There was a shower in the bathroom which made the bathroom a few feet bigger but I still had to do an odd dance to close the shower door and still be able to open the bathroom door to get out. It consisted mainly of two single bunks stacked on top of each other, a built in metal desk, a shelf and a bathroom that wasn’t much bigger than those you find on an airplane. Reserving a cabin on the ferry wasn’t a necessity but after traveling on the road for two weeks, I wanted to make sure I was rested up for the rest of the drive. I had paid a bit extra to reserve a cabin so after locking up my car, I headed upstairs to check in and get my cabin assignment. After a short while, dock workers began waving cars forward, directing them where to park their vehicles on board the ferry. Then I pulled into the dock, pulled my SUV into the waiting lane and munched on some of the nuts while watching drug sniffing dogs go car by car and people with suitcases, coolers and sleeping bags walk up the ramp. Everything I read about the ferry indicated that there would be food service on board but that I could also bring food with me so I picked up some fruit, nuts and a few bottles of water to snack on if the need hit. I wasn’t sure if I would get sea sick or not so I stopped and picked up some Dramamine (which it turned out I didn’t need). I arrived at the dock in B ellingham, Washington several hours early. I still had to drive a short stint through the Yukon and then North to Tok, Alaska before heading South to Anchorage but at least I had three days on the Alaskan Marine Highway to rest up for what I imagined would be the hardest part of the trip. Haines, Alaska was the closest port to where I was going and just a short two day drive to Anchorage, Alaska, which is only about a two and a half hours North of the Kenai. I didn’t have that much time or money to spend on hotels so I took a direct route to Haines, Alaska. Most of that time would have been spent in layovers that stretched from two days to a week. During the winter, its travel schedule is a bit more limited so it would have taken me three weeks to make the trip from Bellingham to Homer, which sits on the tip of the Kenai. It also provides transportation from the mainland to the smaller islands like Kodiak as well as the smaller coastal villages like Seldovia. The Alaska Marine Highway travels up the coast of Canada from Bellingham and then along the coast of Alaska. All in all, I spent close to two weeks traveling the highway so by the time I reached Bellingham, I was happy to be out of the car for a while. After spending new year’s with him and his family, I headed North again stopping to visit the parents of my childhood best friend before making the last leg of the journey to Bellingham.
I enjoyed a nice meal with Doogie and Mark before hitting the road again, heading west where I would eventually meet up with my brother in Northern California. I traveled from Oklahoma northward to Iowa where I met up with some friends. I packed everything I owned into my SUV (if it didn’t fit, I threw it out, gave it away, sold it or left it with my parents) and headed out west to Bellingham Washington where I was to catch the ferry that would take me to my new home.
So instead, I settled on a compromise.įor $1100 I purchased a ticket for my SUV on the Alaska Marine Highway. The idea of driving the road didn’t scare me as much as the idea that during the winter, the Alaskan-Canadian Highway was devoid of people and if something were to happen, no one would find me until the warmer weather drew people out of hibernation. My other option was to drive the Alaskan-Canadian Highway but the idea of driving an unforgiving stretch of road in frigid temperatures scared me. When making my decision to move to Alaska, I thought about flying but the cost of shipping all my stuff was crazy and well out of my financial reach. If you do have to make the journey during the winter, I strongly suggest taking the Alaskan Marine Highway. The best advice I have for anyone planning to move to Alaska mid-winter is to wait until the summer, especially if you plan to drive.