Post by northwesterner on Jul 16, 2009 14:16:28 GMT -8
Greetings.
I've been meaning to write this report for weeks. For the third summer out of the last four, I have taken a job in Juneau, Alaska, driving tour buses for the cruise ship industry.
In past years, I simply flew up and borrowed a company van whenever I needed to get around. This year, however, I wanted my car. Comparing costs, I found that it was actually quite a bit cheaper to drive my car all the way to Skagway, than to put it on in Bellingham or Prince Rupert. It was an 1800 mile drive. I did it solo, driving 14 hrs the first day (Seattle to Chetwynd, BC), 12 the second (Chetwynd to Watson Lake, YT) and 5 the third (Watson Lake to Skagway).
The Columbia was scheduled for a 1545 departure from Skagway (June 1st), which meant at 1345 check in at the Skagway terminal. Luckily, with the time change to Alaska time when I crossed the board, I bought myself an hour.
The Columbia does a tight turnaround in Skagway from its northbound sailing from Bellingham, and was running late. I was told to park the car in a certain lane and return by 1445, as it wouldn't begin loading before then. The Columbia didn't even appear until about 1415.
Here she is, sitting in the berth at Skagway, shadowed by a large RCI cruise ship.
We left Skagway about 30 minutes late, around 1615. There were four ships in at Skagway, but the town felt strangely empty. The recession was taking its toll on the cruise ship industry, and it was apparent as I strolled around the small town.
Here are some views as the Columbia sails down Lynn Canal.
View from the lounge chair in the Solarium as we turned into Haines.
I didn't take any pictures of us in Haines. I was tired from all the driving, and took a nap in one of the lounges while we were in port. We left Haines over an hour late, apparently because they had a hard time getting some trucks loaded and turned around.
The reclining chair lounge:
Forward lounge:
Who is this muppet under the solarium?
Side deck:
Bridge wing departing Haines:
The Rules:
The tent area. Check out that guy's beard.
The formal dining room:
Lighthouse with Chilkats in the background:
Watching the Chilkats from the railing:
The scary retro cocktail lounge that hasn't been modified one bit since the Columbia entered service. I felt out of place since I didn't have any polyester pants.
Sunset on Lynn Canal:
Goodnight, moon:
We arrived Juneau about 45 minutes behind schedule, at around 2330. I drove the car off, and headed to my apartment in downtown Juneau.
Why do I keep going back to Juneau to drive? SE Alaska is pretty much the last place an American can drive old GM Fishbowls. Being a bus foamer first, I can't let this opportunity pass me by, especially considering the fleet is rapidly dwindling and may be down to single digits by next year.
I've been meaning to write this report for weeks. For the third summer out of the last four, I have taken a job in Juneau, Alaska, driving tour buses for the cruise ship industry.
In past years, I simply flew up and borrowed a company van whenever I needed to get around. This year, however, I wanted my car. Comparing costs, I found that it was actually quite a bit cheaper to drive my car all the way to Skagway, than to put it on in Bellingham or Prince Rupert. It was an 1800 mile drive. I did it solo, driving 14 hrs the first day (Seattle to Chetwynd, BC), 12 the second (Chetwynd to Watson Lake, YT) and 5 the third (Watson Lake to Skagway).
The Columbia was scheduled for a 1545 departure from Skagway (June 1st), which meant at 1345 check in at the Skagway terminal. Luckily, with the time change to Alaska time when I crossed the board, I bought myself an hour.
The Columbia does a tight turnaround in Skagway from its northbound sailing from Bellingham, and was running late. I was told to park the car in a certain lane and return by 1445, as it wouldn't begin loading before then. The Columbia didn't even appear until about 1415.
Here she is, sitting in the berth at Skagway, shadowed by a large RCI cruise ship.
We left Skagway about 30 minutes late, around 1615. There were four ships in at Skagway, but the town felt strangely empty. The recession was taking its toll on the cruise ship industry, and it was apparent as I strolled around the small town.
Here are some views as the Columbia sails down Lynn Canal.
View from the lounge chair in the Solarium as we turned into Haines.
I didn't take any pictures of us in Haines. I was tired from all the driving, and took a nap in one of the lounges while we were in port. We left Haines over an hour late, apparently because they had a hard time getting some trucks loaded and turned around.
The reclining chair lounge:
Forward lounge:
Who is this muppet under the solarium?
Side deck:
Bridge wing departing Haines:
The Rules:
The tent area. Check out that guy's beard.
The formal dining room:
Lighthouse with Chilkats in the background:
Watching the Chilkats from the railing:
The scary retro cocktail lounge that hasn't been modified one bit since the Columbia entered service. I felt out of place since I didn't have any polyester pants.
Sunset on Lynn Canal:
Goodnight, moon:
We arrived Juneau about 45 minutes behind schedule, at around 2330. I drove the car off, and headed to my apartment in downtown Juneau.
Why do I keep going back to Juneau to drive? SE Alaska is pretty much the last place an American can drive old GM Fishbowls. Being a bus foamer first, I can't let this opportunity pass me by, especially considering the fleet is rapidly dwindling and may be down to single digits by next year.
