Ahoy! From M/V Kennicott

August 5, Wednesday  

Aboard the M/V Kennicott, the one of the largest of the Alaska Marine Highway fleet at 382 ft long, on our way to the Outside, as Alaskans call it. We boarded in the light at 10:45pm after fanangaling with boxes and bikes to meet our 19 ft requirement. It was quite the scene, Rich and I removing bikes, mounting part of the bike rack on top of the van, moving boxes and trays from outside to inside. We were in line to get on the ferry at this point, Reese and Ruby riding their bikes among parked and moving cars, running around like banshees after a long day of errands. 

We weren't in our berth (4 beds, bathroom, linens and towels provided) until midnight and not asleep until 1am. Long day. I was still tired after waking at 10:30 this morning.

The Kennicott is big, with the top floor housing folks in the solarium where they sleep in lawn chairs or put up tents. They share bathrooms and showers. There are various types of cabins on the next three floors, ranging from single berths with shared bathrooms to four person berths with private bathrooms. We are in the interior, no window. Makes for good sleeping, but we would prefer an outside berth with a window. 

People gather in the forward lounge, on computers, doing puzzles, chatting, on computers. The theater shows two or three movies a day. There is a cafeteria and lounge that no longer serves alcohol. One can only imagine. You can have purchase beer or wine with meals or drink discreetly--stated as drinking in your cabin. 

Ruby has made friends already, and Reese only wants to play Munchin, a fantasy D&D type thing he played nonstop on the Babkin with the boys.  My drive to reach out and connect with others has been dampened by our week in PWS. Or perhaps I haven't spied any of my people, not that I don't enjoy hearing others' stories. I still try to pick out friends for Reese and Ruby though.

We crossed the Gulf of Alaska without view of land to stop in Yakatat, a fishing town only accessible by boat or plane. Rich's introduction to 

Alaska was here and we wandered around, marveling at the changes, which were few. The dock had been repaired and shored up, the Mallot General Store still standing after 65 years.  The Lieutenant Governor is Byron Mallot, of the same store. The fog had lifted, the kids got to run and yell and throw rocks in the ocean. It was a brief and nice break from the ferry. 

Today we head into Juneau for a brief visit. Our ocean experience has effected by our week in Prince William Sound. While we are mildly interested in whales and the outside of ferry, we have had such a wonderful experience already the ocean is not as interesting.  We still have our binoculars, and we love to watch the boat dock but we aren't scanning the ocean for 'blows' indicating whales. Not yet at least.