Jim and Lyndi ZR-1 Road Trip 2019 - Back to Alaska

[QB93Z]

Here are some views of Ketchikan:









There were three large cruise ships in port at Ketchikan:



While the cruise ship passengers booked tours and shopped, we stopped at a local establishment and enjoyed a beer:



After we walked back to the ferry, we got underway again and continued north. Later in the day we stopped at Wrangell, AK for a very brief visit. We walk off the ferry and did not find any place to buy a souvenir, but we did find a small crafts shop:



Underway again. Here is a view of the Deck 6 forward lounge where we spent a lot of the trip:



Jim

[-=Jeff=-]

What has the temperature been like up that way?

[QB93Z]

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

What has the temperature been like up that way?

In Ketchikan it was cool, 60, and rainy. In Juneau it was 55 and rainy. In Haines it was warm, 70 and clear. In Haines Junction, The Alaska Highway, it is 70 and clear.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Day 10 Monday

On Monday morning we sailed past Juneau, AK and further north to the ferry terminal. From the channel, we could see Mendenhall Glacier behind Juneau:





The ferry terminal is 12 miles from Juneau city center and we only had two hours in port so we decided to fore go a visit to the city. Fellow travelers offered to give us a ride to Auke Bay which is 1 mile from the terminal. We got to ride in their 1984 VW Vagagon. It was pretty cool.






We had hoped to find a gift shop open before 8 AM but there weren't any shops at all so we walked the mile back to the terminal:




Juneau was the last stop for us before Haines where we would disembark. The Ferry went on to Anchorage.

One of the computers that we carry is a small Surface Go by Microsoft. It is the size of a small iPad but runs a full version of Windows 10 so it can do everything our bigger notebooks can do. I also added a USB GPS receiver that interfaces with a Microsoft mapping program that does not require a WIFI or cellular connection to show our location on a simple map:



Here are some of the fantastic views along the route to Haines:

Eldred Rock Lighthouse:



to be continued.....

[QB93Z]

Mountains, clouds and a glacier:






As we approached Haines, we noticed the there was a pronounced color change in the water. The greenish-blue water is glacier melt water. The pulverized rock fragments in the run off produces the color difference:



The city of Haines:




We moored at Haines and quite a few passengers disembarked. Because we had been one of the first cars to go aboard the ferry, we were the last car to leave the ship. Lyndi waited on the lower car deck to get a photo of the ZR-1 being lowered down:




As I drove toward the exit, one of the workers asked me how much horse power the Vette had. He was impressed:




to be continued......

[-=Jeff=-]

This seems like a fantastic adventure..

How many days were you on the ferry? I know you showed the one room with Bunks, was that your room the whole time on the ferry or did you stay elsewhere? maybe in a port depending on the night?

[WARP TEN]

You mention the water color. I vividly remember going over the Fraser River in British Columbia on a trip to Banff, Lake Louise and ultimately Boston for business school (a long, long time ago) and it was a bright Emerald green due to the glacier runoff. Your pics are, as usual, beautiful Lyndi.--Bob

[QB93Z]

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

This seems like a fantastic adventure..

How many days were you on the ferry? I know you showed the one room with Bunks, was that your room the whole time on the ferry or did you stay elsewhere? maybe in a port depending on the night?

The ferry trip from Bellingham, Washington to Haines, AK was three nights. We booked a cabin with two bunks, toilet and shower for the three nights. We were in the cabin only when sleeping and showering. Most of the travel time we were in the 7th deck lounge pictured above. The Snack Bar and the Dining Room were also on the 7th deck. The lounges are very comfortable and it was a nice place to meet other travelers.

Some passengers did not rent a cabin. They pitched a tent in the rear of the 4th deck or slept in lounge chairs or slept on the deck (floor). There are "public" showers available on the Ferry.

Jim

[QB93Z]

I have been out of internet service for a day and a half. The connection in Haines Junction failed after two posts and we never got service in Tok, Ak. We could talk on the phone but the phone would not connect to the internet.

We have arrived in Anchorage and I will pick up where I left off.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Day 10 Continued

We left Haines and drove 148 miles north, across the Canadian border, to Haines Junction, which is where the Haines Highway meets the Alaska Highway.

The landscapes and scenery was fabulous, from the rocky coastal mountains to larger mountains, to the forested mountains at the Alaska Highway:










About 7 PM, we reached one of the mile stones of this Road Trip, The Alaska Highway:



Jim