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. 

Alaska to California Part 1: Leaving

After 3 years in the Alaska interior, it was time for our move to California. We said goodbye to Fairbanks and made our way down to Anchorage to spend a few days with friends before boarding the ferry. On our way, we made one last stop in Denali National Park. We saw 4 moose on our drive through the park, including a baby moose. The weather was pretty much perfect. We did not see Denali (the mountain) but we had some beautiful views of the other mountains. Even though it was late May, there was still some snow and ice on the ground and lakes as we drove down to Anchorage. The snow lasts a long time in Alaska.

We stopped at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla because of my slight obsession with dogsleds. There is a small museum, gift shop, and SLED DOGS!! They had 8 week old puppies that we got to pet and hold. I was tempted to sneak one into my purse. They had dogs harnessed up for ATV rides, but we elected not to take one.

The day we left Fairbanks was our 11th wedding anniversary.  Otter Lake in Anchorage provided a beautiful backdrop for some impromptu anniversary pictures.

While in Anchorage, we crossed 2 more things off of our Alaska bucket list. First, we hiked Thunderbird Falls. It was an easy, short hike with a beautiful waterfall at the top. We also went to Eklutna Village Historical Park, an Athabaskan village with a Russian Orthodox church building and a cemetery of spirit houses. The spirit houses are built over the graves to help protect the spirits of the deceased. Different families use different colour schemes. It was a fascinating stop. The original Russian Orthodox church is still standing and is the oldest standing building in the greater Anchorage area (brown, log building pictures below). You can read more about the cemetery and church by clicking here.

And just like that, it was time to leave Anchorage and head to Whittier to catch our ferry. We took a quick drive past the Balto statue downtown, which also marks the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. Okay, so the statue isn't really supposed to be Balto. It is supposed to represent all sled dogs, but everyone I know calls it the "Balto Statue".

This one-lane tunnel is the only way in and out of Whittier. It is 2.5 miles long and is also a train tunnel. They run a schedule that allows for cars and trains to share the tunnel without any problems. Once through the tunnel, we grabbed dinner, took some pictures, and waited to board the ferry. 

Stayed tuned for the next post which will talk about our ferry experience.