The vehicle component of the ferry was full both going out of and returning to Homer, but there were only 5 of us continuing on round-trip -- 4 resident in Alaska and 1 woman from New Mexico who has done this October trip every year since the Alaska Marine Highway System started running it.
The pier at Cold Bay. You really can't see it very well, but there is a phone booth just beyond the pier. It is in the middle of nowhere, but it actually works. It really looks bizarre -- like something out of a Monty Python sketch.
The worst weather we had was around False Pass and Akutan. We arrived at Akutan while it was still dark but on our return we were able to visit. I will cover it in the next post.
The last ferry has arrived! We will have nearly 7 hours to explore (and buy Deadliest Catch memorabilia). More to come ...
We boarded the Tustumena just after 11:30 pm (an hour late) on October 6th in a cold rain. Rain and mist persisted during the 5 days out to Dutch Harbor with the weather becoming nastiest at False Pass -- the first stop on the "Chain".
One guy from Homer and I were hoping for just a taste of the roughest of seas as we approached the Bering Sea but when we expressed this wish to a crew member he threatened to put us off the ferry on Akutan (the smallest of the Aleutians) just so we wouldn't jinx the ship. So while we did experience 50 knot winds, the waves were relatively small.
Kodiak, the first stop on the Alaskan Peninsula, is just over 9 hours from Homer. We passed stunning views on the peninsula that (with the Aleutian Islands) boasts 46 active volcanos. Most of them were shrouded in mist, however. You will notice that these photos are grey. We did have a bit more sun on the way back so photos in the next post will be more colorful.
As this is southwest Alaska, fall colors were still prominent -- a bit hard to appreciate in the absence of much sun.
Kodiak harbor
Holy Resurrection Church
The church serves the oldest Russian Orthodox parish in the New World (established in Kodiak in 1794).
The interior is strikingly beautiful. There are no benches in these churches as one is expected to stand or kneel in the presence of God.
Leaving Kodiak we head for Chignik, nearly 7 hours away.
The dock at Chignik
This is the prettiest of the harbors where the ferry docks. Even in the mist the waterfalls and the colors can be appreciated. Although you can get off the ferry and walk around for an hour or so, most businesses have closed for the winter. Chignik is a case in point -- it has a bakery famous for providing passengers with excellent pastries. After a search of the fishing village we were finally informed by a local resident that it has shut down for the season.
The October trip of the Tustumena is known as the "pumpkin run". The Safeway supermarket chain donates pumpkins to be delivered to children at all of the ferry stops on the last run of the season. Here you see residents of Chignik -- very happy with their pumpkins.
More clouds and mist on the way to Sand Point -- over 9 hours from Chignik
We arrived at Sand Point about 10:30 pm on October 8th and on the return trip arrival was 11:00 pm. Sand Point, therefore, was the only stop we never saw in daylight. Here is the ferry from the dock.
A scene from the pumpkin delivery
An expectant pumpkin recipient
Approaching Cold Bay at 9:45 am on October 9th
The pier at Cold Bay. You really can't see it very well, but there is a phone booth just beyond the pier. It is in the middle of nowhere, but it actually works. It really looks bizarre -- like something out of a Monty Python sketch.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters on Cold Bay
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
This 417,533 acres of land is home to nearly the entire North American brant population of 135,000 birds in spring and fall. They feed on large eelgrass beds in the Izembek Lagoon. We saw clouds of them preparing to fly out. The lagoon is 11 miles from Cold Bay but the US Fish & Wildlife Service runs a bus out to the lagoon when the ferry is in port.
Being on a ferry, rather than a tour, presents some risks to passengers. The crew, hearing that we were facing deteriorating weather made the decision to leave earlier than planned -- with no consideration for the fact that 8 of us were out with the Fish and Wildlife people. Luckily, there was a girls' volleyball team on their way to a game in Dutch Harbor and their teachers were with us on the bus. The girls said "You can't leave without our teachers!!!" ... so they lowered the gangway again and waited for us. It would have been serious (and expensive) to have been left at Cold Bay. The experience made me paranoid about straying from the ferry at subsequent stops.
A view from the lagoon
The village of False Pass -- the first stop in the Aleutians
That is a store at the end of the pier. It was blowing so hard they did not lower the gangway here -- only allowing cars to exit and enter.
The worst weather we had was around False Pass and Akutan. We arrived at Akutan while it was still dark but on our return we were able to visit. I will cover it in the next post.
When we finally arrived in Dutch Harbor on the morning of the 10th, we were surprised with an unusually beautiful day.
Dutch Harbor and Unalaska are beautiful.
The last ferry has arrived! We will have nearly 7 hours to explore (and buy Deadliest Catch memorabilia). More to come ...
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