Misty Fjord And Petersburg Plus More Parking Lot Camping

The first afternoon we arrived in Ketchikan the sun was shining and our surroundings could not have been more spectacular!!  The next morning—our only full day in Ketchikan, it was pouring rain.  But we did as the locals do and got on with our activities—an enclosed, heated boat ride out to Misty Fjord National Monument some 40 miles from Ketchikan.

We chose Allen Cruises kind of by default—they were the only charter boat to the monument not sold out!  But, we are all entirely glad it worked out that way—a first class company!  A naturalist—a captivating young women kept us thoroughly informed and entertained as we rapidly motored through the Alaskan waters.  Other very helpful young women kept the hot coffee flowing and provided us with strawberry danish rolls and your choice of clam chowder or vegetarian chili as lunchtime neared.  The boat company sold Alaskan beers and wine was also available if you so chose.  They also had an amazing selection of gift items on board.

Eddystone Rock, a towering chunk of granite rising out of the ocean! 

In addition to the scenery we saw seals and bald eagles—it was a trip we all are so glad we took!

Note the single feather the eagle just lost??

On to Petersburg via some more parking lot camping.  The folks who work for the Alaska Marine Highway System are some of the most accommodating people I’ve ever met!  As our departure time Monday morning was at yet another unspeakable hour—they would start loading the ferry at 2am!!!—we chose to stay in the parking lot of the ferry terminal.  The ferry employees tell you in which lane to park overnight, tell you what time they allow you to arrive—basically any time and we are all set to go.  But let me tell you, if we ever do this trip again, cabins onboard the ferries are a must!!! 

This sleeping sitting up in an uncomfortable chair brings back bad memories of my flying days—highly uncomfortable!!  The ferries have sleeping cabins with showers but we didn’t book a cabin—we thought we could manage to get enough sleep in the lounges—NOT, we are not youngsters any more!!! After departing Ketchikan at 3am we all managed to get a little sleep—the coffee onboard the ferries is very good! The ferry stopped for about 45 minutes in the little community of Wrangel and we were able to retrieve Emmi from the car deck for a little walk. 

Brief sunshine greeted us when we arrived in Petersburg but didn’t last long—it poured just as we arrived at our RV park and began hooking up the utilities.  We have ocean front/mountain view property for the fantastic price of $30/night—cash only, no credit cards at the Frog’s RV Park.  The guys cooked dinner tonight as in they took us to an unusual spot—Inga’s—we ordered at a window from what appeared to be a tiny kitchen, the industrial refrigerator was outside.  We ate in a tent heated with propane heaters—the food was to die for, just goes to show you, don’t judge a book by its cover!!

It’s going to be an early night for all of us—I think I am now caught up to date on the blog!