Barbara Edwards's Blog, page 17

Ketchikan AK by Barbara Edwards

Getting to Ketchikan on the Alaska Marine Highway-

We pass tiny Bellabella and Clearwater, a few lighthouses and night is approaching.

Getting off the ferry in Ketchikan was fast and easy. We were the last on so off we went. Spent some time eating a leisurely breakfast, and visited the forest service campground. Wow. In the middle of a real wilderness. It was only five dollars, but Bill wants a hot shower.

So we find the only private campground. It’s at a marina. Spectacular view over the water, marina.

 

 

Did I mention that the dawn is at four am? I have awakened both days and have to get to bed with the sky still light.

The port reminds me of every cruise ship port we’ve been in. Lots of little stores and restaurants. No bargains, but loads of souvenirs.

 

 

 

 

We stop at the Totem Bight State Park. Its trail goes from totem to totem, past a clan house where a related family would live, and along the shore. It’s a lovely place. Short walk and I learned a lot.

 

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Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska, writing Tagged: Alaska, Barbara Edwards,, Ketchikan, Totem Bight Park

Bellingham Ferry to Ketchikan by Barbara Edwards

Doing something different is risky and taking the Marine Highway is different.

 

 

I did research and knew about walking the dog on the car deck, but not having to keep the area clean.

The crew are friendly and helpful.

 

Of course our vehicle was one of the last loaded. Last on first off in Ketchikan.

This meant all the lounge chairs for sleeping in the solariums were claimed. Oh well.

 

 

 

 

We found a place in the inside lounge.

 

 

 

Then came the figuring out where to eat and what. We brought some microwave dinners and had them, and then my husband wanted to plan breakfast. I’m figuring out what to wear to sleep. I worked on my edits for a couple hours and they turned off the lights at nine pm Alaska time.

Sleeping in a room with several dozen strangers is weird. Bill settled his bag on the floor and I curled up on a three chair bench. I slept fitfully. Like home, the smallest noise woke me. The shoreline was a black silhouette broken by occasional lights on either boats or the shore. Bill woke me at four am to see the lightening sky. Its cloudy so no spectacular dawn.

 

Later: The ferry is passing through a narrow channel. Forest runs down to the shore and its brisk.

What’s next? We need to walk the dog and I’m changing my clothes when we can get to the car deck at eight am.

Turned foggy and the foghorn blows every few minutes. A mournful sound. Finally the sun breaks through and it’s nice enough to go on deck in my shirtsleeves. The shore drifts by in a wonderful forest and rock collection. There is too much to see, to enjoy. I inhale the clean air and relax.

 

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Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska Tagged: Alaska Marine Highway, Barbara Edwards,, Ketchikan

One more day by Barbara Edwards

Bellingham

Bellingham Washington is spread out over miles. With Marina, Malls, historic areas and the ferry terminal.

 

 

 

We found the historic Fairhaven to be charming, the business center to bustle with foot-traffic and the surrounding area to be lush and green.

The well-maintained houses march up the steep hills and I wonder what it must be like to look at the view every day.

I love living near the water, but this is more than a lake or stream.

We’ve been lucky to have nice weather. The temperature goes from the fifties in the morning to the seventies. And the sun has been shining.

The ferry terminal is a large building next to the dock. I stopped to check our itinerary and they gave us our tickets. Suddenly the trip is real. I am choked by excitement. After planning so long, we are finally going to see Alaska.

I can’t seem to keep the details straight. We can sleep in the lounges on the ferry, book a cabin or pitch a tent on the deck. There’s no WiFi so I’ll be out of contact for several days. There’s a restaurant, microwaves or some passengers bring coolers.

So many choices. I’m used to a cruise where everything is done and I just  have to show up. This is so different. Good for me to stretch my skills.

North to Alaska, like in the John Wayne movie, North the rush is on.

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At long last, Washington, by Barbara Edwards

Washington state is different in many ways from Connecticut.

Rocky cliffs line the shores here.

Larrabee State Park

 

 

 

We found a nice campsite at Larrabee State Park to wait for the Ferry.

 

 

 

 

The park is located on Chuckanut Road. This byway is purported to be the most beautiful scenic road in Washington. I agree. Narrow and cut into the cliffs, the road winds for miles along the shore.

 

Chuckanut Road

With our truck camper, we have to stop and ease over when traffic heads toward us. Up is the forest down is more forest dropping until it reaches the narrow beach or rocks.

 

 

Puget Sound is a deep blue dotted with green islands that are heavily populated. We plan to spend the day doing little trip details like repacking the cabinets and getting a few items at the store.

 

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Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska Tagged: Alaska, Barbara Edwards,, Larrabee State Park

More from the mountain by Barbara Edwards

I wasn’t disappointed by Mt Rainier. The park is an impressive collection of mountain views, valleys, forests that go on forever and a mixture of plants.

Its not easy to take photos when we’re traveling along the road, but I try. Bill’s gotten good at stopping when I yell “Picture! Picture!”

He’ll pull over and let people pass. I hop out if I can.

 

 

 

I tried to take some that showed how special the place is.

I love flowers and they are blooming under the dense forest canopy. The yellow skunk cabbage is a brilliant yellow.

 

Then I saw Trillium along the roadside.

I love them.

 

 

 

 

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Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska, writing Tagged: Barbara Edwards,, Mt Rainier, Skunk cabbage, Trillium

Another day, another mountain by Barbara Edwards

Mt Rainier is somewhere ahead.

The road winds past blueberry farms, cattle and horses, lumber piles.

 

 

 

Lots of sawn logs and mills. Moss covers the tree trunks and house roofs.

 

 

 

Maybe we’ll see the sun, in bits and pieces, today.

 

 

 

Mt Rainier forest

The forest is thick and lush.

The trees tower overhead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The higher we drive on the Park, the more snow we see until we reach Paradise.

 

 

 

It’s piled ten feet deep and started to snow as we stop in the parking area. There’s no electric power because of the utility repairs.

 

 

We’re in the clouds and can’t see Mt Rainier.

 

 

 

Maybe we’ll see it from the highway tomorrow.

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Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska Tagged: Barbara Edwards,, MT Rainier Park, Paradise, snow, WA

Can’t see St Helen’s by Barbara Edwards

Pulled into the campground at Silver Lake in the rain. Late afternoon and we can’t see Mt Saint Helen’s through the clouds and rain.

 

 

Glimpsed the Columbia River in the distance.

Rained hard all night and the wind blew thirty miles per hour, making the camper rock like a boat in a rough sea. I slept like a baby in spite of it.

Green

Cloudy, rainy morning and we’re headed out to the visitor’s center before driving up to view the mountain. It’s lovely rolling country with farms, vineyards and so much green. I wonder if people who’ve been to Ireland could tell me if it’s the same green.

The road is well-maintained and a few visitors’ centers are open. It’s either raining hard or cloudy, foggy and I’m not sure if Bill wants to proceed.

I take photos, but I’m not sure which is the mountain.

 

 

 

Not until we reach the Cold Water Center where they point out the cloud

Mt ST Helen’s and Barbara Edwards

covered slopes of Mt St. Helens. We can only see the bottom third, but this is usual. Like Mt. Khatadin on the East coast, its clouded over most of the time.

 

 

 

Down the valley

The sun breaks through for a few minutes where we are, but the Mountain remains shrouded. I’m not disappointed. The valley and river are beautiful, too.

Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska, writing Tagged: Barbara Edwards,, Coldwater Visitor Center, Mt ST Helen

Time to relax by Barbara Edwards

I’ve been trying so hard to journal our trip that I forgot to talk about the fun.

I love to photograph flowers and you’ll see them here and there in out log, but this was a fun item. Just picture a six inch banana slug. TaDa!

Banana Slug

This cute critter was at the base of a tree in Jedediah Smith Campground.

 

I keep looking around to avoid anything else, but saw nothing creepy.

 

We stopped at a lighthouse and walked up to the front. It’s privately owned but still in operation.

 

 

Keeno and Bill at the tidal stream

The tide comes in and cuts them off from the beach. Ah, what a life.

 

 

 

I thought I had strange moments but we passed a

Gopher hunting

happy young man attempting to catch a wild gopher. Because it was fast.

Hmmm.

 

 

 

jedidiah Smith campsite

Our campsite was really nice. The forest pressed close, with the silence of large trees and undergrowth so thick it was impossible to see a path through.

 

 

Keeno and Bill discover another bear on the Klamath River

On the Klamath River’s former bridge, Keeno found another bear statue. Makes me hope he has more brains with a real bear.

 

 

 

Stay with us as we journey. We’re having fun.

 

 

 

Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska Tagged: Banana slug, Barbara Edwards,, bear, Kenno and Bill, lighthouse

Redwood Forest Parks by Barbara Edwards

Redwoods Forest is a little like Sherwood forest, a mythical place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forty three degrees on the Golden Bluffs Beach this morning.

 

 

 

Golden Bluffs Beach

We’re up early to get past the narrow section on the gravel road. We go over the mudslide that is partially cleared from the road. Our campsite is on the beach.

 

 

 

Yep,  100 yards of black sand, crashing waves and sunshine. The noise of the waves is like a train rumbling all night. Did I mention we saw a seal on the beach? Too far to photo but a thrill.

Potholes filled with water make the going slow.

We hit 101 then turn onto the Klamath River coastal drive. I thought the other road was narrow.. This is hair-raising narrow with drop-offs and spectacular views, first of the river than the Pacific Ocean. The waves crash on the black sand beach. The road is now dirt and gravel for two miles of eight foot wide driving area. Yikes.

More views of the Pacific. Blue water, white crests on the waves, black sand make a memory worth keeping.

Next is the place in the Redwoods Forest we’re staying tonight. At the information center in Crescent City, the Ranger recommends the drive through the ‘most spectacular area in the entire forest’ to reach the Jedidiah Woods camping area. Nothing over 24 feet long, eight feet wide or fourteen high. I should have caught the high. And the wide. He smiled so nicely.

The road is not only narrow it is thin. Bill maneuvers between huge Redwood tree trunks with only inches to spare. He wonders what he’ll do if we meet another vehicle and darned it one doesn’t head for us. He squeezed past and I gave a tremendous sigh of relief. Bill laughed.

We find the camp-ground. The trees are so high there is very little sun reaching the ground. The undergrowth is lush, ferny, mossy green. Beautiful. It even smells like growing plants.

Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska Tagged: Barbara Edwards,, Golden Bluffs Beach, Keeno, Redwoods

Yosemite in the rain and snow by Barbara Edwards

I had to remind myself that Yosemite wasn’t the object of our trip, but a bonus.

It’s raining this morning and 42 degrees.

 

 

With snow predicted for tonight we have a debate about leaving. We talked to the volunteers at th ranger station and they claim it will be above 6 thousand fee, and the camp-ground is four.

Bill says let’s try the roads. He doesn’t mind driving in the rain. So. We head out for Bridal-veil Falls first and the

 

 

 

 

 

Wamona tunnel first. We’re half-way to Yosemite Valley and it is snowing. What to do?

 

 

 

We visited Bridal-veil Falls, walked to the base in the rain, Yosemite Village with its odd traffic pattern,

Yosemite

El Capitain and looked up into the rain to see the top, Yosemite Falls from the road turn-off and turned up Route 120.

 

 

 

 

Oops. Big mistake. We got turned back by the Park Rangers because we needed chains to get through the building snow. Taking 140 West to exit the park.

 

 

Filed under: Camping, Trip to Alaska Tagged: Barbara Edwards,, Bridal Veil Falls, El Capitain, snow, Yosemite