Real bummer on the ferry cuts. Read that they pulled the Taku off the schedule entirely. The bottom line is that Alaska is broke and instead of slowly starting to cut back on spending years back, they kept spending like a bunch of drunken sailors right up to the cliff edge. Last year the state earned more revenues off the interest of the budget emergency fund than they received from their oil sales out of the pipeline. Now they are talking about taking 4 billion dollars out of the emergency fund to fund the current budget. So there will be less interest earned off the budget surplus fund in the future. Glad I am not still working as a consultant up in the north country this year.
Don't know how much the cuts in runs out of Prince Rupert will hurt the local economy there, as most of the economy appears to be based upon shipping large volumes of coal and grain to the Asia, via large cargo ships. The last time we were in PR, the cargo ships were lined up, one behind another, waiting their turn to load. Must have been close to a dozen of them in line or at the loading docks. PR is our favorite departure port for the Alaska Ferry system, headed north.
joe b.
Stuart Florida
Formerly of Colorado and Alaska
2016 Fleetwood Flair 31 B Class A w/bunks
www.picturetrail.com/jbpacooper
Alaska-Colorado and other Trips posted
"Without challenge, adventure is impossible".
