Marine Highway to Sitka

We drove onto the ferry for the ride to Juneau and Sitka.  I was worried about Bre driving the motorhome onto the ferry but he handled it easily with the help of the deck crew.  They directed him to back into a spot and guided him in.  The ferry was very enjoyable, much like our Alaskan cruise many years ago.  The Columbia is the newest of the Alaska ferries and is very roomy.  Our stateroom was comfortable with a really big shower and four berths.  The restaurant with its white tablecloths and views of the passing mountains and boats was excellent.  Many of its entrees are fresh Alaskan seafood.  I had halibut with small red potatoes and Breland had an awesome seafood paella.  There is also a snack bar for more informal dining.
People venture on the ferry so many different ways. There are no roads to Juneau or Sitka or many of the other ferry stops and the ferry serves as a road for Southeast Alaska.   Many walk aboard or ride bicycles or motorcycles.  There were lots of cars and trucks, including tractor trailers and lots of RVs.  Some people chose to stay in staterooms while others staked out a recliner or a chair for their journey.  Many slept on the solar deck, some on the deck chairs and some even pitched a tent.  I hear it is wise to bring a lot of duct tape to tape the tent to the deck. A person who walks on and brings their own snacks can make the journey from Haines to Sitka for less than $60.  Bringing a car and motorhome on can raise that cost considerably!  We were only on this ferry for 18 hours. Some people were traveling all of the way to Bellingham, Washington, three days away.  I was amazed at the narrow inlets we traveled, able to  see the shore easily from both sides of the ferry at times. A mother bear and her cub fished from the water's edge and eagles lined the trees.
We stayed in Starrigavin, a National Forest campground in Sitka.  I kept waiting for Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood to come walking down the road.  The Sitka spruce trees in this woods are enormous  and there are creeks running through the campground.  We planned to stay there only a few days (at $7 a night)  but our stay was so enjoyable that we stayed there for 6 of our 7 nights, only moving the last night to have access to power and water to wash clothes before the next ferry trip.
There are many hking trails in Sitka.  One crosses the campground and follows a boardwalk over an estuary to a river that was filled with salmon, more than I have ever seen at one time.  We kept looking for bears and always carried our bear spray on hikes but never saw one.  I can only think that the bears must frequent some of the many other active salmon streams on the island.
We re-visited some of the places that we saw on our cruise ship stop here in the '90s. The Totem Pole forest was just as intriguing as before and the Russian Orthodox church and artwork just as compelling. It is amazing how quiet this town is when the cruise ships leave. We board a ferry again on Tuesday for a 16 hour ride to Wrangell.  I hope it is as comfortable and enjoyable as the last

Spawning Salmon

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Tents on Ferry Deck

The RV headed into the ferry