South from Alaska

Young son is home from Alaska now. That was some adventure. We took the Alaska State Ferry from Whittier Alaska. Which you can see is a very small community with a sea port. The only way there is thru a tunnel. Up until just a few years back, you had to drive your cars on a flatbed rail car and go thru on the train, but improvements now allow for your driving yourself thru the tunnel.

This is our accommodations for our 4 1/2 day adventure on the ferry! I know you all have to be soooo jealous!!  It had that prison cell kind of feel to it. All we could do was laugh when we got in there. There was about a 2 foot path you from the bed to the other wall. Just enough to put your luggage in, and trip on daily!  :-)

Our sink area was quickly turned into a little "wet bar" for the week, as it was certainly going to be a long one in this room! :-)

The shared bathrooms and showers was just across the hall, which I appreciated. Nothing like wandering around a ship in your PJ's in the middle of the night to use the restroom! 

First stop was Yakutat.

Not your mega-metropolis.

Fishing is what this town is here for. The only way in and out is by boat. A very hardy bunch that can live in a place as remote as this. While I am not sure of the arrangements, but the town ascended on the ferry for a hot meal while we were in port.

When we loaded on the ferry we drove in on the end. In this town we had to pull sideways. It was quite fascinating to see them using an elevator, on the ship, to bring up 4 vehicles at a time on a platform. Now that's some elevator, since this ferry had semi trailers, boats and all kinds of cars and trucks on it.

It seemed to be the kind of town that these guys loved to be in. No one to bother them. They just hung out in the dock area watching the commotion.

And yes, it was COLD.  I am sure the locals thought it was summer, but there was still snow on the ground, and that wind was biting cold!

Definitely not for me!

Although...

There is potential for a quilt retreat house in this town, with just a little fix up required.

It' right next to the fly shop.

One thing for sure, you could get loads of projects finished while you were here. They is absolutely nothing to distract you from your task, other than the ferry coming thru once a week. That is, as long as you don't forget anything you need for the job!  No running to a store for anything!

We had stops along the way in Juneau the state capitol. It's the only capital city that is not accessible by car. You have to fly or boat in. Needless to say, the cost of living is horrendous. Our cab driver drove us by Mel Gibson's estate. It's a huge thing that sits up on a mountain and overlooks the city. With the troubles that ole Mel has had in the past few years, it's probably a good thing he can tuck himself away and keep from being seen by many.

 

It rained the entire time we were there, but the spring flowers seemed to just love it.

I for one, love the Inuit art you see in Alaska.

Next stop is Ketchikan, and what a difference a day makes. The sun was shining, and we were able to shed our winter coats finally.

                  I found this, one of the most fascinating things of the trip.

Yes, an International Airport! But wait, you won't believe this.

Here is where they park the planes. No jetways for you here!

Here is one coming in for a landing!

It gets better, this airport is across from the town

so...

                                                      Again, a ferry.

I can't imagine the costs to operate this!

I love the art in this town

And the spectacular views. I am thinking about having this photo made into a puzzle.

This is one of the hottest seafood restaurants in town. The crowds just kept coming!

I sat on the docks enjoying the sunshine. That song "Sittin on the dock on the bay" kept running thru my head.

Ketchikan is such an eclectic town. I really think I could live here.

I found myself captivated by the things I don't see everyday!

 The size of these buoys, next to the cars really put things into perspective for me.
                                                           

I don't know what it is, but it's pretty darn fascinating to me!

So that's my week on the water. Oh yes, there were quilt shops! Yippee.

I found 2 along our way, but that's for another day!

:-)

Have a great day!