in line. With 3 hours (we thought) to kill we walked up the road to Fairhaven and sat on a bench to watch people. We met a couple from Petersburg, AK and talked with them for quite a while. They gave us lots of good tips of things to see and do. Then we got salads at a café and walked back to the coach/car to wait. About 2:30 I got into the Jeep to be ready for our 3pm loading. We are driving the vehicles onto the ferry separately as it cost less. Well boarding ended up being closer to 4. As I sat in the Jeep I watched the “sniffer dog” check cars. Finally it was time to go.

We parked the cars with help from the crew and found our way to the Pursers Office. We are in Cabin 9B. Down the hall and opened the door to our --- “closet”. Remember this is a ferry not a cruise ship. The room is as long as the bunk beds (I have the top) and has 1 chair, window and bathroom (with pretty fair size shower - if you leave the door open…) We got settled in and went to check out the ship.

We are on Alaska time now, so we gained an hour. We are 4 hours behind home. We walked the deck and sat outside on life jacket containers. Slowly we moved into Bellingham Bay and then into the Strait of Georgia and past Vancouver Island. The weather is constantly changing from sun, showers, and mist Several barges being towed by little tugs pass us carrying piles of cargo containers. We are on our way to Alaska! We can hardly believe it’s really happening.

Being restless we walked to the ‘stern’ to check out the Solarium. This is where the younger folks hang out in tents rather than getting cabins. They were locking down the tents with duck tape! (It’s pretty windy) Many are sleeping in sleeping bags on the white plastic lounge chairs. (It’s good to be young…)

We had dinner. The food isn’t bad but a little pricy. Some folks brought their own Lean Cuisine dinners and sandwiches. After dinner we went up to the Bridge Deck to watch the movie - Avatar -

Later we went back outside for a while and enjoyed the views from the back of the ship. The light is fading to a dusky gray and the waters are calm as we sail up the strait with the Canadian shore line silhouetted against the sky. It’s amazing!

Time to call it a night.

Pictures: The Matanuska, Leaving Bellingham, Sailing Georges Strait, Islands in Georges Strait (2), Barge being pushed by tug, Tug boat.