The ferry trip to Juneau was certainly memorable. The trip took three days, with stops in Ketchican, Rangle, Petersburg and Sitka before landing in Juneau, with stops beyond at Haines and the final destination Skagway. So there was a mix of vehicles with different destinations that had to be organized such that each could reach their destination with minimal fuss.
Our vessel was the MV Augusta. Built in 1974 in Puget Sound it is 418 feet long, 85 feet wide and a gross tonnage of almost 4000 tons. It is designed to carry 500 passengers, with accommodation in four and two berth cabins for 292. Our trip accommodated about 300 passengers. Those not staying in cabins had options to grab some space in the lounge, or under the solarium on the top deck. Another option was to pitch a tent in aft sections of the upper decks. Tents were secured to the deck using duct tape.
The days are leisurely as the vessel winds its way through the inland passage, sometimes through narrow passages with tree studded ridges and islands on either side.
Sometimes we encountered other ferries (e.g. BC Ferries) and the occasional cruise ship (the Queen Elizabeth was moored at Sitka) as well as local fishing boats and other private craft.
Wildlife included bald eagles, herons, and humpback and killer whales. No bears though, although many probably resident in the surrounding terrain.
The ferry has a dining room, snack room and a bar as well as guest laundry facilities and communal showers (one for the guys; another for the ladies). We made use of the ‘male side’ equipment to do our laundry.
Met a number of fellow travelers. There was a couple from California with their friend heading to Haines and on to Anchorage area to visit a friend’s newly acquired cabin. He is a general contractor on a mission to inspect the new property. This group camped on the aft deck.
Another nice couple was from Oregon. Past patrons of the Sturgis rally, they traded in their Harley’s a few years ago, so were quite interested in our travels. There was a retired serviceman who was – in his spare time – a sometimes vocalist for the Mighty Manatees, a band from Philadelphia. Their plans in Alaska include some serious off-roading in side-by-sides.
There were several other motorcycles besides ours. One chap is a self-described ‘nomad’ driving on a Yamaha Tenere, who is taking each day as it comes. He will depart at Haines. The other is a software engineer from Burlington Ontario, aboard a 1250 GSA. He has been knocking off BDR (Backroads Discovery Routes) across north America, having recently completed the Colorado BDR.
Along the way we acquired additional riders at Sitka (a vintage BMW boxer and a Spyder with trailer) headed back to Bellingham but did not meet up with the drivers themselves.
Getting a meal on the ferry proved more challenging than it should have been. Dinner can take an hour wait before being seated and then another hour before getting our meals. There was a palpable discontent among the kitchen staff, and it affected production. Apparently there is only a half crew given the number of passengers on this trip.
Otherwise the berth was comfortable and warm. A pleasant refuge when the other amenities on the boat proved to exciting to handle.
We finally landed in Juneau Auk Bay terminal at around 6:00 pm, bid our farewells to our fellow travelers and drove through pelting rain to our hotel in Juneau.