Packing
We have a set of cardboard boxes each of which fits in a specific place in the car. We packed up all of our boxes. Our cooler goes near the rear. This packing was a bit different thought because we were planning on taking our suitcase, one of the coolers, both of our computer bags and four other bags packed with various things such as food and the espresso machine up to our cabin on the ferry. We were out of the AirBnB by about 7:15 local time.
We drove to coffee.
Kayaking
Our kayaking trip was supposed to start in Juneau and the first part was getting bused to Mendenhall Lake. But we already closer to Mendenhall Lake than Juneau so we arranged to meet the guide and the rest of the tourees there at 8. The bus showed up at about 8:35. We put on spray skirts and lifevests and began paddling first toward Nugget Falls, then around a corner to the left toward Mendenhall Glacier.
Here is a picture of our guide, Katie, and the falls are on the right. Pictures can be a little deceptive with distances; the falls are 300 feet high. (Are the 1000 words all a lie?)
We weren’t allowed to get super close to the glacier because it is still calving. This is expected to be the last summer that the glacier breaks offs directly into the lake.
Normally I take our usies but Arlene took this one while we were in the middle of the lake.
The Ferry
We arrived at the ferry terminal a little early and went for a walk down the highway and into a neighbor and back.
When we drove onto the ferry they put us on a car elevator and raised us up to a different floor. Then they told Arlene to get out of the car because they wanted to back us into a really tight space. Arlene grabbed five of our bags and disappeared. I backed the car into the tight space (by listening to instructions provided by a cranky ferry worker), then grabbed the last bag, the suitcase and the cooler. A ferry worker told me the best door to use to get the the purser’s desk. There I checked in and picked up the keys to our cabin and dropped off our stuff. Then I went to find Arlene. Here is our cabin with its window; Arlene seems to be washing something in the sink. (Sometimes Arlene combs her hair.)
This ferry ride has been much nicer than the previous one. Having enough places to sit makes a big difference. And they let us disembark for a couple of hours at the stop in Ketchikan where Arlene immediately spotted the yarn shop.
From the deck:
We passed the north end of Vancouver Island a couple of hours ago and we’re expecting to have a chance this evening to return some of our things back to the car. We are supposed to arrive in Bellingham tomorrow morning at 8am. Then home again, home again, jiggety jig.