Off for a ride, July 10--11

Ferry coming to port, this was my home for 2 days
Bikes and other vehicles waiting to board ferry.
View of the Wrangell Narrows, we went through this with just a few feet to spare on each side.
Me on boat, yea life is good!!!
View from back of boat with clouds shrouding the mountains.
My friends the Lewis's they are also from Kansas and Riding a Harley.
Leaving Juneau at night.
Larry the bartender, my new friend, I am not sure why this picture is blurry, Hummm?
Bald Eagle on shore.

Bald eagle on marker buoy.

I got to the ferry on time Thursday with out problems. A lot of the other cyclists that I had been "Leap Frogging" for the last few weeks were there as well. It was nice to have some time and get to know each other better and share camaraderie that only comes through shared adversity.

The ride itself was pleasant and with out incident. I give props to the Alaska Ferry system, not only was the boat and the crew nice it was very reasonable. This is actually part of the public transit system and is subsidised by the state, for that reason they are not a for profit entity, and the food and all services were very reasonably priced. The meal and drink costs were the cheapest of my time in Alaska and the food was great, and Larry the bartender and myself became good friends .

The only disappointment of the trip was that I could not get a good pic of a whale for my friend Kim, we saw a few spouts, but none surfaced. Sorry Kimmy!

At first I thought that I was going to sleep on deck like many of the other intrepid travelers, as there was a heated solarium, as well and an inside sleeping lounge for those who did not have a cabin. After we got on board, I found out that if you did not have your own cabin, that you could not drink any alcohol which you had brought on board, I had lugged on some wine and beer to share with my friends. After we left port a number of us went to "Georges" room and uncorked a few drinks. He told me that his cabin was $150.00 for two nights, which seemed like a good deal. After we had a few drinks, I went down to the "Pursers" office to see if they had any cabins available, as luck would have it the Purser was a Lady, I had been joking with earlier and she told me that If I waited until after we left Juneau that she could give me a better deal, because the cabin rate was based on the port where it was rented from.

We left Juneau about 11:00 on Thursday and the little delay saved me $60.00 so I still got a cabin for two nights at a better price. I was glad I did, as It rained off and on, and I would have been bored to death hanging around the public areas of the ship. Not to mention the fact that my cabin became the party hub for the motorcyclists and a great time was had by all.

The scenery of the inside passage was fantastic, and I would recommend a ride on the ferry to anyone spending time in Alaska!

Tim