Leg #: 17 (Day 88-93)

Location: Juneau, Ketchikan and Alaskan inside passage to Bellingham WA via Alaska Marine Highway (ferry)

Mileage Driven leg/total:

*unknown miles on ferry but 4 days/3 nights spent on water passage

37 / 8445

Road Conditions: Great conditions all around. Ocean passage was smooth, too. Announcement predicted some rough water so we prophelatically took some Dramamine, but we didn’t feel we really needed it on the end.

Weather: Very Fall like. Cooler, overcast and lots of rain, although we did have a beautifully sunny and 72°F day in Juneau and another lovely 68°F day while on the ferry.

Tofu Status:

• All systems working well.

• Even after 4 days on the ferry, our lithium phosphate batteries which power our fridge/freezer were still at 65% SOC. We are very happy with that!

Highlights:

• Wildlife Sightings: nada, nothing, zilch. Ok, we did see a lot of migrating salmon in Juneau and a few orcas waaaay in the distance on the ferry but no animal animals.

• We had 3 hours in port in Ketchikan so we got the Bromptons out for a bike ride around town. It was great to stretch our legs but bicycles must not be very popular here as the Alaska drivers didn’t give us very wide berth and it was a bit scary at times. Good thing we are electrified.

• Oh how we loved Juneau. We should have scheduled more time here. Beautiful views of the mountains, ocean, the Mendenhall glacier, friendly locals, lots of bike lanes and so so much less expensive then the rest of Alaska. It certainly has a lot of cruise and tourism traffic, but Juneau seemed to not be defined by that. Interestingly, most of tourists come via cruise, so there was not a ton of cars. Even at Mendenhall Glacier, which gets close to a million visitors each year, there was <100 car parking spaces and the parking lot was only partially filled. If we were to pick a city in Alaska to live it would 100% be Juneau. Our opinion might change if we here in the middle of January.

• We met the owner, Johnnie, of a Tesla with a Starlink strapped on the rooftop. He has driven his Tesla from NY to the Arctic (only 2nd time, but 1st in winter) and he is making a documentary about his experience driving and living in his car. Johnnie is passionate, a dreamer, eccentric and inspirational. It was just a chance encounter in a random parking lot. He had so many great stories and he had both of us laughing so hard. He was a delight to meet. Here is an article about him: https://www.nnsl.com/…/man-drives-tesla-to-arctic…/

• We hiked a bunch of short hikes around Juneau but liked the quick Point Caroline and Lena Point Trails the best. The beginning ofcthe Lena trail was walking on wood planks through a lush rainforest. Both trails appeared to be more community trails vs. tourist trails. Both with lovely views and no other people, too.

• Tony got in a road bike and we also got 2 Brompton rides completed in between the rain while in Juneau.

Lowlights:

• Our Alaska adventure is over and we don’t want it to end! We Alaska and it has more than met our expectations. We are in post vacation blues stage.

• Our car ferry accommodations was a bit rough. Our ferry was built in 1972 and I don’t think it has been remodeled since. Our cabin was very basic. Worse than a dorm room but better than a prison cell. Our DIY van is luxury in comparison. In addition, we were directly over the engines and the loud, constant noise and vibration was not soothing. One night I slept only 3 hours.

• We both had cabin fever being cooped up this long on the ferry. We have spent longer in our van and not felt like this so it probably has something to do with feeling like a prisoner on this ferry and not being in control (now I am getting deep).

Tiger (Provan) Sightings: Tony = 2, Tracey = 0

Next: Bellingham, WA