Rosie and The Operator boarded the Alaskan Marine Highway Ferry in Ketchikan at mid day and are travelling over the next 18 hours on this public transport ferry to disembark in Juneau at 0600 in the morning. Our journey has us travelling 478 kilometers along the cruise ship highway through the famous Inside Passage of the Bay of Alaska.
The Mariposa has been the star of the fleet for the last 45 years and, just like Rosie, being the same ageish and all, still displays the original faded glamour of her heyday.
The cabins are called Staterooms and Rosie was quite excited at her allocation for the 18 hour journey to Juneau! It was a double bunk 4 berth, with ensuite toilet and shower plus it even had a tiny sitting area and window! It was spotlessly clean and more than enough, considering we were only ever going to sleep here. The Operator gave a nod of approval, ‘just like being at work’ he said of the minimal accommodations.
Out on deck, we did a lap around the boat and the day could not have been more perfect to be at out at sea, there was not a breath of wind and the sea was glassy smooth with barely a ripple.
On the back deck a couple had set up their tent to stay the night in, a huge hamper of supplies was next to them and they were lounging in the sun with the whole deck pretty much to themselves. On our investigations of the boat we discovered a small cinema, another large seating area with reclining seats that you could sleep on for those that chose not to buy a cabin…or you could escape to if your tent was too cold in the middle of the night, a dining room and the kitchen plus a bar…which was currently closed…with no opening hours on its shuttered servery.
The ferry was quite strangely devoid of people and that suited Rosie and The Operator very well, we felt like we nearly had the run of the boat to ourselves. Sitting up in the observation deck looking out the sparkling clean windows at the huge all encompassing vista that surrounded us Rosie and The Operator were blown away by the silence and the magnitude of the great outdoors as they unfolded around us.
At all times we could see both banks of The Narrows and the dark green forest undulated out from the rocky waters edge for as far as the eye could see. Small clutches of cabins and villages randomly appeared, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, faces all pointing towards the water and the sun reflecting off their windows.
When the Narrows opened up the sky perfectly matched the colour of the sea with only a few ripples giving the later away. Separating both were the faded bands of land rendered into beautiful water colour like stripes. This trip was all about the sea and sky, the colours, shapes, reflections and patterns of both were truly a beautiful, tranquil sight to behold.
All eyes were focused and mesmerized on the expanse of still water we were sailing into. Everyone in the observation lounge hopeful for a sighting of a pod of whales or dolphins. Cries went out when a school of fish started breaking the surface and jumping, then we saw a couple of dolphins move past with barely a flick of their tail. The sea animals were feeling just as lazy as this beautiful autumn day and didn’t put on a show for us.
The Operator went for regular walks around the deck to check on the opening of the bar Rosie thinks…whilst Rosie chatted with some of the other passengers who had been on the boat since Vancouver. They relayed how they had been lucky enough to see a few pods of whales on the journey and the famed ‘Spirit Bear’ standing on a rocky outcrop as the boat sailed past. Everyone around oohed and aahed and congratulated their luck whilst Rosies eyes widened with intrigue and had to ask….what is a Spirit Bear? A Spirit Bear is a White Black Bear, they are very rare and hardly ever seen and if you are lucky enough to see one it will bring you good luck, life and health according to the First Nation Peoples. Rosie oohed and aahed over that too….wow, what an amazing thing to see.
Six hours into the journey was our first stop in Wrangell, Alasaka. A thin line of houses sat along the bay with a handful clinging to the forested slopes behind it. This was a thirty minute stop and The Operator was determined to stretch his legs in a straight line rather than strolling around and around the deck of the boat waiting for the bar to open.
Off we went…our plan….we must be able to find a bar close by, have a swifty, pay the cheque, take some pics and return within the 30 min time frame said The Operator. An Aussie couple on the ferry had the same idea and they were following close behind.
There were so many photo ops for Rosie in this 200 meter stretch along the foreshore! It was gold. On top of that we still managed to find a bar which was a bonus for The Operator! Sitting on a bar stool at The Stikine Inn Rosie and The Operator had a chat with the young barmaid. She said that there were about 1800 inhabitants of the town during winter and this rose to 2400 in the summer when the seasonal logging work was in full swing. A new wharf had been built and some of the tour boats occasionally stopped here now.
Half the town loved that the tourists were coming here to spend money…the other half of the town hated it. That was pretty much the gist of our rushed conversation…during that time Rosie and The Operator had downed a pint each, collected the cheque, paid, left a tip and off we went back to the boat with 10 mins to spare…5 of those being the walk back…which gave Rosie time to take a few more pictures on the way. Rosies impressions of Wrangell? 
A small town resigned and comfortable in its remoteness watching the memories of glory days fade into decades of rust whilst the mold and moss of winters past thicken, not really sure about where to go now or how to move on.
Dinner had started to be served on board the ferry in the dining room when we returned and the specials tonight were turkey with all the trimmings and ham steaks with either fries or vege. Rosie must say the meal was very good, delicious, ample and well priced.
The sun started to set while we were in the dining room and it was a glorious sight. With the sinking of the sun the air turned frigid and a slight cold breeze blew as Rosie waited for the moon to rise.
It was the perfect time to be out on the freezing deck taking photos, the last vestige of light hovered amongst the tree tops and the silvery, lingering sky reflection on the water was beautiful in its mirrored perfectness.
The banks had closed in on us and we were in the famed Wrangell narrows, a zig zag of waterway between the forest trees. The boat was guided through The Narrows by a string of navigation lights out in the water blinking red and green like a Christmas tree lighting the path.
Welcoming warm golden lights of secluded cabins blinked far out in the darkness few and far between as we glided past the dark silhouettes of the jaggedy topped tree lined avenue. Wow, what a special day. The last stop on our journey to Juneau was at Petersburg, Rosie was already tucked up in her cabin bunk when we gently nudged into this dock with her alarm set for 5.15am and didn’t hear a thing on this short, early in the morning stopover. We had an early start in the morning when the boat docked at 0600am and Rosie needed her beauty sleep.
Rosie and The Operator had a relaxing sleep, (just like my bunk at work said The Operator) and awoke to a dark, cool morning. As the sun was starting to rise were waiting on the deck to catch our first glimpse of Juneau Harbour.
Wow, what a sight when the sun started climbing and Mendenhall Glacier was right in front of us! It was 6.00am when we disembarked the boat, said good bye to all of the new friends we had made from all over the States, Canada and Aus and started our journey into Juneau. We had a whole day of sight seeing ahead of us and we were starting super early!
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