Up with the birds and on the road to the ferry at 5am. Well... the ferry is broken and we are stuckin Juneau and not sure when they will get us out. The incoming boats are all full as this is Memorial Day weekend coming up. The next scheduled boat is Thursday and it's full!Back to camp and back to bed! The ferry administrator told us we could get an update at noon. Once we got up we went to the office to let Corinna know what had happened.
While in the office we met Joe and Shirley Dexter from Sacramento. They were on the same ferry. We talked for a while and decided to take the bus into Juneau for lunch. Back at the Red dog Saloon we opened the place and finished eating by the time the cruisers arrived at 12:30. We roamed across the park to the Flight Deck and with a pitcher of Alaskan Amber we watched the Celebrity cruise ship dock. It was amazing how they turn those things while Sea Planes land and take off around them. About 1pm we got the good news - our ship will be here tonight at 8:15pm. We should get to Haines about 2am. It could have been worse - this was our last ferry so if a glitch was going to happen this was the best place. We all caught the bus back to camp and relaxed until it's time to break things down.
Off to the ferry terminal at 7pm and checked in. We got our lane assignments and waited and waited and waited...at 9pm they began loading vehicles. I'm not sure what happened to the 9:15 sail time but we finally left Auke Bay at 11pm!
As we sailed into the Lynn Canal we watched the end of the sunset behind the mountains and the moon come out. It was beautiful reflecting off the calm waters of the canal with snow capped mountains silhouetted against the midnight sun sky. It never really got dark and the evening star was the only one visible.
It seemed like a long trip. We didn't get a cabin and ended up trying to sleep on the bench seats in the lounge (the bar was closed). At 3:30am we pulled into Haines. The sun was starting to come up and as we drove off the ferry for the last time it was beautiful.
We found our way into Haines and the Oceanside RV Park. Joyce had left our site number on the office door and we backed into #17 as quietly as possible - it's 4am! We turned on the electric and then crawled into bed. We'll put the slides out and get set up in the morning....
We loved the trip up the Inside Passage. Every place is different and unique. I would highly recommend traveling by ferry.
Hints:
- RVers with long overhangs - you will scrape so remove tow hitches and if you have air bags put them up
- Be patient
- Bring lunches or snacks - food is pricy on board
- Long trips get a cabin (5 hours or more
- If towing a vehicle drive on separately its cheaper
- Lastly - enjoy the trip and meet your fellow passengers - "it's an adventure"
Pictures: (right to left) Moon over Lynn Canal, Sailing at sunset - 11pm, Sunset sail
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