Transport
Flight #1
We’re on a trip, but this one is unusual. We’re a couple of days in before making the first post. It took a couple of days of travel just to get us to the first “destination”, which isn’t a destination at all. Sometimes, a mode of transport IS the destination.
We started with a drive to the airport and an evening flight out of Nashville on Wednesday, directly to Seattle. We stayed at a hotel right at the Seattle airport as we were arriving so late. It’s not just the two of us on this trip….our dear friend Judy has joined us. We have traveled on a few short trips with Judy and she’s always awesome to travel with!
We started with a drive to the airport and an evening flight out of Nashville on Wednesday, directly to Seattle. We stayed at a hotel right at the Seattle airport as we were arriving so late. It’s not just the two of us on this trip….our dear friend Judy has joined us. We have traveled on a few short trips with Judy and she’s always awesome to travel with!
Travel trio
We didn’t get to the hotel until 11:30 west coast time and Judy was already asleep. We checked in, and the next morning we met her in the lobby. By now we’ have driven to Nashville, flew to Seattle, taken a bus to the hotel, and now we’re headed to the Link light rail station for our next leg.
Downtown Seattle
We board the Link train about a block from our hotel. Fare is $3 a person and we head north towards downtown Seattle. We arrive about 35 minutes or so later at the Amtrak station in downtown Seattle…..which oddly enough isn’t a train! We board a bus that is run by Amtrak which takes us two hours north to Bellingham, Washington.
Hanging out in the park while Laurie takes our pic!
We have a hotel in Bellingham for the night. We have several good meals, wander the parks and greenways in Bellingham, and really enjoyed our stay. It’s a nice city with a lot of little boutiques, book stores, bars, and restaurants. But the only reason we were in Bellingham was to catch our next transportation, which leaves late Friday afternoon.
The harbor area at Fairhaven/Bellingham
We’ve stored our luggage at the hotel and return to retrieve it. At this point we have been on eight different modes of transportation including shuttle buses, an uber, and driving to the airport. We start our walk to number 9, which is also our home for the next three nights……The Alaska Marine Highway Ferry! It's the big one in the pic above.
Our cabin
The AMHS ferry system serves the residents and visitors of Alaska, 12 months a year. Ferries run from Bellingham, Washington to Unalaska in the Aleutians, a distance of around 2400 miles. To show how huge Alaska is, this is the same distance as driving from New York City to Boise, Idaho.
Sailing out
We board the Kennicott around 3 p.m. and retrieve our keys from the purser. We check out our cabin and stow our gear. Judy is worn out and decides on a nap while Laurie and I explore the ship. We locate the cafeteria, the lounges, the bar, the theater, and all the other things the Kennicott offers.
Car deck on the ferry
While we are walk on, the ferry transports vehicles and freight to Alaska as well. We watch while the crew loads motorhomes, trucks, pull type campers, SUV’s, motorcycles, and cars. The loading process is quite complex, taking several hours. It’s basically playing Tetris with vehicles.
Kennicott cafeteria
We leave the dock at 6 p.m. local time, and head for our first destination. We travel through the backwaters of Canada, far from the normal shipping lanes. The Kennicott is smaller than most cruise ships and can travel waters that they cannot. We see wildlife, lighthouses, and whales.
Whales!
We travel protected waters for the most part, as there are islands between us and the Pacific Ocean. This makes the trip much smoother and much more pleasant. We talk to other travelers, who hail from all over the states. We have drinks in the bar and take meals in the cafeteria.
Some people camp on deck instead of in a cabin
We invite a woman named Tab to join us. She lives in Washington state but was originally from Tennessee. We chat and discuss books, travel, and life in general. This is slow travel and it is very social. We have conversations with people all over the ship about photography, traveling, and whatever else comes up.
View from the deck
Since leaving port I’ve heard no one speak of politics, the news, or anything even remotely unpleasant. People are engaging, open, and friendly. Ferry travel is an enforced boredom that we see far too little of in our lives anymore. We have civil and pleasant conversations that have become rare.
We stop in Ketchikan tomorrow…..so I need to get to bed! More as we progress.
