2004/06 Yukon trip - Getting there - |
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We loaded up in town with food and gas and propane, and camped at the Sunny Sanctuary campground. This gave us a chance to wash clothes and ourselves, recharge batteries, empty tanks, and load up on water. They still have rabbits all over the campground, reminding us of the ’98 trip when Michael and Brian had this elaborate but unsuccessful scheme to trap a rabbit. Then Christina just walked over and picked one up! The campground is only a couple of miles from the ferry terminal so it’s very popular, and they are used to people leaving early to catch the ferry and coming in late at night after docking.
Tuesday 13th July
We were up at 5 am to go line up for the Queen of the North ferry. (This was the ferry that ran aground and sank in March 2006.) As it happened there was no need to 
line up as it had plenty of room. We found great comfortable seats with a view over the bow and to port. We were looking forward to a scenic trip, threading our way between the mountains of the Inside Passage. There was only one snag: thick fog!
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Inside Passage Ferry (Port Hardy, Prince Rupert) and Yellowhead Highway to Smithers |
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The first hour was not too good as we were in open sea, rolling through the fog, but then we moved behind Calvert and Hunter islands, which smoothed things out, and the fog burned off to give us blue skies.
It’s a 15 hour, 300 mile trip to Prince Rupert, but it’s interesting the whole way as both shores are usually visible and there are islands, great green mountains, waterfalls, lighthouses, whales, dolphins, other boats, and a few villages like Bella Bella along the way. The Inside Passage is many miles from the ocean so the trip is very smooth except for a couple of short exposed sections.
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Prince Rupert Ferry (6.21) |
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I spent most of the trip bouncing around between decks taking pictures. It was actually hot, even on the windy side of the boat. The stern, out of the wind, was a furnace. Sandie was ploughing through her knitting inside, trying to finish off the “soaker” she was making for Evan. As far as I can tell, the purpose of the soaker is to make life unpleasant for the baby minder while the wetting baby stays happy. I don’t see the sense in that, but I guess I’m not supposed to. She and Karen had stalled on some piece of white-hot technology called the “kitchener stitch”, but by pure serendipity, the lady sitting in front of us, a divorced doctor’s wife on her way to go boating with a gentleman friend in Hyder Alaska, knew how to do the stitch and saved the day.
We arrived in Prince Rupert as we had left, in dense fog. We had about 15 murky miles to drive to Prodhomme Lake and we found that mainly because there is only one road out of Prince Rupert!
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