Days 11-12: Prince Rupert, BC to Haines, AK

When we finally got onto the ferry, we made our way right up to the solarium deck to pitch our tent and get settled in for the night. Yes, we could have gotten a cabin or slept in the "recliner lounge," but the tent option was just so appealing. And, in the end, we really liked it. There were several other people sleeping up on that deck, though most were tucked under the shelter of the solarium. Here's a look at our tent in the daylight, without the rainfly (which was very necessary to keep the wind out overnight):

Our tent on the solarium deck of the Matanuska

We woke up as the ferry was approaching Ketchikan and decided to use our two-hour "layover" to explore. We were pleasantly surprised by Ketchikan. It's a little tourist-y, which is to be expected, but there's also plenty more that's unique.

Highlights included Whale Park, Parnassus Books, and also hustling back to the ferry when the free shuttle back wouldn't pick us up... But, thankfully, we made it back on time and settled back onto the solarium deck to enjoy the rest of the ride.

The following stops in Wrangell, Petersburg, and Juneau were too short to get off and see anything, but perhaps we'll go back another time and do the ferry all over again, this time with stops. We met a lot of nice people on the ferry, got some ideas on what we should see in Alaska, and settled in for another night in the tent. Below are a few shots from aboard the Matanuska:

The next day, we got things packed up in preparation for our return to the Fiat and spent the rest of our ferry ride relaxing until our 2PM arrival in Haines, Alaska, which we really liked. We drove around town, checked in at the Captain's Choice Motel, which is super clean, very convenient, and has amazing views of the bay. We decided to go for a drive around the area to check out the Chilkat Lake. On the way, we happened upon some people fishing for salmon in the Chilkat River. Just upstream were two juvenile bears doing a little fishing of their own. As they meandered toward us, everyone made their way back to their cars and RVs, but the bridge above made a perfect spot to watch one of the two making his way casually down the river.

After a little more driving, we stopped in at Second Nature, a really cool little shop just across from our motel. The owner is incredibly helpful and gave us some great tips on the area. We followed this up with dinner at Fireweed (which I believe is owned by a former Chicagoan, based on the very large Cubs Win flag by the bar). Then, back home to the Captain's Choice, as seen below (hell of a view, right?).