We're packing up the truck and taking one last shower before leaving.  Jeannie has been a wonderful hostess and her cats LoTec and Java have provided ample entertainment.  We're catching a ferry out of Bellingham to Alaska up the inside passage this afternoon.   Alaska, HERE WE COME!

We drove from Seattle to Bellingham, WA.  We will be traveling the Alaska Marine Highway, a state ru ferry system.  We had to be there early, 3pm for the ferry, even though we don't leave port until 6pm.  While waiting in our truck in line, they had security dogs sniffing all the vehicles for explosives and drugs.  They board more passengers than they have cabins, so it's common for passengers to camp out in tents on deck and sleeping out in deck chairs or on various sofas inside.  We got on board and set up a tent on deck, prepared to spend our nights in the drizzling rain.  We'll be celebrating our anniversary while on board, so we put our names on a waiting list for a cabin, in case of any cancellations.  We're on board the M/V (motor vessel) Malaspina (Mal-a-speen-a)

We waited with our fingers crossed until 15 minutes after we left port.  We checked back with the purser and we're in luck!  A cabin became available, the last one, the least expensive (our favorite)... but at least we'll have some privacy!   We got our cabin and went to take down our tent and put all our stuff in the cabin.  The cabin is tiny, 2 berths (really built-in bunk beds), inside (no windows), but we have our own bathroom and shower.  Everything we need and it's bigger than the truck!

We wandered around the the ship and got turned around several times.  They had a car deck call and we took our tent and sleeping bags down to the truck.  For our safety and for security, we can only go down to the car deck at port or during a 15 minute "car deck call".  Many people have animals in their cars and this is the only time they can check in on their pets.  We turned in a bit early, Alaska is one hour beyond Pacific time.