August 6, 2006 – Day 27 – 0 (Bike) Miles Juneau, AK - Prince Rupert, BC

Aboard the MVC Kennecott






I ran out of things to do (in the cold and rain) and got to the ferry terminal about an hour early. This means 7:00 p.m. for a 10:00 p.m. departure; they schedule like airlines: Please show up 2 hours early so you can be bored to death waiting in our terminal. Unlike the airlines, the Alaskan Ferry System is state run. You can tell, there are no coffee machines or frills in the terminal. Given they have 4:15 a.m. staging times I would think someone in authority would recognize the value of selling coffee to those waiting. Ah, such is the difference between a public service and a capitalist pig. Give me the pig every time. Coffee would be nice, even at 7:00 p.m., since it’s so cold and wet here.

Ran into another example of the great hospitality in this region. Seeing the “wet puppy” move his motorcycle to the staging area, one of the loading hands came over and asked if I wanted to go ahead and load. “You bet,” I told him. So he went off and cleared it with the loading chief and purser and I was allowed to come on early. This was a real blessing. Once again, a couple of tie-downs and I was in the lounge checking out the qualities of Alaskan Pale Ale. They are myriad and good.

I was too late making my reservation to have a cabin berth, but probably wouldn’t have paid the difference anyway. You are allowed to pitch a tent on deck, but that seemed such a waste of time. Besides, the probability of it being colder out there than inside the vessel is something on the order of 99.9%, so I opted for laying out my sleeping bag on one of the lounge chairs in the Solarium. Very comfortable, and, once a bunch of young folks heading home from a Christian camp finished noisily removing all the other lounge chairs from my area, save four which were occupied, I fell almost immediately to sleep. I will allow that the number of Alaskan Pale Ale samples taken just before assisted in the process. But, to have good statistical results one must insure an adequate sample size. It’s all in the interest of science, you know?





Laboratory for the statistical sampling of Alaskan Pale Ale







Woke up first around 5:00 a.m. beating the rooster and the chief cook. Decided that was not the way to go so I managed to stay in the sleeping bag until all of 6:00 a.m. These ships are obviously large and somewhat slow (15-18 knots), but they are steady. We have been wending our way south between rocky and tree-laden islands all day. Everyone has heard about the constant food on cruise ships. The reason it appears constant is, frankly, there isn’t that much to do. I’ve already finished one book and am well into a second. We have had some whale sightings and, a few minutes ago, a bald eagle soared out in front of the ship. I ran outside to snap a picture, but he was gone by the time I got there. What to say about the country? It’s stark, lonely, stately, and beautiful. And, GET THIS, we have SUN today!!!! Amazing stuff that. Ol’ Sol stuck his head out of the clouds for a couple of hours. That’s when the eagle flew past...perhaps in salute? In any event, he wasn’t out too long. Didn’t want to run the risk of me overdosing. I was thinking swim trunks and Coppertone.

In some ways my misfortune continues. We could have had a full compliment of passengers, all eager to learn the mysteries of Texas Hold ‘Em. But no, we have very few passengers, and the largest contingent is young people returning from some kind of Christian retreat. They sit around and play Pinochle and I hesitate to corrupt the young coming off such a mission. So…my luck continues; if it were raining women outside I’d catch a lesbian.

Docked in Ketchikan at about 5:15 p.m. (8/6). The sun is out and shining brightly. I am amazed at the way they move these large ships around in these narrow channels and inlets. Skill is an awesome thing. The map shows lots of island in the archipelago, but, as is to be expected, doesn’t show all. There are hundreds, even thousands, of smaller islands and navigational hazards. It is really impressive how they maneuver these big guys around. Even more impressive, when one gives it thought, is how the first ones through mapped the sounds, channels, and pathways in this maze. I expect to pass a small island and see a big block of cheese at any moment.





Coming in to Ketchikan harbor








On the good advice of a native, I went across the street from the ferry terminal to the Best Western motel, restaurant, and bar and had dinner. The “Captain’s Plate” consisted of salmon, halibut, prawns (that’s shrimp for the Texans among us), and scallops. It was great. Also great were the beers. I stayed and drank until the waitress with the massive butt started to look appealing then found my way back across the street to the ship. Don’t tell me I don’t know my limit. I just usually pass out before I reach it.







Ketchikan