Prince Rupert in a Can

After a seven-hour drive through the Yellowhead Parkway, which captures what I would guess most people imagine when they think of Alaska and its environs -- unspoiled wilderness, snowcapped mountains with long rivulets of waterfalls, pristine rivers, and crisp air -- we arrived in Prince Rupert yesterday evening. It looks like plans have changed -- ferries are more sporadic than we had been led to believe, and recent woes with the local ferries have tempered the frequency even more, so we are probably not going to make it up to Ketchikan, Alaska and beyond, and instead are eventually going to take a long ferry ride down to Vancouver Island and make our way from the northern to the southern tip toward Victoria. Either way, we will be in Prince Rupert for three days. Our hotel room looks out over the bay, the town is a quaint little seaside village, and I am relieved not to be driving for five, six, or seven hours for at least another few days.

Thanks to many of you for advice both in the comments and via email. Forgive me for not responding to each personally or in a timely manner, but I imagine you understand.