Dunfey Alaska Journey

We had to arrive at ferry dock in Prince Rupert at 7:15 am for our 10:15 am departure. We needed to have car and camper length measured, go through customs and load vehicles. Watching the process of loading vehicles was interesting as some were going to Ketchikan and others were going further. They also had to balance the weight on the car deck.

The voyage was scenic and uneventful. The crew were very courteous. The food service was surprisingly good.

When we arrived in Ketchikan at 3:30 PM, we found a fairly large city. It is the 4th largest city in Alaska.

We are camped in Tongas National Forrest in Last Chance Campground about 7 miles from the city. Our site is alongside a running brook with a lot of privacy in the woods. Outhouse and old fashion water pump are down the road. This is what we call rustic campering.

Cell phone works to our surprise. We have to get closer to city to pick up internet broadband signal.

At the airport parking lot, there are two ferries that take passengers and workers across the narrow passage between the mainland city and the island where the airport is located. This is where the “bridge to no where” was planned to be built. This bridge make a lot of sense. Although no one lives on the airport island, building the bridge was part of their economic strategy for the future. The media circus and political outcries about this “pork” project were quite off the mark.

We left Jasper area on June 1st on way to Prince Rupert. We stopped in Prince George for the night at a Walmart. We got oil changed for the car before continuing. We arrived in Price Rupert on June 2nd. We depart on ferry for Ketchikan on 10:15 am. It is a 5-6 hour trip.

The scenery from Smithers to Prince Rupert was outstanding as the coastal mountains appeared and we wound our way through the passes to reach our destination.

We planned to spent at least part of day in Prince Rupert kayaking. We took a drive aroundall the roads in Prince Rupert area in search of a good place to Kayak. We didn’t find a good put-in that interested us. We visited Port Edward and Richey Island. We ended up hiking Dianne Creek. It was an interesting hike. It was almost like seeing in a rain forest. The cool water rushing by in the river creek caused moments of coolness in the heat of the day. We saw an occasional red wood tree and a black Blue bird(?). We also forgot our camera. We are wondering if all we have seen will dull our Alaska experience.

Prince Rupert was larger than we expected. Our campground for two nights was right up the street from the ferry. Our site was quiet and shaded with a lot of privacy. The ferry station was empty of people, workers or anything else the first two times we visited. There is nothing else there except the BC ferry. It seems that the people work when the ferry is coming or leaving. This morning, we met a man who had worked all night and was closing the ferry station for the day at 10 am in morning! He did tell us all we needed to know.

We arrive in Alaska tomorrow! Looking forward to ferry.