Our trip back to the lower 48 states will be quite different from when we went up.  This time we are putting the motor home onto a ferry.  This will save us probably a thousand miles of driving.  This will involve four separate ferry boats.  The first one was today, a five and one-half hour cruise on the Malaspina.  It can hold 499 passengers and 88 vehicles.

M/V Malaspina

And, of course, it was raining pretty good when we started.  The loading process went smoothly. It was cheaper to go as two separate vehicles rather than the combined connected length.  And that made it possible for me to snap this pic of Bernie driving down the loading ramp into the car deck.

Loading Onto the Ferry

We are not allowed to stay in the car deck with the vehicles but there were some nice seating areas, a restaurant, and a bar, and a movie theater on board.  Private cabins were also available for those who wanted to pay extra.  We did not for this short trip, but we will on a different ferry later.

Beautiful Scenery

The rain eventually let up but the clouds remain.  We were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.  Never ending mountains.

View From the Front Windows

My how things have changed since we arrived in Alaska.  When we got here around the first of July, sunset was around midnight with sunrise only four hours later.  We had to put blankets over the windows to keep it dark inside.  Now, here, it’s 8:30 p.m. and it’s dark already.

Juneau, Alaska

We will explore Juneau tomorrow and catch the next ferry early Monday morning.