Hi, Dane!  Recently you wrote in a message to Steven Horn:

SH>  The cruises are nice but you only get a limited amount of
SH>  time in each port.  A good compromise can be the Alaska
SH>  Marine Highway.  You and your car start in Bellingham and
SH>  you then head north, stopping at 4 communities between
SH>  Prince Rupert and Skagway.

DB>  Are there enough hotels and gas stations along the way?  We
DB>  have a baby girl (by the time we get to take such a trip,
DB>  she won't be that much of a baby) so facilities are important.


         Uh... I think you may have misunderstood what Steven means by
"Marine Highway".  I live on the west coast of British Columbia,
where a lot of places are accessible only by air or by water.  Once there
you will find roads... but first you must get there!  Alaska is much the
same.  You can take a ferry from Bellingham, as Steven says, and spend more
time onshore if a leisurely pace is what you would prefer.  Your ports of
call will almost certainly be big enough to include hotels & gas
stations.  But if you've never been to Alaska, you may find a cruise more
to your liking.  That way you can get a sampling of various places &
consider what to focus on next if you enjoy them enough to come back.

         As a parent, you might also appreciate the activities for children
of various ages which are offered on the more family-oriented cruises.  It
can be difficult to entertain a small child on a long journey... and if you
travel by ferry the responsibility is entirely yours.  At any rate, my
husband & I & our (young adult) daughter went on a cruise to Alaska
& enjoyed it very much.  All three of us felt we'd like to explore
certain places in more depth.  There was no shortage of things to do on
board, whether or not the ship was in port, and for us at least the whole
package cost no more than a trip to Disneyland.  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+