June 29, 2018

Waking up this morning was like something out of a story book or a movie.  The sounds of the waterfalls and the birds echoed in the silence of this pristine corner of the world.  Once again the clouds were hanging low enough to cover the tops of the little mountains that completely encircle our oasis on the edge of the calm sea waters.  The misty morning just adds to the mystery and majesty of the place.  Whittier was memorable for the tunnel into it and for this perfect spot to camp for the night.  

Lucky for us there was a worker preparing to mow the grass around this area and so we were able to find out that there is a free dump site and water refill just next to the cannery in town.  Since all of our levels are getting up there we decided we’d better take advantage of the opportunity and just get ‘er done.  It took a little driving around the townsite to find that sani dump but eventually our perseverance won out and we were backed in and ready to “unload”.  Lynda decided she would like to try her hand at doing the dump this time and I was happy to pass the torch!  She donned the gloves and pulled the plug on the dump hole and she was ready to go.  Pulling that sewer hose out of it’s cubby and getting it all connected to the waste pipe is a bit tricky and she’d taken her glasses off “just in case”.  But again she persevered and in the end won the battle of getting the little slots lined up with the little tabs and making sure nothing could leak out in this very shitty process.

She let the black water run till it stopped and then we dumped a full bucket of fresh water down the toilet just to make sure.  Then she stopped the black and opened the gray to continue the flushing/cleaning of the system.  Once everything had stopped running it was time to unhook those little tabs from the little slots which she did like a master.  Unfortunately this was one of those times when things hadn’t gone as they were supposed to!  She got the sewer hose half off and could see that there were still solids half in and half out.  EEEK!  She stuck that hose back on so fast nothing had a chance to spill out; and back into the RV I went with buckets of water.  We refilled both the black and the gray tanks with clear water this time and then she went through the entire process of dumping again.  This time I’m happy to report....all went as planned and we likely have the cleanest RV sewer system in Alaska!

Once our RV was clean as a whistle we decided to check out that ferry office....just in case.....  You’re not going to believe it but....yes the ferry was sold out (and is sold out until July 4th) BUT they agreed to put us on a stand by list (we were #1).  They came out to confirm that we are 20’ long and within minutes they were able to change our status from standby to confirmed.  WAHOO!  We were going to get on the ferry!!!  This really is another lucky day for us and we really like being lucky!!!  :-)

We were the last vehicle on the ferry and boy oh boy did they have us packed in there like sardines!  Vehicles went on one at a time and the ferry staff did a great job of guiding us into our teeny tiny space.  Our mirrors were all pushed in and.....Honestly there was just over an inch between the side of my overcab roofline and the steel beams of the ferry!  Our propane was turned off, our emergency brake was engaged, and we were directed up to the passenger decks where we spent the next 7 hours ogling the shoreline and the icebergs and the glaciers and the sea lions and the seals and the mist over the mountains and the snow capped mountains in the distance and....well you get the picture.  We had the best part of an Alaskan cruise on our little ferry through Prince William Sound this afternoon!  

Once we arrived in Valdez we drove off the ferry through the side of the boat.  It’s been a long time since I was on a ferry that used this method of offloading.  Once again...it was all seamless and we were on terra firma in a pretty little town that has been described as the “Switzerland of Alaska”.  Valdez is surrounded by mountains and is nestled on the edge of the sea.  It has wide streets and an air of calm welcome about it.  It is also known for having more waterfalls than anywhere else and a few of them are considered to be some of the best in the world for different reasons.  Bottom line....it’s a pretty little place.  When we could first see the massive oil storage tanks on the hills as we entered the port area I wondered what the town would be like but I must say...I’m very pleasantly surprised.

There are a few RV campgrounds right in town but they were so packed we just couldn’t bring ourselves to do it...especially after last night in that perfect spot in Whittier.  So, we headed out of town (just about 5 miles) to a campground that is operated by the military but open to the public.  We’ve signed in here for two nights at $25/night and were lucky enough to get the spot closest to the washrooms and showers which are free....wahoo!

Its been another great day on the road...well....actually it was more the waterways than the roads today but it was great nonetheless AND a pretty easy way to travel all the way from Whittier to Valdez!  In fact, we were figuring out the cost of the ferry vs driving and when we take into consideration the strong likelihood that we will go over our maximum mileage that was included with our rental...I’m pretty sure this ferry was cheaper than if we’d driven the road so....I’m choosing to say that today Lynda and I lucked out and got a FREE Alaskan cruise!  Wahoo!

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?  Hopefully somewhere to do some laundry!  It is definitely time!!  LOL....till then,

L & L