Week 174 - Ferry Photo Collection - 12-13-2009

From Bad to Good,

Last week our photo collection was Bad Roads. Now, we present Good Water! Everyone loves to be near water. In fact, we have heard, an unverifiable fact, that 90% of the US population lives within 50 miles of oceans, lakes and rivers! And we are no exception. Our favorite RV park and travel routes are right on the water. That is why in April 2007 we headed to Galveston, Texas and followed the coast of the USA all the way to Maine.

After staying at the once beautiful Galveston Island State Park (destroyed by Hurricane Ike), we headed toward Louisiana. You can save about 100 miles of driving if you take the FREE Texas ferry from Galveston to the Bolivar Peninsula. But, having never taken the Mothership on a ferry, our question was "is it big enough". We called the Texas Transportation Department and they said, "of course; we carry semi tractor / trailers all the time". And so, we took our first ferry. It was fun and free is nice. Texas considers it part of their road system and therefore they do not charge for the service. Fare: Free.

This ferry, as you can see, has two lanes on each side of the captain's bridge and passenger lounge. The whole experience of riding a ferry is great. Every ferry has different rules. Here, you could stay in your vehicle or ride in the lounge and buy refreshments. After this initial ride, we were hooked. Our next opportunity to use the ferry was in Louisiana. It would save us 50 miles by land, but the ferry was so small that we would occupy the entire right side being balanced by four cars on the left. Let's see - 33,000 pounds on our side, versus (4 x 4,000) 16,000 pounds on their side. Ahhh, no, we don't think so. So we drove away, even as the ferry operator was waving us to come on board. As we learned later in Dawson City, Yukon, we would have been fine.

Our next ferry ride was from North Carolina to the Outer Banks, a two-hour trip. It will be hard to ever top this ride. As you can see, they did not place any cars along side us. We were allowed to stay in the home and enjoyed all of our amenities with a killer view of the Atlantic Ocean. Fare: $45.00 (12-2009)

Getting off the Outer Banks and back to the mainland is a fairly short and free ferry ride.

Of utmost importance on these ferries is to precisely follow the directions given. They pack you in as tight as possible, perhaps within inches of another vehicle. Fare: Free.

In 2008 we headed to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, a 90 minute crossing from Port Angeles, Washington. This ship is huge carrying all vehicles inside. Pete and Ben discuss whose hair is thinner. Not sure who won!

The wait here is quite long. All the pedestrians, motorcycles and classic cars had to exit, while the officials used their dogs to sniff for drugs.

You enter this ship on the stern (rear). As seen on the right, they really pack you in. Our door was in an open space. Ben and Sid were behind us and had just enough room to open the door, exhale and squeeze their way to the front. We saw a lot of great sights on this trip: helicopters, sea planes and lots of watercraft. The lounge area was enormous with a full cafe with all the goodies. You are not allowed to stay in your vehicles or even return to them, so don't forget to take your jacket!

1) The Empress Hotel in Victoria, as seen from our ship. 2) As you can see, even this 45 foot bus can ride. The exit is on the Starboard (right) side of the Bow (front). Again, you must exactly follow your officials directions to get out without scraping your mirrors off. The CoHo Ferry company gets their due on this route. You pay for an 18 foot vehicle which includes the driver. You pay extra for each passenger and for each foot over 18. And you pay for your tow vehicle. Our Fare: $185.00 (12-2009)

We returned from Sidney, Vancouver Island on the two hour trip to Anacortes, Washington. This trip is far superior to the Port Angeles ride which was completely in open water. Heading toward Anacortes, you pass by many islands and boaters and get views of the mountains in Washington. Fare: $236.00 (12-2009)

Alaska, like all other states near the water, has its ferries. In fact, if you cough up $10,000 or so, you can take the ferry all the way from Seattle to Alaska. And there are ferries to take you shorter distances, like from Skagway to Haines, Alaska. We took this trip on a gorgeous sunny day. While waiting to board we met two couples from Denver. While the trip was only 60 minutes, we become great friends with these folks. Fare: $213.00 (12-2009)

And finally, our last and smallest ferry. This Canadian ferry goes from Dawson City across the Yukon River to the Top of the World Highway. It is only 83 feet long and when our motorhome was boarded there was only room for a small motorhome and three cars. This boat was much smaller than the one we skipped in Louisiana. But, now we are seasoned travelers, have our data backed up online and are good swimmers. Oh yeah, and it is free too!

So when you get a chance to travel, by car or RV, get on the ferries. They are fun and at times will save money over fuel costs of going by land.

Happy ~~Trails~~ Wakes,

Love, Pete and Ellen

Photos from Apr 2007 to May 2009