I’ve taken ferry rides a few times in my life.  Both crossings of Lake Michigan.  The long ride to Isle Royale from the U.P.  A hour or so across the mouth of Puget Sound.  It’s always a fun departure from the normal modes of transport.

For the last month and a half, my life has revolved around ferry schedules as we move from island to island via the Alaska Marine Highway.  The voyages all have stupendous scenery as the ships travel across wide sounds and through narrow channels.  Sometimes the land is so close it looks like you could jump to the shore from the boat.  Other times, fog and rain make it impossible to tell what direction you are going.

There’s always plenty of wildlife to see.  Lots of wading birds, water fowl, terns, gulls, eagles… Every so often you catch a glimpse of an otter or a seal.  Whale sightings are virtually guaranteed in the summer.  A half hour out of Juneau on one trip, an armada of sightseeing boats drew my attention and soon the water’s surface erupted from the exhale of one of Earth’s largest animals.  With the boat and the people in the background, you start to get a sense of how huge a whale really is.

The Alaska Marine Highway was set up not long after statehood as a way to provide regular, affordable service between the communities scattered among the archipelago of islands in southeast Alaska.  Many of the ships are the same ones that debuted along with the system.  They’ve got big ships to make the long hauls up and down the coast, smaller ships to make daily runs between closer towns and a couple fast ones for trips between more populous cities.  All of them are named after glaciers in Alaska.

This one is the M/V LeConte and it was actually built in Wisconsin; Sturgeon Bay to be specific.

Alaska is truly an international travel destination.  People come from all over the world to see the fjords, mountains, wildlife and glaciers and absorb the local culture.  This part of America is actually closer to places in Europe than it is places in the United States as the crow (or the Airbus) flies.  It’s a much shorter trip to Alaska from Hamburg or Oslo than it is from Atlanta or Miami.  One evening, I shared the ferry’s lounge (bar) with half a dozen Germans, two French speakers and an Aussie.  It was rather funny watching that Aussie chat up a grad student from Montana on her way to gather data on bears for the summer.

Any ferry ride of at least a couple hours will have food available.  Comes in handy when you need to catch an early ferry and couldn’t stop for a bite beforehand.  Only the largest of the ferries have a dedicated lounge with a full bar.  They do a good job of stocking local brews from Juneau.  The decor can be quite “vintage”.  The best example being the bar on the M/V Columbia.

Funky.