Getting to Auke Bay from Anchorage with a car full of everything potentially needed in the next three months or, indeed, in the years to come, plus a dog, means long hours on the road, many of them spent contemplating yet again Canada's size and calculating distances to the next gas stop, the next meal, and each border crossing.  But Haines finally arrives and then it is just a matter of waiting until the AMHS ferry (the M/V LeConte this time) loads and sets out. Then it is, as usual, clear sailing, watching Haines recede, mountains loom, wavelets chop and change color when silty river water and salt water collide in Lynn Canal, as features, lighthouses, islands, reefs, glaciers, birds, gill netters, appear ahead, pass by, and fall astern. Walking the deck means confronting the wind, both that over the bow and that prevailing from the south as the sky thickens. There is the usual close-range deck art, the fascination of watching the bow wake stream past, and some scenic drama in the late afternoon. Despite some patches of blue sky, there is little typical postcard scenery for now. Color is muted, often nearly monotone, the light uncertain. It is usually overcast above, perhaps down to 3 or 4 thousand feet, and clouds mass around any peaks exceeding that level. But on deck and in the observation lounge it is a very satisfying re-entry. Picture postcard scenery is overrated. The honesty of threatening clouds and looming peaks and the purity of some high ice fields are refreshing. 

Loaded and ready to roll:  EF4A8437

Not much happens for long stretches, beyond frost heaves and gravel road work. And then a big grizzly appears; another, a mile later. Wrong lens for opportunistic event.  EF4A8448

LeConte stack:

131A7087

Heavy rains and saturated soil in Haines caused this huge slide to rip away everything, topsoil, trees, houses, and two people, and plunge to the beach line, 800 feet below. The people were never found.

131A7459

Haines recedes under blue sky that soon disappears.

131A7508

Deck art on the LeÇonte: 131A7156 131A7388 131A7701

131A7551 131A7684

Blue sky is briefly visible near Haines, but most of the voyage is under darker cover. Grays predominate.

131A7230

Scanning
131A7529

Mountains loom above Lynn Canal, their remaining snow fields lingering into July. Some chill shafts of light brighten distant terrain.

131A7288
131A7292

131A7723
131A7737-Pano
131A7829-2
131A7938-2   131A8010
131A8053

A rare water-level shaft of sun lights up a stand of spruce. 131A7763
Silty river water and Pacific salt water collide.
131A7884
131A8087
131A8098 131A8133

Nearing Auke Bay, the light improves but the overcast clouds directly overhead remain dense.
131A8160 131A8204-Edit EF4A8495

Throwing the line while mooring in Auke Bay, as recorded on a cell phone:  EF4A8499 EF4A8507