A Kodiak Welcome!

It doesn't seem possible, but we have arrived on Island.  Kodiak, the Emerald Isle.  Its green, very green. Green is everywhere with a hint of pink from the Fire Weed.  Fire Weed is everywhere and reminds me a lot of Lupine in the New England.  Its blooms, its lovely too look at it and very hard to get rid of.  In Alaska they say, when the last Fire Weed blooms then there is only 3 weeks until Winter.

Anyway, I have digressed.  We arrived bright and early with a 5am wake-up call to only sit in our car while the carport was unloaded.  Alas, we were the first ones on in Bellingham, thus the last car off in Kodiak.  Its also interesting to point out, that to get off the Ferry the cars are loaded four at time on an elevator and lifted up to reach the pier.  I had known that two people from Andy's office were going to meet us, I was unprepared for the FIVE smiling faces.  A lovely bunch, ranging from two C-130 Pilots that Andy knew, to two people from Andy's office, and one of their spouses.

After quick introductions we headed to breakfast and it was just what we needed.  One of the families had make us cookies too!  Once filled up with good food, and friendly faces, we headed to the base to see where Andy would work.  Wow!  The Engineering building is one of the newer buildings and its lovely.  Andy's desk had been set up and a name plated ordered. Andy's got a great view overlooking the base.

As with all new locales we had to check in with the electric company, the oil company, the post office..blah, blah, blah...the boring stuff.  The girls and I were anxious to see our new digs!  We were not at all disappointed.  Its a lovely little house set in a standard Kodiak neighborhood (more on that later), with a great feeling about it.  The kids picked their rooms, ran around like chickens and didn't want to leave.  We have already planned our first home improvement project...new carpeting. 

In the meantime, we are living in guest housing on base.  Its a two roomsuite with laundry facilities.  I promised to take the girls swimming tomorrow to get the cobwebs out.  We expect to get our household goods delivered on Tuesday.  It will be nice to get moved in and sleep in our own beds.

A little bit of home popped up today too in the history of Kodiak:  The Star Of Kodiak, was built in Portland ME, and now it serves as a seafood processing plant.
http://www.alaska.org/detail/the-star-of-kodiak

I will keep the blog up as we settle into life here on the Island. I am sure we will have some funny stories as we figure out the local way...

Elevator off of Ferry

Our Arrival

Early Morning Kodiak

Our  home

Lots of Mail

This house is near us...lots of engines.

Downtown

Very Industrial. Lots of fishing, and seafood production.

Ferry Pictures

Yes!  We are still alive and doing well.  Feeling excited and nervous and READY to get to Kodiak tomorrow morning early.

We've started loading the car back up and have spent the morning in Whittier, AK.  Its a small fishing down with a lovely Inn and finally a HOT breakfast.  We all looking forward to eating really good food, hot food.

There isn't much to say but the pictures show the scenery we've been privledged to see, we've read lots of books and watched a few movies. We've made some friends.
Enjoy.

Ketchikan

Sunset at Sea

Mendenhall Glacier Juneau

Bald Eagle Nest with Friends

Salmon Hatchery

Canadian Lighthouse

Glacier At Sea. Amazing.

Whitter Waterfall

Ketchikan to Juneau

Day two is in the books! Ketchikan was a lovely little fishing village minus the five cruise ships in port!

We took the bus into town, saw a few locals and then headed back to the ferry. The bonus where the seaplanes taking off and landing next to the ferry and over the fishing boats. It was beautiful.

We lost a few passengers in Ketchikan but Molly made some friends and spent the afternoon doing little girl giggles. A lovely sound. 

We saw a few whale spouts from a distance an the water was flat calm. The highlight was the pod of dall dolphins out of window. 

The sunset was lovely and we pulled into Juneau bright and early.

We met two lovely women who convinced us to share a taxi to the Mendenhall Glacier. I am so glad they did! It was lovely and chilly!

We met our friends in town and took the tram up the mountain. I'll have to post pictures later when we have service. We hiked and enjoyed the scenery. Unfortunately a certain two year old was up early with lack of food so the hike for her was less than enjoyable.

On our way back to the ferry we stopped at the salmon hatchery. Again wow. Tons of salmon are released daily.

The engines have started. Off to Yukatat.

Pictures from Day One On Ferry

The Joca's are in Ketchikan.  Our first step onto Alaskan Soil.
 Its cold, damp and drizzly, but we are dry and happy.  The ferry has been relaxing and comfortable.  Only have a few minutes to type, as we are on the Bus Schedule and Ferry Schedule and need to make the boat!

Here are a few pictures!

Lunch in Bellingham, WA

Driving On Ferry

Our Stateroom. So incredibly lucky to get a window and a bathroom.

Yes! people tent on deck, sleep on the floor, in recliners etc...

Settling In...

Car Call.

A small Canadian Town

Canadian Lighthouse

A Day On The Ferry....

We made it on the ferry! I am so glad Andy was driving because cars drove onto the ferry and then had to back into a tiny, tiny space. The cars are so close together that when a huge F150 pickup was parked next to us we couldn't open the doors. 

We hurried up to the Pursers office for a room assignment. We are so thankful and lucky to have not only a four berth unit but a window. It's a small and functional room. Upon exploring the ship I wouldn't want to be in a two bunk roomette or without a window. I am also amazed at how many people are camping out on the decks and chairs.

One of the more humorous exchanges took place between Andy and the Chief Steward. One of our bunks is missing a plastic knob on the level to release the bed. Amelia promptly cut her hand on it so Andy went and asked if a plastic knob could be found. The Chief Steward looks Andy directly in the eye and says "I was just told we are all out of plastic knobs." REALLY?! 

Andy kept a straight face and we got a temporary solution of duck tape but an hour later we had the correct knob in place. I am just wonder whose room she took it from :).

Things to do on the ferry are very limited. There is very little frills or comforts. The ship is clean. I am glad we brought food on with us as the cafe is functional, edible, but very expensive.

It seems most people are waiting for a whale sighting. We did see some flipper action and a spout off in the distance but nothing extreme. I also glimpsed a seal out our window but it happened so fast!

There are a range of families, single backpackers, wandering souls, and middle aged/ retired people onboard. I think if I was vacationing I'd take a cruise ship instead :).

In fact I am realizing Amelia is the wrong height and keeps bumping, tripping and falling into everything.

To the ferry and we wait....

We left seattle fairly early to explore, grocery shop, and eat lunch in Bellingham.

Traffic was super heavy for a Saturday morning and Bellingham was nothing like I expected. A crowded town with lots of character. So many people come they here on their way into Canada or to catch one of the ferries. 

We grocery shopped for the trip with lots of fresh fruit and breakfast and lunch items. Hoping to save a few dollars and our stomachs by not eating in the cafe. We also picked up binoculars. A must have for whale watching and wildlife spotting.

We were told not once but twice to be in your car at 3pm. We were here in time and not too early.  A quick turn in the terminal and we wait, we wait, we wait... 

It's now 5pm and still not on the ferry.

I am sure we will get on soon and get a room, unpack, eat and get underway.

24 hours until our next port.

Final Day in Seattle

Our last day in Seattle brought a bright sunny day.  We did mundane stuff in the morning with the promise of the Science Center for the girls in the afternoon. We are now repacked, reorganized, and only have a grocery stop to make before boarding the ferry.

We wandered downtown Seattle about lunch time and realized it was the Bite of Seattle.  Picture several stages with a variety of music and more food vendors, beer gardens, craftsmen for as far as the eye could see!  We each had a little bit of something fun to eat and decided to head into the science center.  Mom and Dad could have stayed and listened to music, played on the lawn, but the girls had one thing in mind....SCIENCE.

The Center was great for kids, and full of interesting facts.  It was the perfect size and scale for Molly but Amelia was  bit small.  She tagged along and participated in all that she could manage.
By far our favorite was the Butterfly Pavilion.  Butterflies, fly around you, float on you, dance on you and it was magical.

Its dinner time now and we are meeting one of Andy's old friends from the Coast Guard Academy.

Not sure how the Blog will work once we board the ferry but will continue to post when possible.