THE INSIDE STORY

See what I did there….?  Maybe not.  Here’s the gig.  The ferry route from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert is called “the inside passage”.  And this is its story.  I know – sometimes I scare myself with my brilliance and wit!

Yesterday began absurdly early – rising at 4:45 a.m. to be showered, loaded and off to the Bear Cove ferry terminal for 6:00 a.m.  If you are not there 90 minutes before sailing, your reservation is not honoured and I was not taking any chances.  Arrived with a bit of time to spare and the ferry staff kindly walked down the line of the vehicles to tell me that I could short cut the line by taking the right lane down to the end to join the other motorcycles instead of having to wait. They loaded the bikes first and gave us a bit of time to get parked and get our babies tied down securely before sending the other vehicles on.

The Northern Expedition is a big boat and there is the option to book a cabin for the 17-hour journey. You know you’re on a big boat when there are multiple huge canisters with 100-person life rafts in them that you hope you won’t need. 

As it was a daytime journey, I chose not to book a cabin.  I did book a “chair” in the Aurora Lounge and was glad I did.  It cost extra but had a reclining chair in a quiet area. Because I reserved early, I got a front row seat to enjoy the view as we travelled. At first, it looked like it might be a long, dreary voyage with the vast expanse of sea overhung with dark, low-slung clouds and fog. Once we disembarked, I pulled out my inflatable travel pillow, reclined my chair and closed my eyes. While my rest was punctuated with fog horn warnings and passenger service announcements, I still managed to catch a few winks. My lounge mates included a couple of other riders on their way back to Alberta from a loop ‘round the US, Denise and Gary from Vancouver Island who were heading out to spend a month on Haida Gwaii, and a group of folks on a tour to Haida Gwaii with Mile Zero Tours. I have no personal experience with this tour company, but they shared the agenda with me and it looked amazing! Everyone shared their experiences and their stories and kindly let me bore them with mine. 

About 3 hours into our journey, the fog began to lift and within another hour, the skies had cleared and we sailed on in the beautiful sunshine and surroundings of the coastal passage. It was time to get out on the deck and stretch my legs and enjoy the fresh air. A lengthy stop in Bella Bella gave us plenty of time to soak up some sun without the wind. Once under way, again I struck up a conversation with Mike – another rider who has been on the road for awhile now, heading for Tuktoyaktuk and then on to adventure the world with his bike. You may find him on Facebook as KRTW Rhyder if you are interested in what he is up to – much more exciting than what I’m up to! Mike and I had a great conversation about travelling, riding, and most importantly, life and people.  As I have said so many, many times – take the politics and religion out of conversations and people are just people. For the most part, if you let people be kind, they will be kind. If you let people be helpful, they will be helpful. If you let people be generous, they will be generous.  The rest is just noise. So much of life and relationships is what we choose to see, so choose to see the beauty and the joy. Safe travels and amazing adventures to you, Mike!

Our trip up the inside passage showed us the best of nature – mountains, oceans, remote communities, and marine life. We saw three different types of whales – orca, humpback and grey whales.  Porpoises or dolphins (I’m not sure which) herded fish in leaping, splashing pods. Seagulls sailed along the water on their boats of logs and eagles soared above us. We saw lighthouses and the sites of old canneries and villages.  Remote villages appeared out of nowhere and fishing boats plied the waters. 

Eventually, the sun dropped and threw out a spectacular sunset as we headed into the last couple of hours of the sailing. Having come a considerable distance north, there was still a teeny bit of light in the sky at 11:00 p.m. and I was reminded of the 22-hours of daylight I experience in Dawson City on June 12 five years ago. 

Docking in Prince Rupert shortly after midnight, we scurried down to untie our bikes and get ready to disembark.  Half an hour later, I rolled into Chez Peloquin to find that in spite of having to work the next day, Flo had the garage door open and ready to receive Night Fury and a comfy bed ready to receive me!  Good friends are gold! 

Flo has his bike ready to go and is joining me on the quick trip into Haida Gwaii so I can start at Mile Zero of Hwy 16.  We will have a full day there to explore.  Two more ferries to go!