MV Malaspina - Alaska Marine Highway

Glacier Gardens Rainforest

We woke up to sunshine!  This is a first for us since we got to southeast Alaska.  Apparently, a rare event for the locals, as well.  It is the tenth sunny day this year!  And by Alaskan definition, a sunny day is when the sun peaks through the clouds occasionally.  We took advantage of the sunshine with a walk to Nugget Falls, and a trip to the Upside-down Rainforest Garden.  They turned dead Sitka Spruce trees over a stuck them in the ground roots up, then planted flowers among the roots...interesting.

Tenters were allowed on the top deck!

In preparation for our 4 day ferry trip to Bellingham, WA, we emptied the refer.  We still had a piece of beef and a small salmon

Stern of the MV Malaspina

fillet left.  So we had beef stew, with a salmon spread for an appetizer.  The ferry left Juneau at 12:30 in the morning, with our first stop at Sitka.  We have a nice Stateroom (2 double bunks and a bathroom) with a window.  Drex has the RV to himself, with alpha visits every 5 hours or so and whenever we are in port.  

At Sitka,  we got off and took a short walk to Old Sitka.  Next came Petersburg, at 9:00PM, with a shorter little dog walk, then came Wrangell at 3:00AM with an even shorter dog outing.  Then an on-board dog walk at 6:30 AM.  Drex is starting to get tired of me waking him up all the time.  

Day 2, we have about 5 hours in Ketchikan...after a quick dog walk, we catch a cab to downtown Ketchikan...5 cruise ships are in port....so the place is hopping...and for some strange reason, there's not a cloud in the sky. (This is a place that gets 180" of rain a year! ).  We end up at the New York Cafe for beer and salad.  There are no cabs for the trip back, so we hoof it for two and a half miles...then another quick dog walk.

Nothing says nap-time like getting up every few hours all night, a beer with lunch, a sunny day, and a long walk.