e - Wrangell Narrows and northwards

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We are headed up to Wrangell, Alaska, where the stop is just an hour or so… no plans to get off the ferry.  These short stops are good to relax, take a breather, go to the bathroom or have lunch, if the timing is right.  When the ferry moves, there is stuff to see and I cannot sit in one place at all.  Anyway, we headed up to Wrangell, all stood peering over the deck railing as we were tied up and others left the ferry for places further inland.  It was sort of sad to start saying goodbye to many people I have spent days talking to. 

 

About 45 minutes into our layover in Wrangell, I got the idea that I wanted to set foot on Wrangle soil - to be able to say that I had actually been there!l.  (Nothing was close enough to walk to, and to take a taxi into town for the short stop is way too risky, in my opinion).  So I gave my camera to one of the women I had been talking to, ran like a bat out of hell down into the dungeons of the ferry, dodged and hopped over chains and ropes, past tied down cars, trucks and trailers in the car hold – spurring many pets to start barking – and finally out the huge gaping hole in the side that led up the ramp to Wrangle soil!  Ha – Up the ramp I ran, cutting the minutes very short, I got to the top, did a happy little hands-in-the-air jig, circled around a car and started to head back down again.  Oh no!!  I was stopped by security there – firmly told to stop and wait..  There were a couple of others waiting to walk on to the ferry as well – mostly people I knew by now.  One of them said ominously "do you have your boarding pass and ID?"  Shit!!  No!!!  I had not even thought of that at all!.  I quickly checked for my belt thing that I ALWAYS have on me, that has my passport, money and credit card in it.  Nothing – missing, gone,……. left in my room after a shower earlier.  I could hear each beat of my heart in the ends of my hair, in my finger and toe tips…. I felt instantly super hot and clammy and cold and sweaty and the thoughts just whirled around my mind -I could almost see the ferry leaving with me standing dejectedly on the dock and they blew the horn goodbye.  It was not a good moment at all.   When I looked up, the securtity guy had a laugh in his eyes, quickly joined by a smile and he waved me on down the ramp, back into the belly of the ferry.  I can say for certain that I have never walked the ramp with such shaky legs - and a grateful mistiness in my eye!  Now there is not a minute that I don't have those papers on me – not a minute!  Oh, and the woman who had my camera??  She got it all!  Even a very funny one of me looking at the security guy with pure horror on my face!

I enjoy so much seeing the scenery go by, that when we are on land, I am almost impatient to get back to the ferry and views so freely handed out.  After the short stop in Wrangell, we headed up to Haines - another short stop - about an hour or so. But first we had to go through the famous Wrangell Narrows.  I was sorry to hear that we would be doing it at night time, but still - it was quite and experience.  The bouys passed so clost to the ferry, that we could not see them from the lounge - and the trees were, at times, mere feet from the deck.  Lights lit up the way in a constantly blinking array of what looked like Christmas lights at times.  It was raining too - but it looked more like snow in the powerful beam of light that roved the waters in front of the bow of the ferry.  Everything was so quiet - we were moving slowly and tacking through the curves.  Everyone in the observation deck was quiet too - its an unbelievably narrow channel.  I would love to see that in the day time, but apparently the ferries go through there according to the tides...... so on the way down, it will be at night again..... according to the schedule, so far.  It was a magical experience passing a few houses so closely that we could tell that there was something playing on their tv's, but not enough detail to see what - but close!

Coming into Petersberg in the middle of the night - well, I could not miss that either, so I do have some night time, twinkling lights, reflections in the water photos of that too.  There was not much to see at all, but still.

We got through the Narrows after midnight and I was sooo glad to get my feet up and eyes closed - especially till there were only a short 5 hours till it was light again outside - I cannot bear to miss anything!

When in Juneau, I once again joined the Road Scholar group - they are really wonderful people!   We all piled into a bus and went to the Mendalhall Glacier.  It was funny, but the bus driver seemed to not have any stories, so he read off where every store was, by name, as we passed them by.  Interesting way of doing things.  The Glacier was magnificient - there were small pieces broken off floating all over the place, and a beaver happily having his bath in the freezing waters.  Down a little path was the way to a really beautiful waterfall, but I chose to get photos of the glacier from that view point first and then hustled down the path to the waterfall - sadly I did not make it all the way there, but got some great photos from the viewpoint anyway.  We only had a couple of hours in Juneau, so we hustled back to the ferry and got ready for the next two stops.  Its sad that there is so little time to explore, but I am getting an idea of what is around an maybe one day will come up here and hop ferries and stay a few days in a couple of the places we had a sampling taste of.

The air out here is lovely, it feels and tastes clean and you can feel every cold breath going down all the way.  I know I am going to miss it - its like drinking clean, cold water, feels great.

Another short stop in Haines and the ferry dock was a few miles from the town and I did not want to get stuck there either, so I checked my pockets twenty times for my papers, then set off up the ramp to Haines soil.  A few of the passengers who have pets on board, take them on land for a walk, and I got chatting to a lady there who I conned into taking a photo of me at an Alaska sign.  At least I have proof now that I was here :)

Haines to Skagway just out did itself!  Its not as narrow by far, as the Wrangell Narrows, but we were surrounded by more mountains that just called for stories to be written about them.  My camera's have really been working over time and I just know that when I get home I am going to wonder why I took so many.  It's fantastic to be sitting with these huge windows in front of me with the fairytale snow capped mountains all around and a clearing sky and really small little towns gently slipping by, dwarfed by unbelievably beautiful snow dusted mountains, or glaciers, waterfalls and lush lush greenery.!  I was standing out on deck, again, with the fog and mist closed all around us, leaving only an ethereal, magical quality to everything - and then, dimly through the whiteness, I saw a snow covered mountain very slowly push its way into reality.  Every few moments that mountain grew clearer and the clouds parted a bit more, but it was if the top of the mountain hung suspended as  the fog was still thick on the water.  I have an amazing photo of a window through the clouds to this truly beautiful view of the mountain.

There is something special about coming into, or leaving a dock..... there is no fanfare and its so incredibly smooth and effortless.  I love watching the walkway being disconnected, the hand signals of the crew, ropes being tied off till next time and then the gentle rock and roll under foot as she heads out again.

 
After Skagway last night - I was exhausted.  I can clearly feel the difference in me because of the food I am eating on the ferry.  My eye developed a sty or pimple and I am now treating that as well as bugging the kitchen staff for as many lemons as they have - lemon, honey and hotwater - as much as I can get down.  I also have my baking soda here, grab some salt from the cafeteria and am gargling to try and stop my lurking sore throat from developing.  But I dont feel sick at all - just a tad run down, very tired and its going to take a while to wipe this grin off my face!

I slept late this morning - woke up at 6am and then just lay there for another hour.  I did look outside, but figured that a snow capped mountain or two could pass my by.  Gypsey and Bella, (cameras)were sleeping under the bed and could not complain about that. 

And then - yup - my lens broke!  It did not shatter, it did not tell me it was giving up, she just gently died and now only makes gurgling sounds when I switch her on. Its not my big long lens, but the lovely lens that has been with me for the past eight years almost.  I am sad.  So when we stop in Sitka in a few hours, I will be hunting a camera shop for a new lens.  While I was trying to figure it all out, hoping that it was not the camera that had given up, one of the  passengers who joined the ferry in Skagway, offered me one of his lenses!  At first I hesitated, but then took him up on his offer.  Thanks Mio!! He is a very good looking, way too young for me, guy, who just did me a really amazing favor! He will be on board until we get back to Ketchikan, but hopefully I can give him is lens back later tonight!  This truly is a ferry full of wonderful people.  A funny thought crossed my mind though.... Mio did not know my name, neither did he ask.. but when I went to get my camera to put his lens on her, I grabbed one of my business cards, wrote my full name and phone number on it as well as my cabin number....... So here I am, traveling alone on the ferry, giving out all these details to a total stranger! 

We are going through a wide part right now on the way to Sitka, but a stunning part is about to happen - so I am going to close this up now, get a warm jacket, neck warmer and hat and head out to the deck again.  Its been a lovely laid back morning, chatting to others, and just watching Alaska waft by these windows.

Sometimes I think I could do this all the time - but I just know I would be way too tired, or it would just become 'normal' and this is way too special to become normal.

Oh - I hope to find a lens quickly and still have time to head to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Sitka.  Researching that is what got me to find the ferry trip, so I would love to see what goes on there and maybe come back one day to volunteer there.

Till later
Annie
xx