August 22 – Prince Rupert, BC to USA
After a final Alaskan dinner in a restaurant across from the ferry terminal in Ketchikan we boarded the Matanuska ferry for the final journey. After gathering our things to include a blanket & bidding good night to Bennie we went up the stairs to the lounge area to claim our seats. We were surprised to see friends, Jean & Steve, whom we had met off & on the ferries. They were from Bisbee, AZ & were taking a 2 week backpacking trip on the Alaska Maritime Highway, getting on & off the ferries & backpacking in & around the communities where the ferries stopped. They were supposed to arriving in Ketchikan that evening but instead they just stayed on the ferry because of the bad weather in that area. They would be getting off the ferry in Prince Rupert, also, but would then pick up the British Columbia ferry system to Vancouver & from there they would go to Seattle to fly home. An interesting & fun trip for them! We hit some rather “rough” seas during the night, but I’m assuming it was in the areas where the Inner Passage is not protected by the peninsula & we were totally exposed to the Pacific Ocean. I say “rough” but honestly most people on board, to include Steve, never knew that there was any wave action. I had stayed awake later just knitting & catching up on some reading & a little quiet time. The boat has quite a wide girth, so the rough waters seemed negligible. The Matanuska arrived in Prince Rupert about 5:30 am but it took us at least an hour to get through customs before we could get on our way. We became a little “nervous” when we saw the car ahead of us get searched but when our time came to be at the head of the line the custom’s agent was pleasant & asked us the usual perfunctory questions & sent us on our way. It was a cloudy & rainy day in Prince Rupert but that is what we had come to expect. We did stop at a restaurant for a little breakfast to get us back on track before beginning our day’s journey.
We drove a few hours & then Steve pulled over at a lovely rest stop & we both took about a 2 hour nap. Canada has some very beautiful rest areas & this one was quiet & was nestled among some very tall trees with a river running along side. Quite a nice rest! From there we continued our drive on through BC to the town of Burns Lake where we stopped at the Visitor’s Center & received information on a nearby campground. The following day we drove nearly 350 miles to the town of 100 Mile House (named during the gold rush days!) & camped in a municipal campground for the night. Steve grilled salmon burgers for our dinner & with a couple of sides we had an enjoyable night. The following morning (Aug 25) & after a quick cup of coffee we got an early start moving toward our destination of San Diego. What a beautiful drive we had that day! The road winded up & around & through Fraser Canyon with beautiful mountains & a deep narrow river sometimes below & sometimes along side the road. The weather is now sunny & we have gained at least 10 degrees in temperature. At the end of a long & tedious drive that day and another long & tedious wait at the US/Canada border we drove into Bellingham, WA & found a very nice WA state campground just outside of the town. It felt wonderful to be back in the Lower 48, but I have to admit that both Steve & I were in total confusion with all the roads & road networks that were everywhere. Plus I was so busy gawking & gazing at all the many stores that abounded on all sides of the roads that I was little help with the maps. We ate dinner that evening at an Italian restaurant in the very cute nearby town of Fairhaven which was just outside of Bellingham & quite near our campground.
From Bellingham we made our way south to Olympia, WA which is south of Seattle & closing in on the Oregon state line. I have notified our San Diego friends & family that just possibly we might be arriving in their areas by the weekend! Things are going well. Even though we are sad about having to leave Alaska & we have such grand memories of that beautiful state we are also excited to see Shannon & the grandchildren in San Diego & the Baldwins & Castros in Carlsbad.
