The Taku arrives in Sitka.
I arrived at the Ferry Terminal a couple hours early. That gave me time to sit down and type a "goodbye" letter or two. It was a wide range of emotions I was feeling, knowing that I was just hours from leaving Sitka. I will miss that town very much. Raquel has been patiently waiting for me in Florida and I am anxious to see my family again. So my sadness about all we are leaving behind is tempered by the excitement I feel about what lies ahead.
The boat was not very full. The ride was pretty uneventful up until the end. I was able to get quite a bit of "Reagan's War" read. With every page, I gain respect for the former president. I watched a borrowed DVD, "Catch Me If You Can". It's an entertaining story but all of that bank fraud was a little disturbing. I fell asleep watching the latest Star Trek movie and nearly made a round trip on the boat. I slept through the port calls and announcements so I got to be the last person off the boat after being woke up by an angry crewman. I guess I just don't share my brother's enthusiasm for the Star Trek family of films.
I offended the sensitivities of a young East coast fellow. Shortly before arriving in Ketchikan we were talking about the small towns in SE AK and he was amused by the simplicity of an entire region based on commercial fishing. I mentioned that there used to be logging here, too. He pointed to a patch of a hill that had been clear-cut a few years ago and said, "It looks like they've cut enough." I responded, "They'll grow back." That got his gander up and he huffed, "Not very fast!" I laughed and once again said, "They'll grow back." He stomped off, shaking his head.
At Ketchikan I walked into town and visited Shawna at the AK Pacific Bank Tongass Office. She took me down to visit another former associate, Helen before taking me back to my ferry. It was great to see them and say goodbye in person.
Below are a sampling of some pictures from the ride.
Remnants
of a dock in Wrangell
Fishing
boat
Ketchikan
Rocky
Shoreline
Marker
typical
view
Wrangell
Statendam