Launch Sequence Started! 1

The launch sequence started yesterday when I recieved a phone call from the Alaska Marine Highway in Prince Rupert, BC.  The second the gentleman said, "Hi Rob, this is John from the Alaska Marine Highway system" I knew they had cancelled my ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan.  That ferry would have given me 48 more hours of Mexican food, Chinese food, Mariners, 710 ESPN Seattle, and time with my honey.          

The ferry game is tricky because there's only one sailing from Ketchikan to Prince of Wales Island at 3:30 p.m..  Miss that sailing and you get gouged by the overpriced hotels in Ketchikan and you're stuck twiddling your thumbs for an extra day in Ketch in a sea of tourists.  So, when I set up my journey to Alaska every year I catch an early ferry out of Rupert that arrives a couple hours before the island ferry takes off, getting it all done in one day.  Wham, bam, thank you maam! 

The end result is that I had to book an earlier ferry, two days earlier to be exact, from Rupert to Ketchikan that lands at exactly 3:30 p.m., the same time the other ferry leaves.  Sooo, I spent quite a bit of time yesterday trying to bribe the nice folks at the Interisland Ferry Authority to hold the boat just long enough so that I can slam the Charter Wagon on deck and head to Craig.  Miss the boat and I'm stuck with 10,000 cruise-shippers picking their way thru the sea of jewelry and gift shops that is downtown Ketchikan.  No thanks!    

Here's how the drive works:
Bellingham to Prince Rupert-961 Miles
Alaska Marine Highway, Prince Rupert to Ketchikan, 6 hours
Ketchikan to Prince of Wales Island, 3 hours
Hollis to Craig, 35 miles

Breaking the Chains!
Somewhere around Spences Bridge in BC is where the chains of the Lower 48 break and the mental pace slows considerably.  I can't tell you how many times I've looked down at my spedometer to find that I'm going 10 miles per hour "under" the speed limit.  Aside from a few whoop-dee-doos and potholes along the journey, it's fairly easy driving all the way thru BC. The scenery from Prince George to Prince Rupert is to die for and it's hard to keep the rig between the lines there's so much incredible scenery to look at.  The Swiss Alps have nothing on this place!

With all of the supplies going out next week on the barge and nothing to tow the drive should be fairly simple.  Knock on wood!  Shipping the Costco order north to Craig is so easy it's hardly worth the trouble and added weight of packing the rig to the gunwales with three months worth of food and beverages.      

For the next three months life is simple.  Fish, eat, sleep!