With winter temps of below 20 common and snow measured in feet, sled dogs are a necessity once winter begins.

Replica of the bus used for movie Into The Wild. In 1992 Christopher McCandless AKA Alex Supertramp died in similar bus near Healy, AK while trying to live off the land.

Been raining close to 24 straight hours and we are slowly running out of things to do. Our 2nd tent (or mess hall as I like to call it) has made camping a whole lot more bearable. And speaking of bears, the park service finally captured and then killed the one that had been bothering folks near Savage River. 14 years ago Corey and I camped in the Savage River Campground and would gladly do so again if it was not booked up. So instead we are at Riley Creek or mile one of park road. You can only actually drive 12 miles of the road with the other 70 completed by park bus.Rain or shine that is what we plan on doing tomorrow.

Bus is found at 49th State Brewery. Great ambience and beer but mediocre food.

Right now, while we wait out a bit of rain in Denali, I would like to give a shout out to one of Alaska’s finest public institutions; the Joint Library Consortium. The Joint Library Consortium is made up of a dozen or so libraries scattered from south east to central Alaska. While we are not able to take out books from the Park Ridge library (an easy one mile walk from our house ), we were able to get a library card in Sitka then take and return books over a span of about 2000 miles.

The library in Haines really reflect the character of the town; friendly, functional, and easy to access.

In visiting the libraries, we were able to satiate Henna’s bottomless book appetite while also gaining a better insight into whatever town we were in. So in Juneau we sat with over a dozen cruise ship workers many of whom were skyping loved ones. The library is on the top floor of a building next to the cruise ships and a look out a window brought you eye ball to eye ball with an older couple enjoying a fancy looking lunch. In Seward I overheard several pre-teen boys complain about having nothing to do. One suggested they go to the skate park (the same skate park near our campsite) and off they went. While updating our blog in Haines we observed several little kids being read to by the librarian. When she was done they lined up to get their hand stamped. And so on and so on. Sometimes it easy to forget that people live their lives in the same space we gawk at nature’s wonders. The libraries helped us remember.

Henna in Juneau

Besides being encircled by majestic beauty (snow capped mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and sea), Valdez also has suffered two tragedies. The first occurred on Good Friday, 1964 when the second largest earthquake ever recorded destroyed the original townsite. The first shock wave ripped apart the town and the susequent tidal wave washed it all to sea. Over thirty Valdez residents died.

Almost immediately Valdez rebuilt on more stable ground. Old Valdez however still remains, a faint footprint in the muck.

On board the Alaska Marine Highway

I didn’t know my Dad all that well.  He was mostly a quiet and reserved person, but I do remember on hot summer nights sitting in the screen house trying to pry something of himself out of him.  He died before I had any real success with that.  But thinking about my relationship with my own father, I find it fascinating to watch Henna and Noel’s relationship grow as mine with my Dad never did.  During the school year, life tends to move very fast…with homework, stress, the pressing elections news cycle, social media…blah blah…I usually see the two of them flitter around each other in their own orbits.  This is especially true as Henna is getting older and becoming more woman like every day.  I tend to be the middle person for them, without them even knowing it.  Don’t get me wrong, these two are the exactly same person.  They both love to discuss, argue, read and digest information leaving me behind them.  So, being four weeks in to our journey, it is so wonderful to see Noel and Henna just being with each other and not in need of me to forge that bridge between them.  They are great friends I would say at this point in the trip.  Listening to them talk, chat, argue, debate, skip rocks, jump into all cold lakes, and just hang out makes my heart so very full and happy.  It tugs at my heart strings as I think of my Dad.  I may not have been given the same kind of relationship, but watching this one bloom and grow it enough for me in this life. 

Cold Water Club founders Noel and Henna at Auke Bay, Juneau

The incredibly shrinking Mendenhall Glacier

One of the joys of ferrying and camping around Alaska is the chance to meet actual Alaskans. Sometimes however there is a bit of a learning curve. For example, we have learned to ask “Where you born in Alaska?” instead of “Are you a native Alaskan?” The latter question, especially if poised to a friendly Asian couple, will likely lead to an awkward silence followed by a quick narrative of their ethnic history.

Taken along the Perseverance Trail in Juneau, AK

Other lessons learned include this region of Alaska (from Ketchikan to Skagway) is known as “South East,” to travel to the lower 48 is to go “south,” bears are a nuisance along the coast in part because hunters search out the big, healthy ones and not the garbage pickers that terrorize the town. Also, every Alaskan resident can shoot one bear every four years (and one tourist every ten years) but as many as they need to in order to defend property and life. However, no one takes advantage of this rule as it takes a lot more work than you would think to properly dispose of a bear. Skinning it alone might take all day. They also smell and taste horrible. Bears that is, not tourists.

One of the tastiest treats in all the Southeast

Exploring an ice cave at Mendenhall Glacier; this is a very risky thing to do and a risk maybe we should not have taken. Our route to the glacier was via the West Glacier Trail which starts as easy stroll and ends with a bit of rope and cable (as well as an incredibly narrow trail through dense bush).

Special shout out to our friends Tracy, Grace, Mac, Mara, and Eric who made our weekend in Juneau mighty special. We hope our paths cross again soon.

Our beautiful home for five nights- Starrigavan Recreation Area. 2nd tent was used as a kitchen shelter in case of rain but canopy so thick we did not really need it.

My grandfather also probably spent a bit longer in Sitka than he intended. In our case, it was the limited number of ferry crossings which kept us here five nights. For Grandpa Ruby, it was the realistic fear of Japan invading Sitka that kept his unit stationed here during World War II. I have a very limited idea of what his time in Sitka was actually like. I know from my father he did a bit of boxing. Mostly oranges. He loved that joke.

Slugs of every color and stripe in Sitka. This one looks white but probably is a Banana Slug.

Taken from Castle Hill where the Russians once oversaw their territory from a mighty nice mansion. Later the U.S. administered their new territory from same mansion. Mansion now gone. In background is St. Michael’s, America’s oldest Russian Orthodox Church (founded 1848). The original church burned down in the 1960s and was then promptly rebuilt. Much of Sitka’s Orthodox community are Tlingit whose ancestors converted several generations ago.

Swam a bit at the not so warm Heart Lake (1.3 miles with a gradual ascent). A bit of a doggie beach with many Sitka residents taking their canine there to cool off. Lake also has a communal row boat.

Sitka Library. T-Rex made by a local artist mostly with things washed ashore.

From library saw bald eagles fishing Silver Bay. Got a library card here and will be able to take out and drop off books all over coastal Alaska. Paperwork listed area to indicate your fishing vessel’s number as well as the captain’s name.

Fortress of the Bear- a rescue place situated in a converted pulp mill. This guy is a brown coastal bear- the only bear to be found in Sitka. Almost as large as the Kodiak, they are pretty leery of humans and eat a heck of a lot of salmon.

View from Mt. Verstovia- a very challenging 1.7 miles with a crazy 2000′ gain. Water is the Pacific, the surrounding mountains pretty much inaccessible.

Totem Hill National Park- a fun 20 acres of rain forest and nifty totem poles.

Food is pricey in Sitka. Mean Queens pizzeria/bar is a good option and has free pool. Henna hustled us good.

The Matanuska taken from port at Petersburg, AK. We had thirty minutes to get off then back on the boat.

The ferry taking you from Prince Rupert to Alaska leaves at 3:30 AM. Because you must clear customs prior to boarding the ship, it is recommended that you arrive at the terminal no later than 12:30 AM. You do not know what it is like to kill time before having to do so in Prince Rupert, especially after having already spent the day hanging out and then finishing dinner a little after 7. But we did so with a little shopping, a silly movie, and an extended late night snack at Tim Hortons. At midnight we threw in the towel and headed toward the terminal.

By 12:30 AM we were lined up ready to get on the ferry. A scant two and a half hours later we finally boarded the Matanuska. BC Ferries Northern Expedition is less than a decade old. The Matanuska was built in 1963. A workhorse if there ever was one, the ship is much smaller and more matter of fact than its Canadian cousin. The views though are just as amazing and the passage through the Wrangell narrows was especially thrilling with the captain deftly weaving his way through a maze of buoys. At one point we passed a fishing resort and saw maybe fifty bald eagles perched on the trees and hanging out at the beach. The resort set off a firework and a dozen eagles then flew just in front of the boat.

We booked a cabin and it was clean but incredibly small with an even tinier bathroom (one where you can take a shower or turn around but not both). Before falling asleep I looked out the window to say goodbye to Prince Rupert. When I woke up a few hours later we were still in port. Due to a mechanical issue the boat did not actually leave Prince Rupert until around 6 AM. Besides being a couple hours off schedule, a planned extended stay in Ketchikan which would allow us to explore the place for a bit was changed to a thirty minute lay over. Over French pressed coffee, fruit and oatmeal (made possible by our cooler and free hot water), Corey and I discussed our itinerary.

Our second night we slept in the much roomier solarium. Three tents were pitched on deck but we found the recliner chairs with sleeping pads a lot more comfortable. Most fun night camping so far on our trip.

Our original plan involved a short stay in Wrangell followed by a 48-hour ferry ride to Sitka. But a quick study of the ship’s schedule revealed an alternative option that traded Wrangell, and the long voyage, in return for extra time in Sitka. Thanks to the extraordinary help from the purser (whom I later tipped out with fresh blueberries) and a ticket agent named Heather (Trader Joe’s pita chips for her) the deal was made. Trip karma is real and for evidence I offer the fact that later while making a purchase of fries at the cafeteria the chef dropped a few Korean barbeque ribs on my plate free of charge.

During the short turn around at Ketchikan, the boat picked up not one but two groups of kids; a Ketchikan all-star little league team and a teenage girl softball team headed back home to Juneau. I learned later from one of the coaches that the Alaskan Marine Highway (AMH) is South East Alaska’s school bus for all the traveling sports teams. He recalled once taking a trip with about 200 students that included a marching band and not enough chaperones. On our voyage the boys were a bit more active than the girls and after an hour or two of settling in they began a game of tag that seemed to cheat death at every turn.

After a week in Canada it was fun to step back in the states even before we reached land.

I also met a young couple and their incredibly cute little boy returning home to Ketchikan after a disappointing move to South Dakota. Although I only saw Ketchikan from the boat, that couple’s description of the place (as well as comments made by Heather, the now pita chip rich ticket agent) gave me a bit of insight into a community flooded each summer by thousands of cruise ship passengers. It is a lot more quite, however, in the winter time with most of the stores shut down, their owners setting up shop in the Caribbean. Back home he was hoping to resume his job as a case manager in a hospital servicing youth with behavior disorders.

Other conversations turned to the price of oil. Alaska has no state income or sales tax but resembles Sweden in the level of provided services. Home schoolers for example are reimbursed for on-line classes, computers, and even things like a karate class. Not only do Alaskans not pay many taxes, they also receive a bonus (every man, woman, and child) from the Alaskan Permanent Fund (which is derived from oil money). Supposedly this is all possible so long as the price of oil is around $95 a barrel. The actual price today though is under $50 a barrel which has meant serious cut backs to a lot of these services including the AMH. Our ship, for example, no longer has a gift shop or bar. More serious are the cut backs along the service line with some communities going from weekly to now monthly ship visits. These tiny towns are absolutely dependent on the AMH and their very survival is at risk. I also talked to a crew member, someone who had worked over five years with AMH, who was quitting once he made his way to Bellingham (crew members are allowed free passage on any ship) due to his hours being drastically cut last winter. The man was planning on going back to his family in Gillette, WY, an oil industry town, to build houses with his dad ahead of the housing boom. He anticipated this boom occurring once the price of oil reached $60 a barrel.

Waking up

Harbor at Prince Rupert

After our all day most of the night ferry ride from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert we woke to an overcast sky. A trip to the car found a conversation with a middle aged man. He told me that if we went to Dawson City to look up his friend Mitch to tell him that Stan says hi. Told him I would do just that.

We shopped at Safeway. Old men pushed carts and loaded up volumes and volumes of food. One pair got mad at the checkout when their form of payment was rejected. A manager cooled them down. Did laundry and finished my article about ferry ride. Will post when it publishes. Also met a couple from Yellow Knife who spent almost 6 years in Rogers Park. They might still be living in Chicago but she could not get a job due to her immigration status and could not right her immigration status due to not having a job. Similar story for the man working the laundromat who once lived in San Diego. Born in Tehran he has also lived in Tokyo and Vancouver. He greatly misses living in a city.

At the Cowpucino in Prince Rupert. Waterfront is called Cow Bay due to someone once transporting cows here.

Am now drinking good dark coffee at Cowpucino. Great place with lousy 80s music. Owner told me his way of scrambling eggs via an espresso wand. Cannot wait to try it at home. 

I like Prince Rupert. So does Henna. Corey is maybe less of a fan and thinks the place is mighty scrappy. If Monterey, California kept a few canning factories open and the housing prices (and visitors) low, it might look like here. Or if Prince Rupert relocated an hour south of San Francisco it would look a whole lot less worn. But you can’t just go around moving cities as easily as you can people.

Taken from the ferry

Right now we are happy to be exactly where we are. Even the music is growing on me. Later tonight (really early tomorrow morning) we take another ferry. And then we are in Alaska, a step closer and also further from home.

The “before” picture

Just like last year, we visited family and are treated to a royal feast. This time it was salmon caught by Corey’s second cousin Phillip (who we’ve never met) and grilled up by his brother David who, along with his daughter Mariah, we are lucky to know quite well. As amazing as the seafood was, so were the potato and kale salads brought by Pam, Dan, Susan, and Mike. Our Ladysmith cousins sure do know how to make us feel at home.

The next day we wolfed down the leftovers right before exploring Strathcona Provincial Park with David and Mariah. Located a few hours north of Victoria, Strathcona offers up some of the most rugged landscape on Vancouver Island. After four and a half hours of hiking through a fern draped wonderland that included an impressive beaver dam and a whole lot of hanging moss, we set up camp a few kilometers shy of Landslide Lake. We then spent the next day contemplating the lake while Mariah caught two good sized trout with cheddar flavored meal worms (a souvenir from Victoria’s Bug Zoo and they actually do not taste half bad). The first we fried up on a small skillet with Mariah letting the second one go. Day three was a long hike back to the car and then a hauntingly desolate ride up to Port Hardy. Three showers later we are toasty and maybe a bit nervous about the road ahead. A lot of people asked us before we left how long it would take to get to Alaska. Well, we almost have an answer. Tomorrow we land in Prince Rupert, B.C. and then the next day we cross into Alaska. So far it has been one heck of a trip.

Noel and Henna struggle to land a fish.

Mariah shows us how it’s done.

At Landslide Lake. 10 KM hike; 600 meter elevation gain but only a few switch backs. Trail a little difficult to follow the final kilometer. 2 campsite, one at 6 KM and the other at 9 KM. The second one is worth the longer hike.