February 11, 2005

The problem: getting my daughter's car back to Alaska in mid-winter after five and half years of college and road trips in the Lower 48 (Alaskan for the 48 continguous states). I'm going to be Outside (Alaskan for outside of Alaska) on business so she picks me up in Seattle. Here we're waiting to board the MV Malaspina in Bellingham, WA.

We drive onto the car deck of the MV Malaspina. We end up in the outside lane on the port (left) side with other cars going all the way to Haines -- a 3-day journey. The car deck is tall enough for semi trucks, trailers, and RVs.

Since the car deck is closed most of the time while in transit, we pick out a few things from the stuffed car and lug them up to the cabin deck.

We've booked a two-person cabin with full facilities. It's small but comfortable. We bought a cooler and some snacks in Bellingham. For a quarter, we can get plenty of ice from a machine near the purser's desk.

Our window looks onto a small bit of deck which lies outside our cabin and one other. We refer to this as our private deck.

We explore while awaiting our 6pm departure. Above the cabin deck has a viewing lounge up front and the dining room aft. In between are a lounge with tables arranged in booths and the bar.

Savvy ferry travelers who don't have cabins have made themselves comfortable in the TV lounge two decks up.

The sun is setting when we finally glide slowly out of Bellingham's charming Fairhaven district.

Note the great Once in a Blue Moose sweatshirt! Available in t-shirts and sweatshirts.

February 12, 2005

We are still running along Vancouver Island on Saturday morning. I am surprised how big it is!

We spend more time out on deck than most people, maybe because we left wintry Anchorage and flew south to get on the ferry, so it seems relatively warm to us.

The other passengers are a mix of people who live in southeast Alaska making short hops and people moving north who've never been to Alaska before.

We are warned that the crossing of Queen Charlotte Sound (where the ferry is exposed to open ocean) may be rough. My daughter begins to feel queasy, even outside in the fresh air. It's too late for Dramamine. She spends the next four hours lying on the floor of our cabin in front of our little bathroom. The purser gives me crackers for her to avoid dry heaves. I'm okay as long as I stay out in the fresh air. I like to watch the waves. A crew member asks me to watch away from the railing, as it's too rough to launch Malaspina's fast rescue boats.

Some crew members have gathered at the Purser's since it's too rough to work. One says it's his roughest crossing of the Sound. The afternoon car deck visit is cancelled. Malaspina was built for the quiet waters of the Inside Passage and doesn't have the stabilizers the cross-Gulf ferries have. The motion reminds me of being out in our 16' runabout as a kid. The bow heaves into the air, hangs a moment, then smacks down with a loud metallic clang as the long rollers slide under us.

We follow a longer, zigzag course to avoid wallowing through the rollers sideways. The captain warns us before turning, advising parents to locate their children. Passengers and crew members ask after my daughter when I come in to check on her.

Finally we are back in protected water. My daughter is suddenly ravenously hungry! We go to the cafeteria for reuben sandwiches.

February 13, 2005

We wake up to find snow on deck Sunday morning. We've made a special stop in Prince Rupert to pick up a sports team from a SE Alaska high school.

There is an abrupt dividing line between good weather and bad along our course. Between leisurely meals in the surprisingly good cafeteria, reading aloud, and knitting, we stand with feet firmly planted in the slush and stare as Malaspina's bow follows the weather line.

Talk about calm! After our experience in Queen Charlotte Sound, I begin to understand why the Inside Passage is such an important waterway.

Malaspina is only carrying about a tenth of her capacity, so we recognize and chat with other passengers who've been on board since Bellingham.