Trip Update #3

Since I wrote last time, we got our RV problems resolved, except for a dead frig. which we have scheduled to be installed in Anchorage. Of course, it is a special order and has to be air freighted to AK. Our last few nights in WA were spent at Larrabee State Park which is right on the coast. We left Bellingham on 7/11 at 6 PM. Since we made our ferry reservations with little advanced notice, we were unable to book a stateroom. Their staterooms only accomodate about half the passengers. Therefore we set up our tent on the stern deck with other 'campers'. Unfortunately, our cheap Coleman A-frame tent was not designed for the high wind conditions on the boat. We survived the first night of wind & rain and were lucky a tent seam did not rip. We decided to 'break camp' and sleep on the floor inside the second night. Pat had the foresight to put us on the waiting list for the staterooms in case one came available. Sleeping on the floor was not too bad as long as you didn't mind being awakened by fellow passengers shortly before 6 AM. We were just getting ready to 'bed down' on the 3rd night when the purser paged us. A stateroom was available - we felt like we won the lottery!

On the way up the Inside Passage, the ferry stopped at Ketchikan, Wrangel, Petersburg, Sitka and Juneau. At most of these towns we got off the boat and either took a hike or walked through town. We landed in Haines on 7/15. Haines is a nice size Alaskan town. We kept busy several days here hiking, biking, touring. One day we took a high speed ferry over to Skagway. We took the White Pass & Yukon Railroad (WP & Y RR) to the summit of White Pass and back. The Klondike history and the story of the construction of this 110 mile rail line in 2 years, 2 months and 2 days is fascinating. The railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. There were three cruise shops in Skagway the day we arrived - and we heard that Ketchikan has as many as 7 in port at one time on some days! The cruise industry is likely responsible for the survival of the WP & Y RR since hundreds of passengers ride its rails everyday. Unfortunately, the historic town of Skayway is now mostly jewelry shops owned by the cruise lines. Fortunately, cruise ships rarely visit Haines. Our next stop is Valdez.
Don & Pat