34 - The Ferry: From BC to the Lower 48

While walking back to the ferry, I watched the cars drive by with their windshield wipers quickly swishing back and forth. I had 25 minutes before boarding ended and wasn't sure how far to the ferry terminal. Another pedestrian indicated:

"a mile and a half, you'll make it in a half hour."

I picked up my pace. Then, with five minutes left, the terminal came into view and I slowed my pace. I walked down the boarding plank with 45 seconds to spare. What a fun five hours!

I really like this picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once back on the boat, the evening cruise down the Inner Passage was really fun. I sat down with a block of Tillamook Cheddar and a loaf of bread; that early morning pre-shower run to the grocery store in Haines paid off. My second course came from a can. Thanks to Bill, I left Fairbanks with a can of Silver Salmon. Delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

My tripod was fairly secure and vibration free for this long-exposure shot. The two lights come from the camera shift because of the boat's movement. The light is from a lighthouse that rotates. The distance of several hundred yards shows the boat's movement during a four second exposure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The night on a ferry is different than the night on the shore. The sound of the boat, the water, and the night all magically combine to make something not inimitable by shoreline nature.

I enjoyed it with a camera and tripod.

In the morning, we saw humpback whales. Twice. I couldn't photograph the whales, but I could snapshot the curious humans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner was wine and cheese. Dinner part doux was a meal in a can and desert in a bottle.

Smokey Porter and Chunky Chicken and Dumplings.

Delicious.

The perfect precursor to the eclipse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The moon got smaller and smaller. After it disappeared, the clouds moved in. Above, you can see the blood orange moon as it reappeared. Eventually, just before dawn, orange gave way to bright white. After a month of being in the North Country (the Yukon and Alaska) I was back in the industrialized world, as is evident by the huge plants that lined the shore.

 

 

 

 

It was a no-brainer to stay up all night. The night was clear, warm and without extreme winds. And of course, I was in the middle of the water on a ferry coming back from Alaska on the night of an amazing lunar eclipse. Having not seen the news in awhile, I didn't know much about the details of the eclipse and didn't know that it's affects would last for hours. When the moon finally became brilliant and white again, dawn was nearly upon us. Dawn was spectacular.

Then, at 8:00 am, we arrived in Tacoma. I had to ride for less than a couple of hours to meet a guy who had volunteered his shop for me to use to make repairs to my Gold Wing. What a trip! I was back in the Lower 48.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next:  35  -  Wildlife