Alaska Ferry to Juneau AK

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Sunday, July 8, 2007 I did wake up at 6:30 am when they made the next port call. I slept well. The waters were calm so there was little rocking, however the ship did vibrate. Frank said it was like “magic fingers”.
We walked the dogs ashore and feed them.
The morning was gray and rainy. It was very chilly on the deck. We spent the early morning hours in the observation lounge. The Inside Passage is site of the Tongess National Forest, the largest national forest in the U. S (and basically it’s a rain forest). A Forest Ranger rides the ferry to give talks and answer questions throughout the trip. We enjoyed the presentations.
In the morning the ferry went through the “Wrangell narrows”, a 21 mile stretch of water that is about .5 mile wide and 24 ft. deep max. The Matanuska is 408 ft long with a 17 ft. draft. It’s the largest ship that goes through the narrows. We bundled up and went on deck to watch the passage and the shoreline pass.
As the day wore on the sky brightened, the rain stopped and it warmed up. In the afternoon we traveled through Frederick Sound, which is THE place for whales. Quite a few were sighted and I saw my share. Understand “saw” means seeing a black mass on top of the water in the distance, sometimes spouting water. Once a whale showed its tail as it dove back into the deep. This is all through binoculars. It was neat. Dolphins, stellar sea lions and eagles were also spotted. It got pretty lively in the lounge as everyone was scanning the horizon and excitedly pointed out what they saw.
Ferry travel is leisurely. You watch the scenery, walk the decks or read etc. The trip was pleasant and unhurried. We enjoyed it. We arrived at Juneau about 7:30 pm. I had made reservations at a national forest service campground and it is really nice- - -water, electricity and big campsites.
WE HAVE ARRIVED IN ALASKA!

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