Sunday, January 17, 2010

The Challenge Begins


Today, Dick proposed that we ride every Puget Sound Ferry as walk-on passengers. We love to take the ferry so we didn't think long before deciding to get started. We put on our shoes, jumped in the car and headed for the Lummi Island Ferry. Last night, there was a very high tide and lots of wind. Marine Drive, the normal route to the ferry, was closed - read that "underwater". The ferry we were hoping to catch was scheduled to leave at 2:10 p.m.. After the long detour, we parked the car across from the ferry landing at 2:09 p.m..

The Lummi Island Ferry, the "Whatcom Chief", holds 20 cars and 100 passengers and operates
365 days a year. The Whatcom Chief, built in 1962, is 93.5 feet long with a beam of 44.1 feet and a displacement of 78 tons. This ferry is the only way to get cars to and from Lummi Island. The ferry ride is a trip of 0.8 miles and takes about 5 minutes, not including loading and unloading times. Most people who live on Lummi Island rely on the ferry as their link to the mainland.

This is a small ferry! We left our car, walked briskly across the road, waited with a few other foot passengers and walked right on. Where else can you show up 1 minute in advance of departure and still get to ride?

The ferry was filled to capacity with cars this afternoon. On the way to Lummi Island there were 8 walk-on passengers, including us. We paid $4 each for a round-trip ride. On the way home there were 4 walk on passengers.

We had a mostly cloudy day today with some patches of blue sky (always welcome here!). The mountains were often bright with sunlight. Mount Baker, though, was cloud colored. It was only visible because of the rocks that show through the snow this time of year.

There was enough wind that the water was a bit choppy but not crazy. We saw only one other boat - a Coast Guard inflatable boat just flying along the shore near the Lummi Reservation. With the super high tide, Portage Island was truly an island today. We could easily have taken our little boat through the passage between the mainland and the island. Normally, even small boats would run aground crossing that passage.

When we got to Lummi Island, we watched the water for a few minutes from the view point across the road from the Beach Store Cafe. Not for long though, it's winter here. When we were cold enough we headed to the cafe for a cup of coffee. They brewed us a fresh pot of decaf, poured us two tall cups, and we headed to the Island Market to stretch our legs before we got back on the ferry for the 3:00 p.m. return trip.

We were gone from home for a total of about 3 hours. Our next trip will no doubt be longer. All the other ferries are farther away and most of the rides are longer.

2 comments:

  1. yes! the photos certainly help tell the tale. what a fun voyage! em

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  2. What a great idea Deb! My sister and I just walked on to Friday Harbor this weekend. I love ferries too!

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