Adventures are wondrous things, the anticipation of new and amazing places, the excitement of doing things you never thought you would do and all the new friends just waiting to meet you for the very first time. With those thoughts in mind we drove up to Bellingham, Washington to board our Alaska Marine Highway Ferry and begin our five week stay in Alaska.
As is usual with us we arrived way early and had to sit around or explore the nearby attractions – we chose to explore! Just a few blocks away we heard there was a bit of a festival going on in old downtown Bellingham so we had to go visit. It is called the Steam Punk Festival and is a combination of very artsy, western, Celtic, Harry Potter, and a dash of Alice in Wonderland - Johnny Dep dress up party, with music and artsy thing sales. It was a bit on the bizarre side – but cool!
We wandered around town and did the harbor and park walk, running into a few sea otters along the way. Just waiting for the time when we could board the ferry and claim our berth for the trip north which would take about 5 days. As we were wandering and waiting we ran across the above markers imbedded along the sidewalks – a small but interesting history lesson for the casual walkers of Bellingham.
When the allotted hour arrived we gladly boarded and immediately started to explore our new surroundings. By the looks of our fellow passengers it was going to be an interesting time. There were older folks dressed to the hilt, young backpacking families with screaming kids, bearded mountain sized men with dirty clothes and packing all their equipment as well as many other eclectic varieties of people from a number of cultures. It was indeed going to be an interesting trip. It seems that these ferries have a provision for people to actually pitch tents on the upper sun decks or sleep in the lounge chairs. The folks who do that are truly some hardy souls! Cheap – but hardy!
We are no longer that hardy, so we booked a full-sized, outside berth with all the amenities and a nice big window so we could watch the world go by.
Below is a collage of sights we had as we were preparing to leave and as we left the port at Bellingham.
The first morning after I woke up and opened our curtains this cruise ship was the first thing I saw. It just happened to be the cruise ship that we had originally planned on being on when our family was planning the original Alaska vacation. All of our family members dropped out or opted not to go for some reason or other but Linda and I still decided to take the trip. Though we did opt for a milder transportation mode. (Or actually a more exciting mode.) I did find it ironic that this ship would be the first to pass us.
On the eve of our departure at sea the sky decided to provide a most spectacular sunset just north of Vancouver, British Columbia.
The first full day of our voyage turned out to be quite cloudy and foggy but I was able to get a couple of shots as we made our way through the inside passage. It was a rather eerie setting for most of the morning with the overcast sky and the fog hanging in the trees.
There were many homes and such along the shores. This was the first Totem pole we ran into. Our Canadian friends would be proud – the Canadians showed it to us first! The Totems that is.
Along the way we passed this cute little place – it even has its own working lighthouse! (I wouldn’t want any of the big cruise ships running aground in my house either.)
It turns out there are hundreds of these things along the coast in both countries – little guiding lights for the cruise ships and the ferries.
Also we encountered many boats of all sizes and for all purposes, some were quite bizarre but I didn’t include them (this time).
Our first stop on our ferry trip was Ketchikan, Alaska. We only had about 5 hours to wander around this town so we hit the decks running so to speak. We walked through this busy port town with all of their shops and a number of tourists. Most of the shops were run by individuals from India – especially the jewelry shops – and other shops by Asians. They all had hawkers out front trying to lure you in – it kind of reminded us of Mexico or Turkey - but on a bit higher level. Sad! Once we had enough of that we headed to the old historic districts which were much less crowded and a lot more interesting.
As with most towns along the inside passage, Ketchikan is built with one side on/in the water and the other side on a mountainside – from the waters edge everything is uphill.
Ketchikan is known for its Totem Poles – lots of Totem Poles! Unlike what quite a number of people believe, Totem Poles are carved to honor deceased ancestors, record history, social events, and oral tradition. They were never worshipped as religious objects. Some of the old stories associated with a particular Totem are quite fun and go something like this…
….one of the Totems tells of Raven who desired the sun, moon and stars that were owned by a very powerful chief. Raven changed his form one day and appeared to the chief as his grandson and cried and cried until his grandfather (the powerful chief) gave him boxes containing the heavenly bodies. Then Raven, thanks to his trickery, opened the boxes releasing the stars, moon and sun and gave them to the earth for all the people to enjoy.
Quite a story from a Totem Pole! I haven’t learned how to read them myself yet so I have to trust what somebody tells me.
In another section of town there was a little area called Creek Street – which was the reason that in the 1920s Ketchikan was known as the “worst pest hole in America”. It was a place to party, dance - and for the men to find the woman of their dreams – all for a small nominal fee.
There was the Star House and Dolly’s House along with many others – up to 33 at one point in time. The Star House is one of the oldest buildings in the area and was the only “registered” brothel in the territory of Alaska. The dance floor had a huge inlaid star and thus the name stuck. It was the Creek’s liveliest hotspot offering “sporting women”, alcohol during prohibition, and dancing while “Blind Ernie” played the piano.
In one of the “houses” there was a Black Madam named Anne Watkins. Anne bought one of the houses in the 1920s and quickly earned a reputation as being her own boss and extremely strong willed. When prostitution was deemed illegal in Ketchikan in 1954 Anne stayed in her “home” and continued to work when she could get away with it. It was her business and her home and she made no apologies.
These are the fun stories that the history books just kind of gloss over.
Even I could not make this stuff up!
Here is a pic of one of the many Aqua Aero Domes in the area. We have never seen so many float planes in one place before. In the morning, after the cruise ships arrive, these things are taking off one right after another.
So it was back on the ferry after a short stay and off to Juneau.
As we arrived in Juneau to a cold light rain, I decided to stay on board. Linda went into town with some of her “new” friends she met on the ferry, Margaret, and a couple from England, Andrew and Jennifer. Off they went to see what Juneau was all about. While making their way to the nearest bus stop (in the rain) a young man from the local Coast Guard (who had picked up a friend from the ferry) stopped and gave them a ride into town – thank you, knight in blue uniform! Juneau has a population of approx. 32,0000 people – but swells when cruise ships carrying thousands of tourists arrive. A taxi driver in Juneau shared his view of the tourist traffic - “The cruise ship people fall into three categories: newly wed, over fed, or nearly dead”. Margaret called to schedule a taxi ride back to the ferry – at least it seemed the best and fastest way to return when it was time.
Linda snapped pics of local murals and visited St. Nicholas Orthodox Church. This church was completed in 1893 and consecrated in 1894, it is an octagon shaped building with a beautiful, small chapel and still holds services on Sunday. It is now the oldest original Russian Orthodox church in southeast Alaska. Margaret and Linda had hopes of seeing the state capital building – they did, but it was under tarps as it is being refurbished to withstand earthquakes. It is to be done this coming November after starting the remake four years ago! So they wandered back to the town square to grab a bite to eat and meet up with Andrew and Jennifer – then the fast taxi ride back.
Juneau, being the capital of Alaska, is compact and practical – not stylish and flashy like most capital cities in the lower 48 states. In Ketchikan and Juneau, the buildings are functional – whether it is the hospital or the capital – like I said – practical.
It was a quick little taste of Juneau, and all too soon we were off to the next stop – Yakutat!
As we sailed along we occasionally saw the whales as they frolicked in the waves along the various points of the shoreline.
Through most of our trip through the inside passage it was cloudy, windy and rainy. Most of the passage was smooth but when we hit the open water during portions of the trip it was rather rough and the ship rolled and bucked (being much smaller than the cruise ships) as we tackled the six to nine foot swells. It was rather funny watching each other trying to walk anywhere on the ship as we weaved like a couple of drunken sailors down the hallways. The stairs were even better! And last but not least, you do not pee standing up when its rough like this – trust me on that one!
The above collage is of the various ghostly sights along the passage – not the optimum picture taking weather – but awesome in its own way.
Our last stop before Anchorage was the little hunting/fishing village of Yakutat. A very brief stop early in the morning while it was raining, foggy and cold. Other than taking a walk there was nothing open or sights to see. So we stayed on the ship and had a nice breakfast (and stayed warm!)
So as we approach Whittier/Anchorage to pick up our rental car, find our motel and do laundry we leave you with our best wishes and ask that you stay tuned for the further adventures of:
Lee & Linda in Alaska.
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