The road trip has begun! I boarded the ferry at 2 am Monday morning. There were hardly any people on board, so I staked out a good spot on the solarium deck. It was a clear, cold night, but I was cozy in my sleeping bag. Amazingly, I was able to get a little sleep, then get up for breakfast at 8. I treated myself to peach pancakes from the galley. A few photos from the ferry ride:
Taken from the solarium deck of the M/V Matanuska:
A glacier:
A few sea lions hauled out on a navigation buoy:
A shot of Petersburg, AK. The colorful buildings are typical of Southeast Alaska. They need the reds and oranges to balance out all that green and blue:
Some cormorants on a can:
Dusk on the Inside Passage:
The ferry ride was quiet and relaxing. It was raining in Prince Rupert when we arrived. Luckily, I got through Canadian customs very quickly. I was a just the right spot in line. All the cars in front of me had to pull over for further inspection. They ran out of parking spaces by the time I pulled up.
I stopped at an ATM for Canadian money and then hit the road. It was vegetable mister rain. The landscape near the coast is really beautiful. It was a lot prettier this time. (Last time, there was still snow and ice.) Beautiful green mountains on all sides. This time, I notices lots of waterfalls on the mountains. I didn't know what they were at first, just silver streaks on the mountains. And then I saw some falling right beside the road.
I made it to Smithers, BC around 7. I stayed at the Stork Nest Inn (a b&b/guesthouse) along with a bunch of middle aged fly fishermen. It was nice to have a bed and a private bathroom. AND a lovely breakfast this morning: eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit.
Today was a long drive, about 8 hours, but it was actually very easy. I listened to the Diane Rehm Show podcast all morning. I stopped at a little rest stop and talked to some cyclists: 3 women who were biking across BC together.
Here are a few pictures from my trip today:
My faithful lemonade cup:
Fruit stand on the side of the road.
The Willows B&B where I'm staying. 100 Mile House, BC:
I got to the Willows around 4 pm. The owners are a retired couple named Marilyn and Brian. I went for a walk around Watson Lake. When I got back, Brian and Marilyn were practicing the trumpet and clarinet. They are in a band. I'm the only guest, so I have the whole basement to myself.
Watson Lake:
The road near the Willows:
Picnic dinner with Sophie, Marilyn and Brian's dog. I fed her crackers and she agreed to be in the photo:
Tomorrow I'm off to Bellingham, WA and Angela HEN Cota! I hope the US border is easy to cross... Yeah right.
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