Alaska to California Part 3: Juneau and Ketchikan

Our ferry stopped in both Juneau and Ketchikan on its way down the coast. We had about 3 hours to explore each city. In Juneau we walked to a beach not far from the ferry dock. We watched porpoises swim in the water. It was so cool to see these animals move through the water. We counted at least 6 of them. They were pretty close to the shore. Husband estimates that some were as close as 25 feet from the shore. I will defer to his distance judgement, as mine is non-existent. 

As we left Juneau, we had an incredible view of Mendenhall Glacier. 

The next day we stopped in Ketchikan. I was excited for this stop because I knew there would be many totem poles in the city. I love totem poles. I think they are a very unique way to tell history. We spent our time reading about the totems poles and visiting the stores in the area.  

One of the pros for taking the ferry was being able to stop in Juneau and Ketchikan, especially since we didn't make it to either city while we were living in Fairbanks. Travel in Alaska can be difficult because a number of cities and areas are only accessible by plane or boat. There are still a couple of cities on our list that we didn't get to visit (I'm looking at you Nome and Sitka) but we were happy to be able to cross two more off of our list. Who knows, maybe we will make a trip back to visit and finish off our list.

Alaska to California Part 2: The Ferry

During our time in Alaska we often talked about how we would leave: drive, fly, or take the ferry. We did the drive on our way to Alaska, and while it was a beautiful drive and a fun adventure, we both agreed it was a one-time experience. That left us with departing Alaska by either flying or taking the ferry. Logistics wise, the ferry made the most sense. I am so glad we chose that route. The ferry was great! It was 4 days and 5 nights of not driving. We were able to stop in Yakutat, Juneau, and Ketchikan (places that we would not have otherwise visited). We read books, played games, napped, and enjoyed beautiful scenery along the way. Our room had a window and Gary spent most of this time sitting on the ledge, watching for whales. We saw a couple of whales, some porpoises, and a deer (yes, a deer!) in the water during our trip down the coast. 

Our room was a good size for the two of us. In addition to the permanent bunk beds, the couch turned into a bed and there was a pull down bunk above the couch. We brought a cooler with food and we were able to buy small buckets of ice for $0.25 a bucket. The food from the cafe was pretty good. The prices may seem high to people from the Lower 48, but they were pretty comparable to prices in Fairbanks so they didn't seem that outrageous to us. 

Here is our ferry ride in pictures. I could have posted a lot more but I decided to keep them to a minimum. 

Gary says "I'm the king of the world!" 

If you look closely on the left, you can see water from a whale's spout. I tried to get a picture of the whale, but it was way too fast. 

Yes, this is a trailer, on a dock, in the middle of the water near Ketchikan. The only explanation I can give is #Alaska.

 Our last family picture in Alaska.