Entrance to Alaska

“What a night!” I moan. “Wonder what happened to the beauty from Whistler?”

“I think you scared ‘er off, mate,” opines Mark (pronounced: Ma-a-k), one of the more philosophical Australians. I put the memory banks on rewind. Parts of the tape have been erased. I bump into Tod, another Aussie. “Ya weren’t drinkin’ that Scottish poison were ya, mate?” He asks concernedly. It seems that I may have been. — From the unpublished manuscript As Good As Gold

“The mist-tangled trees of a thousand islands.” Ketchikan

Tues. May 24/94

16:10

We have just put out from Ketchikan, our little entourage having disembarked for a half hour to buy yet more food and wine.

We have definitely coalesced into a tribe of bikers and hikers: the young couple from Australia, Mike the ultra-polite German [met at the campsite back in Port Hardy], Dave the cyclist from Vancouver, two other Australian men, and the bubbly artist from Montreal.

I decided, with some amount of encouragement from the others, that I will travel to Juneau and stay there for a day or two, before catching a later ferry to Skagway.

Last night, the wind-driven rain lashed the tent all night until I arose this morning at 05:00. There was a brief respite until we left Prince Rupert and once more it has poured from the boiling clouds in seemingly inexhaustible torrents.

Nonetheless, the mist-tangled trees of a thousand islands lends a certain “atmosphere” of authenticity to the legendary landscape of SW Alaska.

17:20

The wind has picked up even more ferocity — whipping metal chairs across the rain lashed deck of the heaving ferry.

Aftermath

Wed. May 25/94

Got absolutely loaded last night ….

This morning I awoke to realize that my camera bag was missing. I had left it in the bar. Finally, the pursers’ office opened at 09:30, just before we arrived in Juneau. Luckily, my bag, with all its contents in tact, had been turned in.

The ride to the campsite here, overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier was painful, as my head pounded and my stomach threatened to relieve itself of last night’s supper.

Even so, around noon, Dave and I rode the 25 kilometres into town ….

There is an excellent bike path all the way. Deluxe!

Juneau is an interesting town, with a real mixture of people. Many, of course, tourists as well.