There was no wifi on the ferry and very little here. I hope to get this out. There may be no pictures? I write in notes, copy and paste so as not to have to be online too long.
Today it is 60 and partly cloudy at 8:30 as we leave out for TIM HORTON'S
. This would be the Canadian version of Dunkin donuts. We do not usually buy coffees out, but make an exception for Tim HORTON's. We got 3 English toffee coffees and 3 maple donuts! Now we are in Canada! As we drive north to port Hardy to catch the ferry we pass many miles of heavily forested lands. They are being harvested along the way. There are few farms and towns with sporadic populations centers. This is really not a well traveled area to tourists! We had a MUST stop in McNeil to the the worlds largest burl! It is a whopper. Hard to believe that this grew on a tree. Now, probably no one who reads this will ever see this burl. Very few people will see this sight in such a remote place! Wow! We can sure pick um!We head to port Hardy for lunch. Once again there was no place on the water so we ate on the waterfront in the RV. We head to the port ferry to stage. We are hours early. Ed fired up the generator, after a bit of not starting, we made coffee and snacks. Then we watched and waited for a few hours. Then the kicker comes. You have to back onto the deck of the ferry! Everyone had to back on!! Back up an RV or boat or trailer. Ed said "sure I can" and did. They sent us on early and put us in a wedge where the paint is nearly touching the side. NO PROBLEM for an old truck driver. We could only exit the RV door, not the truck door. We head up stairs to check out our cabin. Small but adequate. NOW LET ME TELL YOU, the people who use this ferry have got this figured out
. There is a separate charge for a cabin. There are free chairs, but by the time we got on board after the walk ons there were blow up beds set up in all the best places. There was one area that had four blow ups end to end. Some folks knew the best spots and were all staked out there. There were mats and quilts galore. How did they carry all that on. There is family of five bedded down on pallets by 8 pm. Amazing. There are pay showers that the teenage girls hit right away!
Back to our day. We (not Susan) wander around waiting to see the sail away. We are late because they are waiting for someone. I decided since there was nothing to see it was a good time to shower. That is when it happened: the flood. Well, a minor flood. The drains backed up in the bathroom and there was standing water and inch or two deep. I had to go into the cabin to change and could not use the hair dryer while standing in the water
. We notified the purser. This finally drained. Then, of course, Susan HAD to visit the gift shop for a T-shirt and pen. The ship still had not left so we ate, again. The choices were high and higher sodium so poor Ed had a salad with very little dressing. Susan and I had kids meals that were huge! I shared some of mine with Ed. Of course the ship got under way while we were eating. Back in the cabin the bathroom floor was dry so Susan HAD to get her shower. Flood TWO. Plumbers came, two OLD guys, with a plunger. As they left they said it was better. I have noticed that a lot of old enough not to be working Canadians are working. I wonder if by choice or necessity?The cabin did not flood because the bathrooms are on a higher plain, a step up and not directly connected to the same floor as the room. That makes no sense, but use your imagination. After another spin around the ship Ed goes to bed. I had hoped to see the orcas out frolicking in the water and whales breaching. This is not happening yet.
I am writing this on my notes. I read on line there would be wifi, NOT. I also saw in the brochure the outlets are 220 only, NOT. Our room seems to be over the engine so I have enough noise not to need my sleep noise machine, or maybe I need the volume turned way up. Also the room is vibrating, let's call that being rocked to sleep, I hope. It is sort of like riding a lawn mower with a really deep voice. Ed has already been asleep and hour! He had to get the upper bunk. Susan and I are high maintenance!
A road much less traveled
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada
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Comments

2025-02-09
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Benny Maggart
2015-05-25
I thought the biggest Burl in the world was Ives. You are surely in places I will never be. Soak it all in. Thanks for your coverage of World News Today.
dwlp.travelkids
2015-05-25
Getting an RV on a ferry is always a shoulder tightening experience since the attendants keep motioning you to continue in whatever direction you are proceeding in, and you would swear that there is only one paint layers distance between you and the wall! Ed is the best at making that look effortless I am sure!
Dave
2015-05-25
Another priceless adventure of the "Rambling Clampett's". Of course they make you back your vehicle ON to the ferry, can you imagine making you back it OFF the ferry, what a traffic jam that would be, lol. Sounds like you might need a "travel plunger" if you do the ferry again. Thanks for another funny start to my day. Your blog is like a good novel, can't wait for the next chapter
Be safe, have fun and it's only 600 miles to the AlCan......
vistasbygod
2015-05-25
If ever a man needed his sleep!! ....... Love the eagles, God Bless America!