Day 21 - Juneau Alaska is Fantasyland

Around 2 am this morning the USS Taku (our ferry) entered a very narrow channel. This channel is so narrow it has to be outlined in blinking red and green buoys and have solid yellow lights set up so that the pilot could position the ship such that the yellow lined were lined up and thus he'd know his path was safe. The pilot is absorbing all of this while also being sure to avoid any solid red, green and white lights because they were other boats! Add in the powerful spot light he uses to check for animals in the water and buoys which were getting too close to the ship, a pitch black night and a boat full of passengers going "ohhh" and "ahhh" and "That was close! I need another beer!" and you have the makings of one wild and crazy scene. It was bizarre! It was like watching the scene where the huge space ship lands on Devils Tower in the movie "Close Encounters of the third kind"! So different and so cool! Well now I am in Juneau AK and it feels good to be back on solid ground. My last ferry for this trip is tomorrow at 7:00 am. I have changed my plans from riding out of Skagway to riding out of Haines instead based in information from my fellow motorcycle travelers last night. This afternoon I took advantage of the free time and the beautiful weather and rode my bike as far as I could (about 30 miles in any direction). It was such a beautiful and glorious day! Light white puffs of clouds in a beautiful blue sky with temperatures in the low 70's. What a perfect day and a perfect place for riding! The bald eagles were everywhere and one swooped within 10 feet of my head! And after being on a boat with a bunch of people for so long it feels a bit odd to be alone again; odd but good too. I will see Mary and Jody on tomorrows ferry to Haines but that's a short trip and then they are off to Denali. Anyway, I have made it to Juneau and I am excited about tomorrow. I expect to get back on my bike and start the last leg heading north tomorrow or the next. I am also kind of excited to be so far north (it gets dark around 11 pm local!) and to be in Alaska. It just sounds cool! I am way up here people - 3,640 miles from Atlanta as the crow flies.  Hello down there!!!

ODO - 4412