Alaska Marine Hwy a.k.a. the ferry

Skagway was very much a Cruise Port. It was a small town that we walked end to end many times, but it had at least 15 jewellry stores! Our campground was, as usual, devoted to big RVs, but they found us a small corner. It did boast showers and a laundry, so we were glad we booked for two nights.

The day we left was gloomy and cool. We were due to be in line for the ferry at 6am, but had already done most of our packing the night before so we only had to stow the tent and bedding - a 20 minute job at best.

I wanted to take pictures of Skagway from the deck of the ferry on our way out, because the tall mountains so close around the town are amazing, but the clouds were low and we could not see the tops. So B and I found a spot in the observation lounge, right at the front of the boat, with our binoculars and raincoats. We were not disappointed. In the six hour trip we saw several humpback whales, porpoises, a pod of orcas, a golden eagle and a bald eagle. We were on the edge of our seats the entire trip!

It was still cloudy and gloomy when we got to Juneau. We headed straight for the campgrounds at the lake that is formed at the bottom of the Mendenhall Glacier. After setting up camp, we went to a salmon bake at this old wooden building that looked on the outside like it was going to fall down. We were given paper plates and plastic cutlery. But the food was great! Fresh salmon grilled over flames, beer-battered halibut, tasty brown beans, and a salad bar.

Early the next morning we put our canoe in the water by our campsite and paddled to the glacier. We were dodging icebergs that calved off the glacier. We even picked up some small pieces of ice for our cooler! There were Arctic Terns nesting on the cliffs off to the side.

The next day was clear and sunny, so we took a drive north of Juneau where we picniced at a bay at lowtide. It was almost impossible to walk to the waters edge without stepping on the thousands of small purple mussels that littered the rocky beach within the high tide mark. We drove on until we got to the Shrine of Ste. Therese. This is actually a small chapel on a small island close enough to the mainland that they could create a little rock causeway to walk out on. The grounds were beautiful and the scenery incredible because it was on a point going out into the ocean. B did some fishing there, and we watched 2 whales go by just in front of him. We also saw sealions playing in the water, a family of merganzers nearby, and an bald eagle's nest on a big tree on the property. And he caught supper, to boot!

Today we are getting ready for the ferry ride back up the coast to Haines, where we can continue our travels inland. I wouldn't have missed this part for the world. It truly was the experience of a lifetime.

W