also be the place where he will take an airplane home. I, however, have decided to go
Northwards by ferry again, all the way up to Haines.
The Alaska Marine Highway is the water street to connect all coastal cities along its way. The
only other way to get there is by plane. The next city to get off board for me can only be
Haines.
First ferry.
The ferry to Ketchikan leaves at 5.15am. We have to check in 3hrs in advance, so this can only mean "No sleep 'til daa-dap, dap-dadaaah, ... Ketchikan!"
Finally on board. Prince Rupert will be pretty much the last main land I will see for a
while. Almost the entire trip the ferries will navigate through the many many many islands
along the coast. Ketchikan itself is on an island, too.
Jupp, the car, too.
Some live out in the wild.
First impression of Ketchikan. It is a city daily visited by huge cruise liners which fill up
the city. However, once they have left, half of the shops and cafes are closed again.
Ketchikan's Marina.
After checking in at a Hotel for the first night, we made a reservation at a hostel on the
mountain. This is the view from there. Old grumpy hostel-boss let us know "When you come
home late and wake somebody up, or wake me up, or come home toxicated, I throw you two out in
the middle of the night!" 'Thank you, we like you, too!'
All people leaving these ships...
... need places to have a beer.
So do we!
Creek Street. And old "street" which has been built on sticks just next to a creek, high
enough to cope with tides.
This cable car took us up to "Capefox Lodge", the place where Dennis reunion takes place the
next day.
Dennis and Pete. Pete announced me as the long forgotten "German exchange student". Some of
the people left believing this, others might have even remembered me ;-)
Having beers after 40hrs without sleeping, I was almost unable to speak anymore.
Next day: a hike up to Deer Mountain.
"Skunk Cabbage". Don't touch or even eat it. No one would want to see you for a couple of
days, and it hurts, too!
Click, zoom and scroll!
After the reunion, which was great fun (thanks everybody to let me celebrate with you!!), we
went to a pub. Yes, they love this stuff over here. Late we came home to the hostel. Highly
toxicated, but quiet!
Next day: Ketchikan weather. It rains here for 290 days per year which makes it the wettest
town in northern America. Two weeks ago, I was still at one of the driest places on earth.
Well, wherever you go: there you are!
The entrance to a native village area.
Auaaa!
Ein Flug-Hafen
Houses need much care in all the rain.
Second ferry.
It is the 4th of July. That's the day when all people here are out in the streets waving their American flags (made in China) and celebrate the independence from the Brits. As I am not so much into patriotism, I am glad to spent the day on the boat.
Very early in the morning I am at the Terminal again. The ferry up to Haines takes about 25hrs. This will save me about 1200 Miles of driving and will let me experience the coastal area of Alaska. And: plenty of time to write this blog chapter. (Many pictures in it as you can see)
You can even camp on board. This would surely be a cool experience. I think I prefer searching for a space inside. I brought my mattress and sleeping bag.
One better view on Ketchikan's airport. The unique thing about this airport is that the
terminal is below the runway, meaning that all planes have to roll up/down to the
runway/terminal.
The Wrangell Narrows. The ship I am on is the largest to fit through this narrow water
street. It is a 40 miles long part of the Marine Highway. Any bigger ship has to do a detour
of 240 Miles.
The coastline here is partly inhabited.
Petersburg
Oh, another campground on deck. Sticks wouldn't work, but duck tape is good for everything!
Later at night we saw many happy whales jumping out of the water. But for catching those, my camera is a little too low-tech. Instead I took a picture of other people taking pictures of them:
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