Standing by for the ferry to Whittier

We were awake  by 4am, packing up and riding to the ferry terminals.  Standing by—literally—for the ferry to Whittier.  

We paid for the tickets —$210 for bike and passenger, each—and got in line to board.  The ferry was fully booked but the guys at the counter told us we had a “good chance” of getting on. He wished us luck and sent us to the loading area.  

Rain was expected—and the grey skies looked like they wanted to drizzle—but it remained dry and 49 degrees.  

A ferry ride from Valdez to Whittier:

So we were allowed passage…

After waiting an hour, while other vehicles loaded, we were given the green light to board.  We pulled the bikes between cars and RVs and strapped the bikes to the floor using provided tie-down straps, even though we’d brought our own, and went upstairs for coffee and seating in the comfortable passenger lounge.  

Breakfast was being served and biscuits and gravy were on the menu.  Now this is the way to travel!

We found window seats with views of the many islands, glaciers and snowy mountains and settled in for the 5-hour ferry ride,

I napped on and off and stared out at Prince William Sound, surrounded by glaciated fjords and inlets.  While we didn’t see any whales, we did see an otter and lots of floating ice. The smallest pieces of glacial ice in the water are called "growlers” and the bigger pieces are called "berglets.”

Upon arrival to Whittier, we took part in the controlled chaos that is the unloading of cars, trucks, RVs…and just two motorcycles…ours.  We rode right over to the railway tunnel and waited about 30 minutes for all of the larger vehicles to pass, then they allowed motorcycles to ride through the 2 1/2 mile tunnel.  Because bikes ride between the rails, we had to be very careful. 

We then rode 85 miles down the Kenai Peninsula to the town of Seward.  We grabbed some seafood, including the chowder we’d been craving, then set up tents at a nearby campground, overlooking Derby Cove, off of Resurrection Bay.  The campers near us stated they watched whales passing by earlier in the day so I do hope we get to see some.  A light rain started falling just minutes after the tents went up.  

The rest of the day was spent cleaning up,  catching up on emails and chatting with our fellow campers.  

Total mileage for the day—excluding the ferry ride—was less than 90 miles.  

Photos to follow…poor cell service.