This post covers our last days traveling in Alaska and is filled with nights and days on the ferry as we transition back to the lower 48.
Day 1: Transition to Whittier (day 119 of the overall trip)
We’ve been sleeping on the ferry from Kodiak back to Homer. Poof – we wake up and it is an hour before we dock the ferry back in Homer at 9am. The teens who we talked about in the last post are mostly all still asleep but are starting to stir.
We decide to eat breakfast on the boat before we get off since we have no idea how quickly we will get the truck off. Unlike the larger ship, the Kennicott, that we rode on our way up to Alaska, this ferry has table service where we meet our server, Eli. We discover she is from the Czech Republic but now lives full time in Alaksa and works the ferry year-round. After some delightful conversation, it’s time to gather up our things and check out of our cabin.
Passenger traffic is let off the boat first and we watch as all of the students depart and board an assortment of school buses for the trip back home.
Once docked, we get off fairly quickly and then we’re on our way to Whittier.
The Volcano Viewpoint
It is only a 4-hour drive, but we can’t check into our hotel until 4pm. Our drive is one we’ve done several times throughout our time on the Kenai Peninsula, so nothing new, except the sun is shining, so we can actually see some mountains we haven’t seen well before. We get to see the beautiful active volcanoes, Mt. Iliamna and Mt Redoubt located across the Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park. Both volcanos are part of the Aleutian Range and are taller than 10,000 feet. Mt. Iliamna is considered the 20th most hazardous volcano in the US based on its seismic activity and near constant discharges of steam and gases. Mt. Redoubt has erupted 4 times in the last century, most recently in 2009.
Walmart and a Car Wash
We stop in Kenai to get some supplies. Somewhere on the trip, Nancy lost her coffee travel mug and one of our USB-C phone charger cables has quit working. We also want snacks, beer and wine to have on the upcoming 5-night/4-day ferry ride back to Bellingham. We see a car wash and decide to give the truck a bath to get all the dirt off.
Kenai to Whittier
The weather is cooperating as we travel north to the turnoff for Whittier, and we get to enjoy peeks at some of the Harding Icefield glaciers one last time.
Whittier Tunnel
You may remember that getting to Whittier involves passing through that 2.5 mile “bimodal” tunnel, where you get one chance per hour to go through. The tunnel in this direction is open on the half-hour and will be open for 15 minutes. We arrive at 2:35pm which is about as close as you can cut it! Once through the tunnel, we have only 3 miles to the harbor town.
The Inn at Whittier
Parking can be a challenge in this tiny town – well, free parking that is. We find a spot on the street and Nancy goes in to see if we can get an early check-in for our room. We are staying at the historic and iconic Inn at Whittier and our room is available! Other than some rustic lodges, there’s nowhere else to stay in town. We have a gorgeous king room with an ocean/harbor view. There’s one window by the bed and one by the desk. We had a hearty breakfast, but we’re ready for a late lunch/early dinner.
We move the truck to the “secret” gravel lot where hotel guests can park for free. While the Inn has a bar & restaurant, there are 3 other places to eat in Whittier, so we decide to walk the 4-5 block length of the dock area to check them out. We’d been here 2 weeks ago when Brigid and Tom were here and we did a small 6-person charter to see wildlife and glaciers. That day, we bee-lined to the company office and to the boat and didn’t pay much attention to the shops or restaurants. The 3 restaurants aren’t anything to write home about and we decide our best option is to go back to the Inn.
We get two seats at the bar and our bartender, Ishmael, greets us. He’s an ambitious guy who is college roommates with the owner’s son. He came here this summer to work the full season, which will end on October 1. Most of the seasonal workers have already left to return to college for the fall semester. Ishmael is taking off the fall semester to earn money to pay for his final semester in the spring. He’s proud to proclaim he has no student loan debt. We learn The Inn will shut down on October 1 (as will most of the boat charters and tours). We enjoy a large cup of salmon and clam chowder and a generous charcuterie board. We’re too full to eat dinner, so we just enjoy a second bowl of that delicious chowder. It wasn’t as good as what we got at The Rendezvous in Kodiak, but it was pretty darn good.
Day 2: The Last Day in Mainland Alaska (day 120 of the overall trip)
Today is our last day in the mainland of Alaska. Tonight at 11:45pm, our final ferry will depart from Whittier for 5 days and nights of sailing back to Bellingham, Washington. We will have stops at Yakutat, Juneau and Ketchikan along the way, but stops just long enough to drop off passengers & their vehicles and to pick up others. We must check out of our hotel by 11am and be at the ferry dock for vehicle loading by 8:30pm, so we have another day with time to kill.
We start with breakfast at the Inn. It is Labor Day so folks that came for the long weekend are winding things down. The staff is definitely at a minimum with the same person serving as waiter as well as front desk clerk, so he’s burning the candle at both ends bouncing between the two duties. We hang out in the room until 10:50pm and then check-out. The poor front desk clerk is definitely stressed. He tells me their dryer caught on fire and he’s also the fire chief in town, so he’s not having a good day.
Walking Whittier
The weather is stunningly beautiful today and we go for a walk down to the ferry terminal to get our boarding passes and tickets for the return trip back to the mainland. We also browse the two small gift shops in town.
Walking to the Portage Glacier Trailhead
As we walk back, we first stop at Phillips Cruises to check-in for our afternoon glacier cruise at 1:00pm (so not too much time to kill this morning).
We then proceed to walk to the tunnel area. There’s a trail head near the tunnel for a 2-mile hike to see Portage Glacier. You may remember we did the 1-hour Portage Glacier tour with Brigid and Tom on their last day. We don’t have enough time to hike the trail, but we do get some cheap entertainment watching folks trying to park at the trailhead. There are only about 10 spaces and they are all full. The tunnel recently opened, and vehicles are coming into Whittier and heading down the one and a half lane road to the trailhead parking lot – only to find no parking and then turning around and trying to negotiate getting back out the 1.5 lane road.
We watch some folks fishing for salmon, but the tide needs to come in a little more before the fish will head into their home rivers for their final trip.
Glacier Quest Cruise
We get to the boat dock around 12:45pm for our 1:00pm cruise. We will get lunch on the cruise and have assigned seats on the upper enclosed deck. We’re taking the Glacier Quest Cruise because its route takes us to the only sections of Prince William Sound that we haven’t already been to. This is a smaller tour with just around 100 people. Their more popular cruise, the 26-Glacier Cruise, is on a much larger boat and holds 250 passengers. There are a lot of families with children on this tour and while we’ve seen tons of wildlife and glaciers, it is special to listen to others on the boat that are experiencing this for their first time. It is always joyful to see and hear the delight of a child experiencing something for the first time.
We spend the first hour listening to the on-board forest ranger giving wonderful narrative as we pass each different type of wildlife. Lunch is served around 2:00pm and it is salmon & clam chowder with a roll, cheddar cheese and coleslaw (they do have kids meals for the pickier youngsters). Shortly after lunch, we go to the first of two glaciers where we hang around for 45 minutes. We all hope to see a large calving, but only see small bits here and there. We head to the second glacier for about the same amount of time with the same hope. Again, just small bits until the boat starts its final ride away and a large section of ice in the center falls into the waters, as if saying good-bye.
Our Final Ferry
The tour boat ride ends at 4:45pm and now we only have 4 more hours to pass.
We head straight to the Inn restaurant and sit at the bar, getting to chat with bartender, Dave. The owner comes by, and we learn he has just finished purchasing 2 other restaurants up in Girdwood and he’s very excited. After 3 hours, we decide to head to the ferry dock to get in line early because we can spend time there as well as at the bar.
Holy, Moly – the lanes are all almost full and the lane entrance gate is closed. Nancy checks inside and we learn they are only letting the cars into the lanes that are going all the way to Bellingham. Those cars get loaded first since they will be off last. We pull up to the closed gate and someone comes along and lets us in. We take this last opportunity to make sure we know what we’ll be taking up to our cabin and what we’ll leave in the truck. We will have 2 times per day where we can access the truck for 15 minutes, but we’d prefer to have it all. Once your car is parked inside, space is very limited. Vehicles can be so close together that we may not be able to open the tailgate and doors don’t always open fully. We’ve packed one clothing suitcase with enough clothes for the 5-night/4-day journey. We’ll take our small 2-cup travel coffeemaker since they charge $4 for a cup of coffee on the ferry. We take our laptops, even though there’s no internet – we can still use them to organize photos and write the blog off-line. Nancy’s PC has a DVD player in it so we’ll take the pack of 20 or so movies we brought just for this part of the trip. And we have our snacks and drinks.
We stretch our legs and immediately run into Darcy who rode the ferry up with us back in June. We briefly chat about our adventures and show off our favorite wildlife photos. We agree we’ll do a longer share one day on the ferry ride. We meet a few other folks and watch as the sun sets over the water. It is dark out by the time they signal for us to drive the truck onto the ferry. We grab our belongings and head to the purser’s desk to get our cabin key. Our room is on the same level, and we walk down the hall and drop off all our belongings. We opted for the 4-bunk cabin (so no one has to climb onto an upper bunk) that includes a full bathroom with a small shower. Unlike the long trip up to Alaska, this time we have an outside cabin with a window – and we are high enough up on the boat that there’s no ability for any passengers to see in the window. The room is larger than we remember from the trip up as well.
We want to walk around the trip to refamiliarize ourselves with the general layout. Our first stop is at the bar lounge to grab an adult beverage. There are 6 other people in the bar and we all remark “these are our people”. We are slightly disappointed that our favorite ferry bartender, Red, is not on this trip. We just have one beverage and decide to finish walking the boat and then head to bed. It is 11:15pm and we fall asleep before the boat even pulls out of the dock at 11:45pm.
Day 3: First Day on The Ferry (day 121 of the overall trip)
The atmosphere on the southbound ride is much different than our northbound ride. When heading to Alaska, the boat had 225 passengers (to its 450-passenger capacity). People were excited about their upcoming time in Alaska, full of energy and eager to meet people. When heading out of Alaska, the boat only had 130 passengers. People were ending vacations, summer jobs and transitioning back home as snowbirds. In general, they seemed more tired and less interested in interacting with others. In all truth – that probably described us as well.
We awake and look out the window to see that it’s a clear beautiful day.
The ferry is travelling through the Gulf of Alaska. Earlier in the day, land is off in the distance and the seas are rougher than they will be later when we reach the inside passage. As the morning progresses, we get closer to shore are treated to hours tall snowcapped mountains and glaciers. In the distance we see several large cruise ships passing close to shore.
Yakutat
The highlight today is a port stop at Yakutat, a remote town whose name translates to “the place where canoes rest”. Our stop is only 1.5 hours so we don’t plan to leave the boat. The town exists primarily for fishing and remote tourism for those that want that type of fishing and boating experience.
It is always interesting to watch the boats dock and this one brings something new to us. We see a run-about scurrying to a tall pylon in the water to the right of the dock about 100 feet this side of the dock. It ties up to the pylon and a guy scampers up a metal ladder to the top. Once on top, someone from the ferry throws him a line and he reels it in and attaches it to the pylon. He goes back down the ladder to his run-about and does the same at the other pylon on the opposite side of the dock. The boat does not tie down to the dock, it is tied only by these two opposing pylons. The boat captain keeps the motors running at a low speed which keeps the boat in a mostly still position, enough to lower the car ramp.
A few passengers disembark, especially those with dogs that want and need to be walked on land. We wait to watch the cars disembark and soon realize, the side door to the ferry won’t open. We watch as various ferry personnel try all sorts of methods to get the door to open. We can’t leave until that door opens and the cars designated for Yakutat have left. About 1 hour and 15 minutes into our scheduled stop, they finally get the door to open. Some cars leave the ferry, and a few come on.
And so, ends a day on the ferry as we sail off into the sunset.
Day 4: Second Day on The Ferry (day 122 of the overall trip)
We have the morning to sail and will land in Juneau around noon today. Nancy is making jewelry at one of the tables in the front viewing area and Harrison is out enjoying the fresh air and scenery. The waters have calmed now that we’re in the inside passage. We spent 3 days in Juneau at the beginning of our journey and we know the town in 12 miles from the ferry dock. We only have 2.5 hours in port, so we opt not to leave the ferry. There’s not much else to say about this day on the ferry other than the scenery is again great and given the pace we have been on its nice to just set back and watch the world go by.
Day 5: Third Day on The Ferry & Ketchikan (day 123 of the overall trip)
Again, we have the morning to sail but today we’ll land in Ketchikan. And like yesterday, Nancy is making jewelry at the same table and Harrison is enjoying the fresh air, scenery and wildlife. Nancy meets a couple from a town in Virginia that is only an hour from where she and Harrison live. The woman ends up buying two necklaces, one for herself and one for a gift. The couple had flown into Juneau and spent 4 days there. They are taking the ferry to Ketchikan where they will also spend 4 days before flying home.
Ketchikan
The ferry arrives an hour early which gives us a full 3.5 hours to explore Ketchikan. We did not explore this place on the way up because it was pouring rain and the boat arrived late that day only giving us 2 hours. The town is 1.5 miles away so even though there’s an inexpensive shuttle from the dock, we decide to walk to town to get some exercise. The first 1/2 mile includes walking by a grocery store, auto and boat repair shops and a hotel. The next 1/2 mile is not very exciting. As we walk the final 1/2 mile, we start to see the inklings of tourist spots – and the “dreaded” 5 large cruise ships docked there.
Ketchikan proper is about 6 square miles with a resident population of around 8000. It is nicknamed the first city, not because it was the first settled city, but because it is the furthest city south and therefore the first city tourists stop at (well, those on ferries and cruise ships). At one time it had a high concentration of dive bars (around 56) and brothels (around 30). Many of the dive bars are still in existence today. It claims to be the Salmon Fishing Capital of the World although we’re pretty sure other places in Alaska also make that claim. Ketchikan’s climate is very similar to Seattle – it lies in the Tongass Rainforest which means it rains on and off a lot. It is the fourth wettest place in the world with over 160″ of rain each year and it rains 300 days a year. We are very lucky that there’s no rain at all today in the forecast!
Ketchikan was a fun place to walk around. It is loaded with restaurants and souvenir shops, but each has a different character to it. We wander toward the historic town section and just admire it from a distance since it doesn’t seem to have much to it. There are several “historic” bars in Ketchikan – the Artic, the Sourdough, the Totem and the Asylum. None offer food, so that is our first priority. We settle in at Fat Stan’s Sports Bar & Pizzeria where we enjoy a pizza and some beer – as well as listening to the cruise ship folks talk about their trip so far.
It took us 30 minutes to walk to town, another 30 to walk around town and an hour for lunch. We know we have 45 minutes to walk back – which only leaves us 30-45 minutes left to explore. The time passes quickly. We poke our heads into all those 4 previously listed dive bars, but they are all packed. We do stop at the Bar Harbor Alehouse to grab one local brew and then head back to the ferry.
Our Evening on the Ferry
We still have a few hours of daylight to enjoy the coast as we depart Ketchikan. One thing we’ll bring up now is the subject of ferry travel with dogs. Dogs (and other pets) are restricted to the car deck area, typically kept in crates on the deck or left in RVs. For the first time travelling on the Alaska Marine Highway System, we see several dogs on leashes on the “people” decks. Service dogs are allowed on the “people” decks, but people have abused the system. We hear people talking about how they got their physician to write them a note that they have anxiety about travelling on boats, so their dog gets declared an “emotional support” animal. We count at least 6 including one woman with 2. The dog in the picture below is suffering from sea sickness and it seems the owner is providing more support to her dog than vice versa.
As sunset nears, we head to the rear of the boat where only 2 others are sitting. At the back, there’s almost no wind and we bask in the last heat of the sun as it lowers in the sky. It is rather hypnotic to sit here and watch the waters from the ferries engines as it makes its way through the water. Harrison closes his eyes to immerse himself in the sounds and feelings of the ride. Nancy is contemplating wildlife watching, particularly thinking about whales and wondering just how many people get to see a whale fully breach. Whale watching most typically involves seeing the air leave the blowhole, the top fin cresting the water’s surface and the tail flipping into the water after a dive. The universe must have been listening. About 150′ off in the near distance, a whale does a full body breach out of the water- one of those type that you see at Sea World. She doesn’t have a camera, and she pokes Harrison to see it, but he misses it. One of the other passengers at the back comes over and says “Did you see the tail?”. He heard the splash and only saw the very “tail end” (ha, ha) of the whale’s jump. WOW, just wow.
And we watch as the sun lowers into the horizon and soon head to our cabin.
Day 6: Fourth Day on The Ferry (day 124 of the overall trip)
We have a full day of sailing today without any stops at ports. The weather continues to be stunning and we’re so grateful to be sailing in such a picturesque area. Our time is spent primarily in Canadian waters today with the Canadian Coast to our left and Canadian Islands to our right. This channel is too narrow for the larger cruise ships and in fact, we rarely see another ship.
Once again, Nancy spends the morning making jewelry in the forward viewing lounge. She meets Beth, a boat captain, who takes interest in her jewelry. They chat about crystals and stones and she buys one as a gift for her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. She and her husband, Mark, run an all-inclusive wilderness fishing lodge on a remote island near Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. They can accommodate a maximum of 8 guests at time and tailor the experience to their client’s wishes. They offer both fresh and saltwater fishing, kayaking, hiking, whale watching and have a professional chef on staff. They have closed up shop for the summer and are heading back to home in northern Idaho. She mentions a friend that gave her a stone some time ago and she doesn’t know anything about it or what to do with it. She happens to have it with her, so she goes to her cabin and brings it back to Nancy. It is a gorgeous Malachite stone and Nancy lets her know that stone is a heart stone that protects against negative energy and helps open your heart to love and positive vibes. Beth asks if Nancy can do a custom wrap to turn it into a necklace and Nancy works her magic to produce one that just delights Beth.
Here and there we come across whales and porpoises in the channel. There’s one whale that does this unusual stunt of repeatedly slapping its tail on the water’s surface. We see another about 200 yards off in the distance that does a partial breach, perhaps bringing 1/3 of the front of its body out of the water. Nancy quits making jewelry at lunch time and joins Harrison outside to enjoy the scenery of islands, water and wildlife. Time seems to fly by and soon we’re watching the sun moving down toward the horizon.
We will be docking at 7am, so we head back to our cabin to pack up our stuff. We then head to the lounge bar and enjoy a few last beverages. We meet 3 people travelling together where 2 of them used to work for the Alaska Marine Highway System. After an engaging series of conversations, we head to our cabin to get some sleep and catch the moon rising over the mountains. It’s sort of apropos as we leave Alaska that a magnificent moon rise greats us and it’s been months since we have seen the moon.
Day 7: The Ferry Arrives in The Lower 48 (day 125 of the overall trip) – to be continued in our next post
Docking in Bellingham, WA
The ferry arrives in Bellingham at 8:00am and so we are up early and packed for departure.
Summary
This leg of our journey was bittersweet as is marked the end of our 3 months in Alaska. We honestly feel we did the state justice with our travels – but we’re ready to begin the 2-month journey back home. Whittier really didn’t offer much, and we probably wouldn’t return, except as a ferry on/off spot for our next trip to Alaska someday.
Up Next
We’re going to follow a Volcano Legacy Trail through the states of Washington, Oregon and into Northern California.
Prior Legs of the Journey
Part 1 – The Trip to Key West is located here.
Part 2 – Cross Country to Bellingham Washington is located here.
Part 3 – The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Juneau is located here.
Part 4- The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Haines & Skagway is located here.
Part 5 – Haines to Fairbanks Alaska is located here.
Part 6 – Three weeks in Fairbanks is located here
Part 7 – Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean is located here.
Part 8 – Denali National Park is located here.
Part 9 – Denali & Richardson Highways (Central Alasks) is located here.
Part 10 – Wasilla Alaska Area is located here
Part 11 – Homer Alaska Area is located here
Part 12 – Seward Alaska Area is located here
Part 13 – Girdwood Alaska Area is located here
Part 14 – Kodiak Alaska Area is located here
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