August 13, 2011 Departure date for our Alaskan Adventure
My sisters, their husbands and my niece came to the Alaska Ferry terminal to give us a great “Bon Voyage”. The ferry set sail at 6 pm on a wonderful sunny evening. The purser assigned us to a very nice berth with a bathroom (top priority) and a window. It felt first class to us. We scurried on deck to wave and watch for wildlife on the way out of Bellingham Bay and through the San Juan Juan Islands. Eagles, harbor seals and Orcas were spotted that evening. Almost immediately, we began to interact and connect with fellow passengers. With only 200 or so people, it wasn’t hard. Most were Alaskans heading to their homes around SE Alaska or tourists who preferred to bypass the big cruise ships (thus, a common bond). I found several people who, like myself, were interested in using GPS and the ship’s monitors to track our course. Just Old Salts at heart.
The relative calm of the inside passage made for a wonderful night’s sleep.
8/14-8/16/2011
There was a definite change in the weather when we awoke. Rain, duh. I dusted off my rain gear and spent a lot of time on deck. Chris found plenty to keep himself busy: socializing, reading and pub crawling. There was even small theater that occasionally showed nature films and movies. Even though we packed enough food for an army, the restaurant's breakfast menu was too much to resist. We rationalized that we were still economizing because we shared our meal.
We arrived in Ketchikan early on the morning of the 15th. Chris had met a retired Alaska Ferry Chief Boatswain, Stephen Mason who offered to show us around town during our 4 hour layover. Steve graduated from Lake Washington High School (around 1960), has a home near Thorp WA and a cabin on Duke Island, AK. A very nice guy who gave us the opportunity to see Fairbanks and its 2 Totem Park’s which otherwise, would not have been possible.
Steve travels on his own "ferry" from Ketchikan to Duke Island (see above). Such a good looking first mate there...
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