Ferry trip from Haines, AK to Bellingham, WA

August 15-22   Days 68-75

It's been awhile due to lack of available WiFi, so I am trying to catch up.

After spending a few days in Haines, we boarded the ferry bound for Bellingham on schedule. This is where we entered to drive on the ferry

then we made a left turn inside the ship and drove to the end where we were guided to a parking spot.

Since we were in a rv, we loaded with the first group which also allowed us to be the first group to drive off when we arrived in Bellingham.  Once on the ferry, there was nothing to do but relax, read, eat, sleep, watch for wildlife, and watch movies; all of which I mastered. 

Our cabin was similar to a commercial cruise ship, just not as fancy and no room service.

We only had an hour in Sitka, so we took a brisk walk around the town.  It has a totem pole forest as a national park, and other interesting places.

We had a whole day in Ketchikan, AK so we walked around the town and took a hike through a forest to an overlook.

We also walked over a stream where the salmon were coming in to spawn.  All of the dark squiggly stripes in the water are salmon.

While cruising the inside passage, we saw several pods of orcas, several humpback whales, sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, and dall porpoises.  I was unable to get pictures of them because they surfaced quickly and disappeared.

OBSERVATIONS (and other unscientific data):
It was interesting to observe the way people relaxed on the ferry.  Most people, including us, would read and watch for wildlife.  But the deck on the stern of the ship was mostly out of the wind, so some of the hearty souls of Alaska and the northwest would sun bathe, while the rest of us wore long pants and sleeves.