Alaska Marine Highway
Alaska Marine Highway
Mile 7040
It’s time to change the mode of transportation up a little. We boarded The M/V Columbia ferry right around 1:00am Monday night. After close to 4 hours in a rainstorm in the parking lot, climbing into bed in our 2-bunk berth felt great. This is our home for the next three and a half days. The Columbia is the largest ferry in the fleet, some 418’ long. There are several options for accommodation. You can purchase a berth that has several bunk beds and a bathroom, or you can set up your tent on the back deck, or crash on array of plastic deck recliners in the solarium at the top back level of the ship. There are 2 levels of vehicle capacity, able to swallow full semi trucks as well as any size RV out there. Amenities include a snack bar, a real bar, a formal dining room, a theatre, kids room, and several indoor observation decks filled with comfy seats. Quite an impressive operation. The Columbia was built in 1974, which made sense when you viewed the décor in the bar. Visualize early 70’s Las Vegas lounge act. I kept waiting for Sammy, Frank or Deano to pop out for a set.
We woke as the ferry docked in Sitka Tuesday morning. The main town was several miles away from the dock, and we were only there for an hour or so. So we opted to stay on the boat. Vehicles off, vehicles on, and off we went for a day of traveling the inner passage of the Alaska coast. Our next stop is Petersburg at 10:00pm. Some off, some on, and off into the darkness we sped. Next stop is Ketchikan AK Wednesday at 9:30am.
It rains a lot in Alaska, if you didn’t know. Today was no exception. Every once in a while there was a patch of blue sky through the clouds. They are what I affectionately call sucker holes. And the views from the decks of our ferry were endless. Rocky coastlines and forest as far as you could see. Islands of trees on both sides of the ship, with an occasional fishing trawler or two. By some stroke of luck the skies parted for our arrival into Ketchikan.
Ketchikan AK
Ketchikan was originally a salmon fishing enclave. Largest on the planet at one time. Then the logging industry boom came and went. Now the biggest industry is tourism. They call it “First City”, as it is the first port the northbound cruise ships come to in their Alaskan itinerary. There is the usual port town gift shop fare, but Ketchikan has done a great job of promoting their frontier history. The wharf side has a historical path around town and there are totem pole gardens at each end of the coastline road. We took advantage of the interpretive trail around the quaint little town. The harbor was beautiful, and Creek Street was pretty cool too. Creek Street runs along the mouth of Ketchikan River, and is the notorious red light district of town, with up to 30 brothels in the town’s heyday. That came to a halt in 1954 when such shenanigans were outlawed. Now it’s filled with small retail shops. Back to the ferry by 5, and off we go again. Our next stop would be Bellingham WA, in 37 hours.
The skies stayed clear throughout the evening, and left us with a magnificent sunset. Not a bad way to end the day.
The skies stayed clear all of Thursday and through the night. We arrived on schedule in Bellingham at 8:00am. Back on "Lower 48" soil. The ferry ride was a great adventure on it's own. A beautiful way to see the coast. That boat ride had been on the bucket list for over 30 years, and it was worth it.
