We boarded the Alaskan Ferry in Prince Rupert and headed to Juneau—our first place to get off and stay a few days. The ferry actually made two stops on the way to Juneau (one in Ketchikan and one in Wrangell) so our total time on the ferry was close to 30 hours. You can ONLY access your vehicle in ports – never when the boat is moving. The ferry was a cold ride. Our cabin was truly “basic” but worthwhile to get some sleep. I don’t relish trying to sleep all night sitting in a chair!!!
Funny story… I was standing in front of vehicles with several other people, just talking, killing time, in line at the ferry terminal in Prince Rupert, BC (we had to be there 3 hours early) when a woman got out of a truck (towing a 5th wheel) and she said, “Aren’t you Ron Jones?” I said yes and she said, “It’s your fault we are here!” I had no idea what that meant but she went on to explain they had made one trip up here a few years ago and then they sat in on my Alaska seminar in Goshen, Indiana last year and I talked about how easy it was to take the ferry. She said they got all excited, decided to go again, and there they were when they saw me. Small world. Nice people.
Driving off the ferry was a challenge for me. They finally determined they could not maneuver me out from the rear and had to hook up and pull out three semi-trailers so I could get out. What a pain. Lots of work for them, scary for me. Minimum clearance on each side is not fun.
There was rain here in Juneau but it rains all of June. Your factoid of the day is that this is a rainforest. It rarely freezes here in the winter. Sunshine today but still in the mid 50s daytime and mid 40s at night. The furnace is a must.