Back to our trip down to Skagway. We drove from Haines Junction in the Yukon to Haines, Alaska. Haines is a charming little town with influences from gold rush (as most other places in Alaska and the Yukon) mixed with those of WW II. Following Pearl Harbour, US urgently started preparations to protect Alaska from invasion. Haines is a deep-water port so was important strategically. A large naval contingent was stationed there but it also was important for supplying materials for the Alaska Highway, built in 8 months!
We arrived two hours early for the morning ferry and had fun watching the casual, hilarious, but strangely competent ferry service in action. A casually-dressed, white-bearded 'guy in charge' told Bill that while he would probably have to back down the ramp, as long as he listened to him and not his wife, he’d be fine! For at least thirty minutes, we watched cars and a few trailers move down the ramp. We couldn't figure out what could possibly be happening in the ship to take so long to board one vehicle after another. Turns out, most people can not maneuver into tight spots let alone back up. Guy in front of us must have taken ten minutes to get his trailer down ramp and into position. We saw him later on board and he still looked dishevelled and shell-shocked from the experience. Bill backed down and in position with no adjustments. The guy said “You can actually do this!” - makes you wonder about all those big rigs out there on the highways….
Nice one, Dad!!
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