Juneau is the only capital in the US that you can reach only via plane or boat. So in 1963 voters approved the Alaska Marine Highway System, ferries connecting many of the islands of Alaska from Unalaska in the Aleutians to Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchican to name a few. Our ferry is the Columbia and it takes us from Sitka to Bellingham, WA with stops in Petersburg, Wrangel and Ketchican. Our accommodations aboard are on the upper deck, the Solarium, which is open in the front with heat lamps and deck chairs on which you put your sleeping pad and bag. It is warm and comfortable and the company is good.
The scenery is typically Alaska spectacular and the sunset showed off pale pinks. We explore the various decks, check out the movie theater, but mostly find ourselves in either the front viewing area or on the solarium just sitting and watching the day go slowly by
There was a four-hour stop in Ketchican, a town built on the side of steep hills, and we debarked and “did” town: the museum library, a nice Forest Service cultural center, and a candy shop for licorice and chocolate. Most the shops are closed as the cruise ships are done running for the season.
The grand finale to the ferry ride was the sunrise entering Bellingham. This was definitely a fun way to end a most memorable summer.
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