We arrived in Whittier on Thursday morning at 6am. I walked through the pedestrian underground tunnel over to the Anchor Inn.
They weren’t open yet for breakfast, but I was able to sit and use their wifi until they were ready. Whittier lived up to its reputation of being rather bleak. We had rain and wind to accompany the view of the old Soviet-style buildings. However, the people make up for the surroundings. They were so friendly and helpful. I did have a few minutes to check out the tiny local musuem, which did a great job highlighting some of the local history. Still, I think the prettiest thing in Whittier is the Ferry sign.
We left Whittier around 11am. As we pulled away from the port, you could tell something was different. The ship felt even emptier. Most folks had departed at Whittier for Anchorage. We now have only 33 passengers onboard until Kodiak Island. That means there are more crew on the ferry than passengers!
It was a rainy day (and night) crossing the Gulf over to Kodiak. During the day, the crew practiced some drills. First they did some fire drills… complete with gearing up and using fire hoses.
Then they did some Abandon Ship drills. For these, they lowered the life boats (not quite all the way down to the water, but enough to practice using the hydraulics that lower and raise the boats).
We also made a quick one hour stop in Chenega Bay. This is a tiny (and I mean, TINY) village of folks who were affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. You can see the oil spill recovery units on the water and on the docks (put in place for any future spills). They were recipients of settlement money (and they also had someone who invested for the town in the Dot.com days and they cashed out in time to do really well). This means, basically, the people here don’t need to work, other than fish when they want to. There was no cell service in port. The main reason we stop here is for the locals to come aboard and buy some fresh baked pie or a burger or two.
On across the Gulf to Kodiak Island. We had some rolling and pitching as we crossed the open water. Not much to do but get a last night of sleep on the ferry!
I awoke early as we were pulling into Kodiak. At 6am a few of us disembarked and went in search of coffee. One of my fellow passengers is a traveler from Texas, Robert, who is creating his own adventure. He came to Kodiak in search of summer work. At the coffee shop he started making friends with the locals, finding about odd jobs, and putting up his “Available for Hire” sign on the bulletin board. I’m sure he’ll find something and have an amazing summer here. We walked into town together and I enjoyed learning about his life in Texas, his plans to eventually go to grad school to become a licensed dietician, and his thoughts about Alaska.
Found a great coffee shop right on the harbor. A great way to spend the day.
I have a few hours left in Kodiak, so I’ll walk around for a while before heading back to the ferry. Then it will be time to pack up and get ready to arrive at my final port: Homer. This has been an amazing trip on the ferry and a great way to start my summer season here in Alaska.