Bellingham to Ketchikan via Alaska Ferry

Greetings from the North Country. Here's some hasty and rambling thoughts, as requested, as I make my way through the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska. Departing Bellingham on a sunny Friday evening felt wrong but I greatly appreciated the blue skies that followed me all the way to Ketchikan. My starboard cabin (facing the mainland going north) gave me plenty of view so I could jump up and run out on deck if something interesting came into view. The mystery of camping on deck in lounge chairs or tents appeared easy and delightful and I would absolutely do it that way next time just for fun. The Friday ferry is the MV Columbia, the flagship of the Alaskan ferry system. It's been freshened up and felt spacious with less than 300 people using it's 1,000 person capacity. No lines for anything including meals. The restaurant gave wonderful views of Mt Baker and the Twin Sisters as I enjoyed dinner in the large view oriented Restaurant. The food left much to be desired and I enjoyed my other hot meals at the small one-cook cafeteria. Next time I'd load up a couple of coolers with interesting hot and cold foods for gourmet and fun dining under the heated solarium. A special feature of this ferry is the GPS and mapping monitor. Travelers can follow the journey via various printed and digital display maps which also include current bearings and speed. This was a popular meeting place throughout the trip. Some highlights of the views were the Seymour Narrows (Vancouver Island); the towering peaks of Silver Throne in line with Mt. Waddington (highest summit in BC); and the waterfalls of dramatically narrow Princess Royal Channel. Some of these locations were memorable to me from my land-based trips to BC; like passing Bella Bella and the midnight lights of Prince Rupert, both previous paddle destinations. My only real regret is that I waited so long to take this trip. Walk-ons are almost never fully booked, so as a 'Bellinghamster" we have the opportunity to decide at the last minute to go. I'll let you know what Ketchikan was like in the next posting.
Take care,
Bud