The Bald Eagle Festival in Haines, Alaska

Our trip to Haines in mid-November began before sunrise, waiting to get on the ferry aptly named the Fairweather. This newer, smaller, faster ferry only runs on smooth seas (or channels as the case may be, but they are still connected to the sea).

After arriving and checking into the hotel it began to snow. Grandma and I holed up in the hotel room for most of the first couple of days while Grandpa went to Eagle Festival meetings. We read and made bead dream catchers. It was quite cozy in the warm hotel room watching the fat wet snow pile up outside.

We ate mostly at the Bamboo room. A little diner just a block from the hotel. On warmer days the roof dripped into buckets on the floor as we ate our pancakes or sandwiches.

Haines is quite a bit smaller that Juneau, and as far as food options went, there were precious few to choose from. Not to mention the shortening of the menus as each restaurant ran out of this or that due to the large numbers of visitors in for the festival and the weather preventing many of the boats which brought the supplies.

The first day without snow we went out to see the birds. We scared this flock away as we drove by.

There was some truly beautiful scenery.

And many eagles.

It was really quite a spectacular trip, if a bit cold and wet...