We have arrived. Our mobile home is parked in a tiny RV Park on the waterfront along the Lynn Canal Fjord. Paved but rough Front Street behind us runs along the shore. A gravel road leads up through town. Snow covered peaks penetrate the sky through bare trees above house roofs. The small boat hrbor with its fishing and recreational craft is next door. We will watch there for fishermen returning with their catch.

In front of us is the arm of the sea. Across it is "Santa Claus" Mountain and the rest of the Boundary Range. Its slopes extend vertically above the water a few thousand feet and then slope back several thousand more feet up to the peak. Dark trees cover much of the lower slopes. Little snow clings to the sheer walls, but whiteness reaches the water line in a few notches. Above the vertical walls the powder becomes dozens of feet deep and forms pure white barrens. In places these appear soft and cottony. In others avalanches have given it a wrinkled appearance.

In town the snow is almost gone. The temperature today reached almost to 50 degrees F. The temperature will fall to almost freezing tonight. We are told that the piles of snow are unusual here. Rain is more typical at sea level, but this winter was particularly hard.

The ferry ride from Bellingham to Haines was spectacular and enchanting. We were ready for some downtime and had it on the boat. The 418 foot M/V Columbia departed Washington State on Friday afternoon and arrived here this Monday afternoon. The weather in Bellingham was rainy and the green hills on the mainland and San Juan Islands were somewhat shrouded in mist. The cone of Mt. Baker was not to be seen, but the water shone darker beneath black mountains and the dusky sky. The vessel cruised at 17 knots between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland. A famulous rainbow appeared at dusk. It was nearly vertical and seemed and iridescent spotlight into the sky. An expansive and brilliant sunset promised a better dawn.

We set our alarm at 5:45 a.m. to view the dawn, but awoke a little after five to find it already light. The sun rose before 5:30. We were soon on the deck. Loons, grebes, phalaropes, and gulls enertained us. Two humpback whales breached. Seals, sea lions, and dolphin crossed our bow. Snow covered mountains paralled the channels. Many of the peaks had dammed cirque valleys from which narrow ribbons of water escaped and streamed down the walls in cascades and falls.

Many of the passengers were Alaskan residents going home to open businesses. Others were going north to work the season here. We were among the few early tourists venturing north a month ahead of schedule. There were fine conversations about native peoples, land management, and making ends meet in the 50th State.

The ship traveled almost 30 hours before reaching Alaska waters, but one is considered to be in Alaska once the ship leaves the dock (I kid you not). We celebrated our crossing the border and also our arrival at Ketchickan horbor on Sunday morning. With a four-hour layover, we left the ship and shared a cab ride into town. Everything was closed, but we walked, talked, took pictures of totems, and found dippers, fox sparrows, and varied and hermit thrushes along a rushing stream. An orange-crowned warbler and winter wren gave song to a spring that might otherwise be in doubt.

The second stop was at Wrangle, and we managed a short stroll there too. On Monday this morning, the ship landed at Juneau harbor, but the time was too short for a several mile run into town and back. Instead we treated ourselves to breakfast in the ship's restaurant. This was our only meal there as we had packed meals for the voyage.

Leaving this stop we saw our first large glaciers pushing hundreds of feet of ice out of the high mountain valleys. The snow on the mountains now reached alost to sea level. We didn't expect this, and neither did the Alaskans, but they knew that the winter had been hard.

Finally the ferry made the turn into this fjord and worked its way up to Haines. The end of April looked very wintery, but close inspection of the alders showed that they were in bloom. Just before landing the thermometer indicated 50 degrees, the warmest of the journey. The sun was trying to shine through the clouds. It had not rained for hours. A wonderful day in Southeast Alaska!

And so we landed. Chuck extricated the motor home from the ferry. Anne took out the car. We felt tired but also exhilarated. After setting up camp we drove back to the ferry terminal where we had seen a few thousand ducks loitering. We became cold watching common goldeneye, Barrow's goldeneye, black socter, white-winged scoter, canvasback, redhead, red-breasted merganser, green-winged teal, northern pintail, bufflehead, and mostly surf scotter swimming within dense flocks. Passing bald eagles made them nervous

Returnig to camp we watched lesser numbers of birds along the shore. It became dark about 9:30 p.m.

Yes, spring is coming to Alaska, and we are here to see it.