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.

Fun in Fairhaven

This morning we are off to get our ferry tickets and then we’ll explore the historic Fairhaven district of Bellingham. We were amazed - there was no line at the ferry ticket window and we picked up the tickets and felt like we were on our way.

With tickets safely in hand we walked up the road to Fairhaven. The district sits on a hill above Harris Bay. It all began in 1853 when Daniel Jefferson Harris, 27 years old, set up camp on the beach where Fairhaven is today. He was a visionary and knew the place had potential. Beautiful brick buildings dating back to the late 19th and 20th century were built around the land boom of the 1800s. It was a raucous town and was as colorful as any in the gaslight West. Before heading to the Alaskan gold fields Mark Twain spent time in a Fairhaven billiard parlor. They thought the railroad was coming to town… it didn’t - it went to Seattle instead. In 1893 all construction in Fairhaven stopped. Today it bustles with life as people browse the shops, galleries, and cafes.

We roamed through little shops and found ourselves in a gallery where people were working on ceramic pieces. Walking through the store a staircase took us down into a small English Tea Room. We had lunch here and it was a really neat place. English lace curtains hung in the windows and an eclectic group of antique tables and chairs made you feel at home. We chose a table near the window looking out onto a little garden alley way. We ordered tea (which came in our own tea pots with cozies) and had a mixture of different tea sandwiches. It was really nice. After lunch we sat in the park for a while and I roamed through a nice old bookstore.

Later we went back to camp and started to get things ready for tomorrow. About 6pm we drove into Bellingham to D’Annas Italian Café for dinner. It was a cute little neighborhood place and very friendly.

Today was a really great way to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. Thanks to everyone who called and sent wishes. We couldn’t have had a better day!

Pictures: Alaska Marine Ferry Terminal, Tea Room, Ken lounged in the Fairhaven Park in front of mural

Mt Baker Wilderness

The morning started out cloudy but we are learning that by mid morning the clouds break up and the sun appears. A scenic drive was on tap today so down I5S to Lake Whatcom Blvd (Exit 253) which took us through forest and past lots of tree farms. The road led through little towns like Van Zandt and we followed the lake road along the edge of Lake Whatcom. It’s a typical lake community with nice homes lining the banks. Sudden Valley Golf Course came up on our right, but it’s too wet to play after all the rain we’ve had. The south end of the lake had a number of old camps and as we passed we could smell the smoke from the woodstoves.

We turned onto Rte 9 N toward the old logging town of Deming and home of the Nooksack Indian Tribe. The road passes several dairy farms and is very busy with cattle and logging trucks. The Stewart Mountains are on our left and there are patches of blue sky while the Twin Sister Range on our left is completely hidden in clouds. We had only planned to do a small part of this scenic drive, but it was so beautiful driving along the Nooksack River we decided to keep going.

At the junction of Rte 9 and the Mount Baker Highway (Rte 542) we turned right. The road wound in and out of sleepy settlements like Maple Fall with the sign “last gas” before entering the Mt. Baker Wilderness. The sunbeams were streaming through the thick trees as we rolled along. Soon we saw a sign for Nooksack Falls. Turning right down a gravel side road we could hear the cascading water before we saw it. We had the place to ourselves as we watched the river rush out of the forest, over smooth gigantic boulders and fall to the river below. This was one of the prettiest falls we’ve seen on our trip. At the bottom this cascade was joined by a second one and all of the water went crashing through the rocks into the river. The sound was thunderous.

Back on the road it became narrow and climbed switching back and forth. We watched the temperature go from 44 to 38 in minutes. We reached 3,000 feet and there was snow on the ground. It got deeper as we climbed further passing Goat Mountain (6,891 ft) and Mt Sefrit (7,191 ft). The views were spectacular. Continuing up we reached the Panorama Dome and Mt Baker Ski Area at 5,000 ft. Now it has started to snow and sleet so we decided it was time to head back down. It was like we had entered another world up here. On the way down we could see areas where snow had slid down the mountain due to melting.

On the way back we stopped at the Harvest Moon Bakery. It was just a little A frame, but the sign said New England Clam Chowder - hmm- lets see if it really is. We met a young girl in the parking lot from Vermont and talked as we walked to the bakery. She was going to school out here. Inside we ordered the chowder and went to sit in the sun outside on the deck. The owner asked where we were from and when we told him, he said he wanted our honest opinion…..ok. Well the chowder was great and he was happy.

Back at camp we relaxed and decided to go to Anthony’s on Bellingham Bay. Very nice restaurant, but I wouldn’t call it a relaxing place. The atmosphere was nice but the whole place seemed chaotic. However, the food was very good - great Halibut. After dinner we walked along the harbor and watched the sun set. It was another perfect day

Pictures: Nooksack River going to falls, Nooksack Falls, 2nd Falls, Road to Mt Baker Ski Area, Mt Baker 4000 ft, Road to the top, Mt Baker Slide Area, View of Goat Mountain, Harvest Moon Bakery, Sunset over Bellingham Bay

Beautiful Bellingham

Time to move north and catch up with Spring again! With a mix of sun and showers we turned onto Rte 12 E and then Rte 8 E which brought us to Interstate 5 North. It’s good to be on the road again! The Jeep seems easier to hookup and Ken doesn’t have to get down on his hands and knees anymore - that’s a good thing.

Riding towards Tacoma through the Nisqually Valley, Mt Rainier was to our right but we could only see a small piece sticking out of the clouds. Unfortunately Interstates are for fast travel and very busy with lots of trucks and traffic, but we’re moving along easily.

Soon we can see the Seattle skyline and the Space Needle in the distance. It looks like a really pretty city with a very picturesque harbor. The cruise ships will start coming here this week. We had planned to make Seattle a side trip, but hopefully we’ll get back someday.

Further north we can see part of the Cascade Mountains which are partially covered in clouds, but beautiful anyway. As we left the cities behind and entered the Skagit Valley we saw a hawk sitting on a fence post at the side of the highway just waiting for lunch to show up. The valley has a number of vineyards, fantastic mountain views, and is known for its tulip farms. One ranch sign read - “Tulip, Antiques, and Alpacas!” - they had it all. Continuing north we passed the first apple orchard we had seen. We thought we would see a lot more of these along the way as Washington is known for their apples. The highway skirts the Cascade foothills and runs between Lake Samish and Lake Whatcom and the wind has picked up quite a bit. As we enter Bellingham the road is lined with blooming trees and rock walls and is very pretty. As the southwest identifies with Santa Fe, Bellingham is the essence of what the Pacific Northwest is all about. It’s a great place to spend time filled with cafes, bookstores and beautiful parks. We found our campground and got settled in. The campground is nice and the folks in the office suggested some nice restaurants which we will try later.

Off to the find the Alaska Marine Ferry Terminal to pick up our tickets - oops cut backs have hit here too. They were open yesterday and won’t be open again until Thursday. Guess we just have to wait. Across from the terminal was a little park so we went to investigate. It had pretty gardens and benches right on Harris Bay where we could see the pleasure boats docked in the harbor.

We picked up some veggies for dinner and went home. I can’t believe we get on the ferry in 2 days!

Pictures: Marine Park