Our Trip and Reunion - Part 3 (Going Home)

One of two amazingly beautiful paintings located on one of the decks on the Columbia ferry.

I had lugged a clock radio to Ketchikan because I knew that the Columbia arrived in Ketchikan early on Sunday morning and I did not want to sleep in. 

On Saturday night, after a long day of exploring this new town, and before heading for bed I set the alarm for 6am, knowing that LC's ferry was scheduled to arrive at 7am.  Only I didn't set the alarm for 6am, I set it for 6pm........

I woke with a start at 6:20 on Sunday, realized the mistake that I had made, and started to rush like some kind of mad woman to get up, dressed and repacked.  LC called me just a few minutes after I woke up to say that they were almost there.

Got dressed quickly, called a cab, packed, caught the cab, got down to the ferry terminal and could already see the Columbia about a thousand yards out and not moving when I arrived.  It took me a minute but I finally figured out that the ferry already in dock had to ship out before the Columbia could dock. 

Come on.........Come on..........Come on already!!

We talked on the phone.  Me pacing.  Him laughing that great contagious laugh of his.

As the ferry docked I scanned the passengers who were standing on deck, and finally saw him when he waved.  

Ten minutes later LC came walking up the ramp with Jamie on the leash.

Five months and five days.  It has seemed like forever.

We laughed and talked and hugged and kissed all at the same time, then took Jamie down to the grass to do what dogs do.   

It was so good to see both of them.   They're my family....... 

We got back onto the ferry and I saw Gary, my Mountain Boy's older brother.  He had stayed on board guarding both their personal belongings and the deck chairs they had secured for their trip up on the Solarium. 

This 65 year old man flew down to Tennessee from Minnesota, helped his brother load two trucks with personal belongings, drove one vehicle across country to Bellingham Washington, and got on a ferry to Alaska.  For his brother.  And for me.  I couldn't even begin to know how to thank him for everything that he had done..........

My Mountain Boy....

And Gary the Goofball, mugging for the camera........ 

I was honestly lazy taking pictures on the way home to Juneau.  I had travelled this same route only two days prior and had taken many pictures already.  And I was more interested in becoming reaquainted with someone who means a lot to me and who I had not seen in a long time.........

But some thoughts about ferry travel on this final leg of the journey:

1.  I had read from a number of people on an Alaskan forum that if we did not have a cabin the best place to set up camp for the trip was on the Solarium - the open air top deck that is surrounded on three sides by protective walls, and has heat lamps on the roof.  Although I wish the guys had been able to get a cabin (they were all gone, by the time I booked the trip), the solarium was a great option.  Open, but protected from the elements, heat lamps, deck chairs, and the guys found a place up against the back wall meaning they had at least a small amount of privacy.

2.  A number of people set up tents in the open air close to the very front of the Solarium and up against the rails.  I had heard about people doing that, but after being in very rough seas on the way down to Ketchikan, and knowing that the guys hit the same heavy rains and rough seas a day later on the way UP to Ketchikan, really highlighted how bad of a trip it must have been for the tent dwellers.  When I first boarded the Columbia on the way home, it was so windy that if the tents had not been tied to the railing, they would have blown into the water.  

3.  Some of the food was not badly priced (and was actually pretty good) - $8 for hamburger and french fries etc.  But the guys had brought some food, snacks and drinks with them when they left Bellingham, which was a good thing because $20-$25/meal (including drinks) for both of them every meal adds up quickly when you are on a trip that lasts for 2 1/2 days or so.

4.  There were many children of all ages on both ferries.  On the ferry down to Ketchikan there was a play area set up on the Observation Deck for little kids.  There was also movies on both ferries suitable for kids playing off and on throughout the trip.  Parents did not seem to have any major problems travelling with small children, and older children and teenagers travelled freely and easily throughout the boat.  It was a very easy-going and comfortable way for kids to travel.

5.  I worried a whole lot about my dog.  I worried that she would be sick, or horribly upset, or that she wouldn't be able to use the bathroom often enough.  She was not sick.  She did not act upset.  And she did not have any accidents in the truck. 

She learned to recognize the sound of the door opening to the car level, and was always looking expectantly for us when we arrived to visit with her.  I felt badly that she was spending so much time locked in the car, and that during the times we visited her all we could do was walk her in between all of the cars, which was a tight squeeze.

LC brought Jamie ashore in Ketchikan to meet me and to walk in the grass, but we did not take her ashore in either Wrangell or Petersburg, because the ramp and all the noise scared her so badly.

But all in all, my dog came out of the experience better than OK.  Worrisome for us, but my dog is well and happy........

6.  We saw whales - lots of them - on the way home.  And I saw eagles - lots of them - on the way down.  And as with all of Alaska, the scenery was wonderful, amazing, stunningly beautiful.....and I got to see it for a few days over a very wonderful long weekend.

Some pictures I took during the trip.  LC has many more of both the ferry trip and the entire trip across country.  I will post some of them because they are really nice pictures, and these "two old men and a dog" had a helluva adventure.

It is good to have him here.  Very very good.........