Day 25 – June 30 – We had all planned to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, and do a little more sightseeing since our ship wasn’t scheduled to leave Sitka until 5:45 pm. When Nancy called to confirm the time we needed to be at the dock, she received the startling message that the ship was leaving for Juneau at 12:45 pm. A quick drive out to the dock confirmed that the sailing had been moved up by five hours, with the attitude that it was our responsibility to call and check, not their responsibility to let us know. Ben and Nancy hurried back to the hotel, rounded up the crew (who, fortunately, hadn’t scattered too far yet) and headed back to the ship. Where, of course, we waited another hour before they let us drive on-board. I’m not certain if this is the way it always is with these ferries or if this is unusual but it certainly isn’t impressive. I guess if it is your boat, you can run it anyway you want to.

The ship is much smaller but has a lot less passengers than the one yesterday. It has been another beautifully clear day and the mountain-islands are gorgeous. Even those of us who are used to the wide open spaces of Texas are in awe of the sheer amount of space there is here. Water and island and water and island. Occasional pleasure and fishing boats, no other big ships although the large cruise ships pass through some of these same passages. This ship has no sleeping compartments even though it is an overnight passage. Due to the change in schedule, we expect to dock in Juneau at 5:00 am. Not much chance they will be ready for us at the Super 8. We’ve brought up the sleeping bags. Ken and Joyce have staked out some deck chairs and the rest of us have laid claim to several rows of the recliner chairs. Thank goodness, there aren’t many people on this ship or it would be a really uncomfortable night. Note: It was a really uncomfortable night for everyone.

630a
630a – Before we left Sitka, we stopped by this lovely old Russian church in the center of town. The cars made a pretty sight in front of the colorful flowers.
630b
630b – Some of the mountains were on Admiralty Island, a huge island that runs along the coastline. Some were on smaller islands, and some were on the mainland, large enough to be visible even from this distance.
630c
630c – The changing light as the day progressed added to the beauty around us. The sun on the snow-cappedpeaks, the reflected blues of the water and sky, the shadows created by the green of the trees: there just aren’t enough words to say how incredibly beautiful it all was. Even after three days of water and sky, we were still all overwhelmed by the amazing vastness of the Inner Passage.
630d
630d – Since our ship from Sitka was basically a milk run, we stopped at several small communities along the way. This one, Tenakee Springs, Alaska, hugs the harbor. The town consists of one street, built along the water, with no motor vehicles. It was charming and we all wanted to move there fulltime. However, according to one resident, “fulltime” in Tenakee Springs means July, August, and September.
630e
630e – The fishing boats could not be more picturesque. Whether on the water or in the harbor, they look like what you expect Alaska to look like.