Boat ride to Taku Harbor

Taku Harbor Float with shore access. (Patricia E. Harding)

"So beautiful ... that by one sympathetic impulse we named it Eden.”

      During Memorial Day Weekend 2017, Roger and I boarded the Dawntreader at Aurora Harbor in Juneau for an overnight cruise to Taku Harbor, located on the eastern shore of Stephens Passage, 22 miles southeast of Juneau. Taku Harbor is a popular place for recreational boaters and fishermen. Southeast Alaska Sailing has annual Memorial Day and Labor Day races to Taku Harbor. After a long day of sailing, the group gathers on the dock for a potluck meal and socializing.

Southeast Alaska Sailing teams prepare
to leave the harbor and race to Juneau.
(Patricia E. Harding)

     The State of Alaska Division of Parks and Natural Resources operates the Taku Harbor State Marine Park. The Tiger Olson public use cabin sleeps six for $45 per night and is located 100 feet from the public dock. The City and Borough of Juneau Docks and Harbors Department operates the Taku Harbor Moorings / Public Transient Moorage which consists of overnight mooring on two public floats: Taku Harbor Float with 890 linear feet of side moorage with shore access and Stockade Point Float with 300 linear feet of side moorage with no shore access.

The 25-foot Dawntreader

on the left is dwarfed by

the 65-foot Alaska Quest.
(Patricia E. Harding)

     Some boaters sail to Taku Harbor every year for Memorial Day weekend. They relax on the dock, set crab pots, or fish in the harbor from their dingies or paddle around in kayaks and canoes. We were on a 25-foot Albin cruiser, perfect for two people on a short trip to Taku Harbor. Most of the other boats tied up were bigger than ours, including the Alaska Quest, a 65-foot, custom made steel expedition trawler used for a family-owned, southeast cruising business in the vicinity of Admiralty Island. This weekend was the family’s first get-together of the summer before their cruising season began.

     The best part about exploring little known places like Taku Harbor is discovering its history in things left behind. Old pilings, a rusted boiler in the woods, and a neglected shack are artifacts of the past. They make me wonder, who lived here? What did they do? Why did they leave? In the mountains, water, wind, and trees I sense the spirit of past souls, and it makes me want to learn more about the people who were here before me.

Boiler lost in time and in the weeds. (Patricia E. Harding)

The Taku Tlingit

     The Tlingit who lived in this area were called Taku, or Taku-kon, or “people of the Taku.” Between 1840 and 1880, explorers referred to the Taku as Taku-kon, Taku-kuan, Thakhu-khoan, Taku, Taco, Taco/Samdan, Tacos/Sundowns, and Tacoo. (Krause, p. 78) The land and seas around the Taku River and Taku Bay “at the foot of the mighty glaciers” (Krause, p. 6) were theirs to hunt and fish. They also had trading routes to the interior through tributaries of the Yukon. In 1880, the Taku had four villages, each named after the chief of the village: Tokeatl’s Village with 26 people, Chitklin’s Village with 113, Katlany’s Village with 106, and Fotshou’s Village with 24 inhabitants.

The Taku Tlingit were the original people of
the Taku region. (Ano-Thlosh, Chief of the Taku
Tribe of Thlinght [Tlingit] natives. Copyright 1906.
Alaska State Library, Lantern Slides of Alaska
Photo Collection)

(Krause, p. 69) Like their neighbors, the Auk, many Taku later settled in Juneau near the swift river now known as Gold Creek. They named their village Tsenta-ka-hini, the name given to one of the middle schools in Juneau now spelled, Dzantik’i Heeni.

Hudson's Bay Company

     The Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post in Taku Harbor in 1840. Often referred to as Fort Taku, Fort Durham was named after the Earl of Durham who at the time was the Governor General of Canada. The fort had a total of 35 people on its roster over its three years of existence with about 26 men at any one time. That number may have been larger during the summer of 1840 while the fort was being built. Fifteen of the men were from Oahu, Hawaii, then known as the Sandwich Islands. One native, James Tod, is listed on the roster as are 19 French Canadians, called Metis. Five of the men were English or Scottish. (Olson, p. 11-12)

Historical ariel view of Taku Harbor
(Taku Harbor 8-4-29. Alaska State Library Photo Collection.)

     Taku Harbor was not the intended location of the fort. Commanding Officer and Chief Factor James Douglas aboard the sailing ship Vancouver and accompanied by the steamer Beaver first explored the Taku River in search of a suitable site to build a trading fort where they could trade with the Chilcat and other natives of Cross Sound. The majestic beauty of the area awed Douglas: “...many portions of good clear land profusely covered with grasses and flowering plants, in full bloom, which made it look so beautiful, in contrast with the desolate regions around, that by one sympathetic impulse we named it Eden.” (Olson, p. 13) However, the company did not find a suitable site on the river. The waters were too shallow at low tide (in some places just half a foot.) Strong currents, icebergs, and winter ice made the river difficult to navigate. Finally, the lack of flat land on which to build and lack of logging trees left the company empty handed. When they were about to give up, a friendly Taku they called “Locality” told Douglas about a small harbor just 20 miles south of Point Salisbury. “It possesses a safe harbour of easy access, abundance of good timber, together with the most important advantage of being directly in the high way of trade and at a convenient distance for the Natives of Chilcat and Cross Sound.” (Olson, p. 36)

     

Shore access from Taku Harbor
Float. (Patricia E. Harding)

The English Hudson’s Bay Company operated the post through a lease from the Russian America Company that gave the English rights to trading with the natives on the mainland coast (Auk, Taku, Chilcat) between 54 degrees 40’ north latitude to Cape Spencer in exchange for 2,000 Columbian sea otters per year. The Russians retained trading rights with natives of the islands (Klawock, Kake, Sitka.) Each company would keep a record of furs acquired from each other's territory. At the end of the year, they would reconcile accounts and transfer the balances. Douglas clearly and courteously, yet firmly, reminded the Russian American Fur Company of their agreement in a letter he wrote after receiving reports that the Chilcat sold all their furs to the Russian steam vessel Nicolai I. (Olson, p. 40)

The Hudson's Bay Blanket

     The Hudson's Bay Company’s prized woolen blankets were highly valued and used as currency. (Krause, p. 212) The company wove “points” into the borders of the blankets in an attempt to set the blankets' prices. According to the Oregon Historical Society (Binus, 2004), the natives did not go along with set prices for blankets. They believed in negotiation. The point system was later used by weavers to indicate the blanket’s size, since the points could easily be seen while the blanket was still folded. (Wikipedia.) A four-point blanket was most valuable while a one-point blanket was least valuable because it was the smallest, not because of inferior quality. A rich person owned hundreds of blankets folded and stored in large boxes. (Krause, p. 212) The Hudson's Bay Company once operated 36 hunting stations along the mainland coastline until its lease with the Russians ended in 1865.

Obstacles to Trade

     No Tlingits were known to have lived in Taku Harbor until after Fort Durham was built. The Taku Tlingits were not happy with the fort and tried to sabotage its efforts by kidnapping men and trying to set fire to the fort. One explanation for the animosity is the Hudson's Bay Company displaced the Taku Tlingit's role as intermediary trader between the natives on the coast and natives in the interior. The liquor trade proved to be another obstacle to trade. So bad in fact, that the British and Russians agreed to forbid trading alcohol with the Tlingit -- a successful move until "the country was overrun with gold miners and trading from California, who made a lucrative business of buying furs in exchange for liquor and from that time to this, this crying evil could not be stopped." (Olson, p. 46) Finally, poor weather conditions -- Finlayson reported rain nine out of 12 months -- and the unprofitability of the fort factored in the decision to close it in 1843. 

The Cannery

       I found little published about Taku Harbor from the time the fort closed until the time the cannery opened; however, it is believed that some Tlingits and whites settled there as residents after the fort closed. In 1898 there was a saltery.

Historic photo of the Pacific Cold Storage Plant and Cannery,
(Alaska State Library, Case & Draper Photo Collection)

Canning and cold storage for the fishing industry came to Taku Harbor in 1903 with the establishment of Taku Harbor Cannery by the San Juan Fish Company. In 1906-1908 John L. Carlson leased and then bought the cannery and developed it until 1918 when he sold the cannery to Libby, McNeil and Libby. The cannery burned and was rebuilt twice -- shortly after Carlson left and again in 1931 -- during Libby ownership. Historical photographs from the collection of John L. 

Current site of the old cannery. Fort Durham was likely
located in the forested area in the upper left
corner of this photo. (Patricia E. Harding)

Johnson who worked at the cannery from 1932 to 1934 show a robust cannery community and destination for fishermen selling their catch. The F.V. Neptune, F.V. President, F.V. Excursion, and F.V. Willard B. are some of the boats offloading fish to the Libby Company featured in historic photographs. Other photos depict a pile driver working in the harbor and the devastating fire of May 9-10, 1932. The cannery operated in Taku Harbor until 1951 when a man named Westly Walker was sent from the company to dismantle it. (Olson, p. 65)

     Some time after Fort Durham closed, a few people settled in Taku Harbor and then applied to the U.S. Forest Service for land claims in Taku Harbor. Some of the names include Paul G. Riffle, Dick Kanach, Tom Jackson, and Sandstron. (Olson, p. 65) In 1926, while the cannery was still in operation, G. Edward Bach received a piece of land from the U.S. Forest Service that included the land on which Fort Durham was situated. Edward Bach's father, L. George Bach, lived at the site, and Edward's son, Curtis, later recalled that his grandfather used the cleared site of the old fort for his garden. George's brother, Frank, filed a mining claim in the area. Curtis inherited the land after his father died.

The Tiger of Taku

     The most celebrated resident of Taku Harbor was a man known as Tiger of Taku. Henry "Tiger" Olson lived at Taku Harbor for 56+ years. Originally from northern Minnesota, he arrived in Alaska on the Victoria and went to work for John L. Carlson and later as a maintenance worker for the Libby Company in 1918. One story about how he got the name Tiger is people said his eyes glowed like a cat when he passed them on the boardwalk at night.

     Tiger lived in Taku Harbor long after the cannery shut down. "I've seen the population grow to 500 and fall to two people," he said. (Davis, p. 9) In 1951, when the cannery closed, he was the only permanent resident left in the harbor.

     Although Tiger never went to school and called himself "a kindergarten drop-out," he loved reading and taught himself chemistry, physics, astronomy, and geology. He grew his own garden of potatoes, carrots, and radishes. He also enjoyed growing flowers: narcissus, daffodils, and foxglove. He hunted, fished, and canned food. He cut the wood needed to cook and heat his Taku Harbor cabin.

Henry Olson, known as the "Tiger of Taku,"
lived in Taku Harbor for more than 50 years.

     Over the years, Tiger developed a reputation as a character and visitors looked forward to his friendly greetings at the docks -- even celebrity American actor John Barrymore paid a visit. The popular CBS Sunday morning news magazine On the Road with Charles Kuralt featured a story about Tiger. One year, a young Paul Anderson showed up in Taku Harbor after reading an article about Tiger in Field & Stream magazine. Tiger tried to send the young college student home, but Anderson spent the next two years with Tiger, learning about outdoor life and survival, and also about philosophy and the kind of wisdom gained only by living such a lifestyle.

     "Life is superstition, illusion, and idle dreams." Tiger once said. "It is when you climb high to 5,000 feet and sit alone that you can really think." (Davis, p. 39)

     On June 30th, about 1969, 200 guests and 34 boats traveled to Taku Harbor to surprise Tiger on his 90th birthday. 

The cabin where Tiger
Olson lived in Taku Harbor
still stands. (Patricia E. Harding)

Taku Harbor Today

     Today, Taku Harbor holds the artifacts of a time and a people gone by. It has been part of the Taku Tlingit territory for thousands of years; some say 11,000 years. The 1800s brought great changes with explorers and a trading post and then a cannery and a few residents at the turn of the century, only to come almost full circle with no current settlements, villages, or year round residents. Today, Taku Harbor is a peaceful retreat for rest, recreation and reflection.

Writer's Note: Taku Harbor inspired me to learn as much as I could about its people and history. Although I read several books and articles about the history of Taku Harbor, there is much more to learn. I encourage readers to comment and add their own remembrances, knowledge, and reflections.

Thank you to the Alaska State Library for permission to publish the historical photos.

References

• Binus, Joshus. "Hudson's Bay Company Blanket." The Oregon History Project, A project of the Oregon Historical Society, https://oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/hudson39s-bay-company-blanket/#.WXewOdPyuRs
• Davis, Carol Beery. Tiger of Taku. Miner Publishing Company: Juneau, Alaska (1977)
• Krause, Aurel. The Tlingit Indians Results of a Trip to the Northwest Coast of America and the Bering Straits. Translated by Erna Gunther, University of Washington Press, 1956.
• Mitcham, Allison. Taku The Heart of North America's Last Great Wilderness. Illustrated by Naomi and Peter Mitcham, Lancelot Press, Hantsport, Nova Scotia, 1993.
• Olson, Wallace M. A History of Fort Durham Hudson's Bay Company Trading Post Located in Taku Harbor 1840-1843 Within the boundaries of present day Juneau, Alaska. Heritage Research, Juneau, Alaska, 1994.
• Richardson, Genevieve, The Tlingit People, http://thetlingitpeople.weebly.com/index.html
• " Hudson's Bay Point Blanket" Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson%27s_Bay_point_blanket

© 2017 Patricia E. Harding

Our Hawaiian Wedding

Plumeria petals under our sandaled feet. The Pacific ocean breaking onto the volcanic shore. Some of our closest family and friends gathered on the beach. The warm Hawaiian sun on our faces. The sound of a conch shell, and our wedding ceremony begins. Our dreams are coming true.

Making our dreams come true with a Hawaiian wedding.

We're getting married in Hawaii!

Our Hawaiian wedding seemed far-fetched at first, but once we made the decision, we couldn't think of anywhere else we'd rather get married. We knew we wanted a small wedding and in the beginning, thought only our children would attend. However, once word got out, our guest list quickly grew. In the end, 26 guests attended from both east and west coasts. The entire event went off without a hitch, and we have memories that will last a lifetime.

East and west coast family and friends celebrated our union.

Choosing an island

Each of the Hawaiian islands is unique, and any one of them could provide the perfect location for a wedding. Roger and I had both been to the big island of Hawaii before, and we considered going to a different island. However, after researching Kauai, Maui, and Oahu, we decided to return to the big island. First, Kona is easy to fly in and out of, especially on Alaska Airlines, our preferred airline. Next, Kona has a central downtown area with many shops, restaurants, and activities within walking distance for guests who did not plan to rent a car. For those who wanted to rent a car and venture beyond downtown, the big island has many points of interest -- Volcanoes National Park, the North Kahola Coast, and Hilo on the northeastern side of the island. Finally, with so many options for lodging, our guests could find something suitable to them -- lots of choices in types of lodging, prices, amenities, and location.

The business of getting married

Minister Doug's message captured the magic of the day.

After we chose an island and narrowed down a date to a week in March, we had to find an officiant. Hawaiian weddings are so popular, the Hawaii.gov website has a section just for it. The Department of Health provides a list of licensed wedding performers, or officiants. We chose Minister Douglas Clark of Follow Your Path Ministries and Infinite Bliss Weddings. Minister Doug works side by side with his wife, Sophorn. (Coincidentally, a few years earlier, he married the daughter of one of our guests.) Most of my communication was with Sophorn, a friendly planner who quickly responded to our questions with the utmost courtesy. Infinite Bliss Weddings offers four packages ranging in price between $125 and $625. We chose the Jade package which included a donation to the "Where I'm From" project.  "Where I'm From" is an elementary school program that seeks to promote cross cultural awareness, understanding, and acceptance through music, visual art, and media. Minister Doug and Sophorn are not typical wedding planners, and we liked the idea that our wedding would contribute to a worthwhile program for local Kona children.

Timing is everything

Minister Doug and Sophorn perform just one ceremony per day, so we booked them almost a year in advance. Having the date and location set early allowed us to send save-the-dates in the summer and actual invitations right after the new year for our March 23rd wedding. We invited around 80 people, and with 26 guests attending, the 30% destination wedding attendance rate we researched online proved to be a good estimate.

Our souvenir wedding certificate

Within a month of the wedding day, we filled out the online wedding license application and paid the $65 fee. We got a kick out of some of the questions. One of them asked, "What is your relationship to each other?" The disclaimer assured us that being related did not automatically disqualify us from marrying each other. We received the confirmation email and receipt for our application which included a Locator ID number. The next step is to schedule an appointment with a marriage license agent for when we get to Hawaii. This step in the process was the strangest for us. A list of agents is available online, and after three attempts, I found an agent who returned my call. I provided her with our Locator ID and scheduled an appointment to meet her on the Monday before our Thursday wedding.

The strange part was driving to the license agent's home -- an estate really, which was lovely, yet somewhat remote -- I said to Roger, "This is the part of the story when no one ever hears from us again." (OK, so maybe I watch too much Dateline.) The agent met us in her driveway where she escorted us to her backyard and seated us at a lovely bistro table on the patio of her guest suite overlooking a large, green, manicured yard lined with coconut trees. She collected our IDs and left us alone while she ferried back and forth to her computer, first with our IDs and then with our $5 payment. At the end of the appointment she provided us with the necessary "piece of paper" that makes a marriage. As odd as the process seemed, it was personable and efficient. We wondered about the agent part of it. She obviously wasn't doing it for the money. Did she have some other interest in being an agent?

The marriage license is good for 30 days. We would give it to Minister Doug at the ceremony, and he would file it with the State of Hawaii. Within a few hours of our ceremony, Minister Doug had completed his part, and by 12:40 p.m. the next day, we received the online, temporary marriage certificate we could print. Within two weeks, we received the official, paper copy in the mail.

Cake and punch at Holoholokai Beach Park

Humpbacks crash the party

We organized a cake and punch style, meet and greet reception two days prior to the wedding at Holoholokai Beach Park. The park is located about 45 minutes north of Kona off of Highway 19 and near the Fairmont Orchid Hawaii Resort. We chose this park in part as an excuse to see a different part of the island -- not that an excuse is needed!

We bought a cake from Costco as well as a few cheese and cold cut platters, fruit, and crackers. We were sensitive to the rules against alcohol on the beaches. We brought punch we had mixed back at the condo -- but not enough. It was a hot day, and the punch was gone within a short period of time. Thank goodness Roger brought extra mai tai cocktail. As it turned out, our picnic neighbors, a group of local twenty-somethings, were enjoying their 12-pack of Bud Light with no worries, so we didn't have to be as concerned as we were about having alcohol at the beach park.

A humpback whale crashed the party.

The cake event provided some of the most heart felt memories of our wedding week. Our family and friends from east and west got to meet each other -- most of them for the first time. My son gave a toast on behalf of my family, and one of Roger's daughters toasted for the Hardings. We got the traditional cutting of the cake photo, and then to top it off, a mother humpback and two calves provided a whale show in the waves just in front of us. They breached a few times and showed their tails. The winter whales of Hawaii are said to be the same whales that summer in Southeast Alaska and near Juneau. It felt like a special blessing.

A lei exchange is a Hawaiian wedding traditi

The ceremony

We met everyone at the far right end of the Old Kona Airport Beach Park at 3:30 p.m. Our guests gathered under a shade tree. The weather was warm and sunny, and I'm glad we provided a cooler of cold water. Minister Doug set up the audio / video equipment, and Sophorn lead us onto a path and into the nearby vegetation for a photography session. Our package included 150-200

Sophorn captured the beautiful Kona landscape.

photos. That's a lot of pictures! With the arid landscape surrounding us, Sophorn said, "People are going to think you got married in Africa!" She showed us some of the shots she was taking.

To open the ceremony, Minister Doug blew the pu (conch shell) to welcome the divine spirit to watch over us and our ceremony. Apparently the conch has been used in celebrations since ancient times and still carries sacred meaning in Hawaiian culture today.

Minister Doug's special message for us personalized the service and honored the specialness of the day. We exchanged leis, vows, and rings. The lei exchange is a Hawaiian tradition and carries several meanings -- unity, completeness, and coming together.

Luau reception

The wedding party celebrates at the Island Breeze Luau.

After the ceremony, we met our guests at the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel for a Hawaiian luau. Choosing the luau in lieu of a traditional wedding reception was the best decision we made. The luau featured an open bar, cultural displays, hula lessons, live band and dance performance -- including a fire dancer -- and of course an all you can eat buffet. The luau provided a beautiful outdoor location where our small group could visit with each other in a relaxed and celebratorious atmosphere.

My mother made the arrangements for the luau, booking in advance with Island Breeze Luau. We reserved preferred seating which allowed us to enter at the front of the line and sit right in front of the stage. We were also first in line to the buffet. The entire event couldn't have been more perfect for our wedding reception.

Loving hugs to remember each other by

Saying goodbye

The worst part of our wedding week in Kona of course was saying goodbye to family and friends and to the island itself. Our family is spread out across thousands of miles, and saying goodbye is always a somber moment, not knowing when we will see each other again. We tried to savor every moment and take advantage of each opportunity to visit during the wedding week.

Mr. and Mrs. Harding

I suppose being sad to say goodbye is typical of most weddings, but being in Hawaii together provided an extra bond. As Minister Doug said, "By joining in the bond of marriage here in 'Paradise', on the island of Hawai'i surrounded by the ocean, volcanoes, and amongst the Universe's most magnificent creations, know that you have forever become one with each other and this sacred land whose Aloha will always be a part of you."

Get Away to the Yukon -- All Aboard!

Note: I originally wrote this article in 2014 but never published it. I'm publishing it now because much of the information is still relevant, especially for travelers who are planning their first ferry cruise. The ferry service has undergone many changes in the last few years, and I encourage you to add comments based on your own experiences.

Most people travel south on their spring break.

We went to the Yukon.

When you live in Juneau, Alaska, options for a weekend get-away are limited only by your imagination and your desire not to purchase round-trip airfare to Seattle. Knowing we have summer plans to visit Gustavus, Sitka and Pelican, we looked north, taking the Alaska Marine Highway up the Lynn Canal to Skagway, gateway to the Klondike, then continuing with the pickup on the Klondike Highway which somewhat follows the trail of the 1898 Gold Rush, over White Pass, into Canada's Yukon Territory and to the city of Whitehorse.

Sunrise over Auke Bay

The Alaska Marine Highway System is one of the main ways people, vehicles and cargo get around in Southeast Alaska. The communities of Southeast are locked in by sea, mountains and glaciers. The only ways to travel are by boat or air. Riding the ferry up the Lynn Canal is the equivalent to driving on I-95 on the East Coast.

We reserved our tickets two weeks earlier and picked them up at the Juneau office on Glacier Highway two days prior to our departure. Roundtrip to Skagway was $50 for me and $111 for the truck. The driver's passage was free but only during winter months.

During winter months, arriving at the ferry terminal one hour prior to departure provides plenty of time to check in and get a lane assignment for the car; however, in summer, travelers with vehicles should arrive two hours prior to departure. It is especially important to be on time when you are traveling with a vehicle. Built in 1974, the MV LeConte can hold 300 passengers, 24 crew, 34 vehicles and nine vans. Space on the car deck is finite, and if you are late with a vehicle, they simply run out of room, and your car will not get on the ferry -- and that's that.

The MV LeConte is one of eleven vessels that serve the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The Leconte is scheduled for a major overhaul during winter 2014-15, and until then it seems to be prone to breaking down with occasional interruption of service. Passengers should check the AMHS website periodically for information about possible schedule changes. 

Tickets and IDs are checked prior to boarding. The purser peeked into the truck bed to make sure we had no stow-aways -- a stern warning is posted on the gate regarding stow-aways. 

Vehicles park on the lower car deck. Parking attendants guide you as you drive down the ramp, swing around and back your car into a spot. Big trucks and vehicles with trailers have to back down the ramp from the parking lot and back onto the ferry. 

Recliners in the forward lounge of the MV LeConte provide a comfortable place to read, nap and look for whales and porpoises.

With the truck parked on the car deck below, we stowed our soft cooler of food on the upper solarium deck then retreated to the forward lounge for a quick morning nap and to recharge after a 4:15 a.m. alarm to be at the ferry by 6 a.m.

A ride on one of Alaska's ferries is a more personal experience than what you get on a commercial cruise. 

The sun rose over Auke Bay as the MV LeConte pulled away from the ferry terminal dock at 7 a.m. on March 28th. The weather was spot on -- sunny, blue skies, and 40+ degrees daytime temps. It was one of those first warm days of spring that northern inhabitants anticipate all winter.

Passengers nap in sleeping bags on reclining chairs under the heating lamps on the solarium deck.

After a brief rest (or nap in Roger's case), we retrieved our cooler from the solarium deck and found a table in the cafeteria. We packed a soft cooler of cold foods and a second cooler with dry goods. Our food plan for the weekend was to eat our own breakfasts, snacks, and lunches and to dine out for dinners. I didn't see signs, but it seemed clear that food should be eaten in the cafeteria dining room. Many people bring their own food, although the ferry service is notorious for the quality and generous portions of its fare. Besides daily specials, they offer burgers, fries, fish and chips, salads, sandwiches, desserts, yogurt, cereal and fruit. On a previous ferry trip, I had a deliciously satisfying halibut curry served on brown rice. We plan to have dinner on the ferry on our return trip Sunday evening. Today our picnic breakfast included Greek yogurt, sliced fresh strawberries and granola.

Ferry service provides a safe, reliable, efficient and comfortable method transportation, connecting the communities and people of Alaska with Canada and the lower 48.

As we travel north-northwest at 15.7 knots, I have difficulty closing my eyes, not wanting to miss the spray of a whale, the dance of a porpoise or a single, rugged mountaintop. I'm from Maine, and I know rugged coastline. I tell my Maine friends, imagine copying and pasting Mount Katahdin up and down the entire Maine coastline -- that's Southeast Alaska.

Scanning the rugged coastline, it's difficult for me to imagine where a road would go or who would want to drive on it when the ferry offers a perfectly comfortable and direct passage as ships have for hundreds of years or more? The controversial "Juneau access road" has been debated in Alaska for many years. A road will never replace the unique adventure one can experience on the Alaska Marine Highway.