Cherry Blossom Candy Leaf

After spending 3 days in beautiful, rainy Ketchikan, Sasha and I boarded a ferry that would take us along the Marine Coast Highway to Sitka. Sasha arranged a room on the slow ferry for the 24+ hour ferry ride. We enjoyed glorious cloudy views of pristine forests and snow capped mountains.



We had a small room, the last one, actually, but it provided everything that we needed. Many people camp out on one of the decks, but we had bunk beds, a small closet, sink, and shower. I slept like a baby on the top bunk.



About 20 minutes into the trip, the ferry had to turn around to drop off a passenger who drank half a bottle of Everclear at a local Ketchikan hospital. The rest of the journey was smooth sailing, as they say. We enjoyed cocktails in the lounge, played Scrabble with honeymooners, and watched the moon make a golden circle on the sea.

Because of the Everclear incident, our stop in Wrangell was much shorter than expected. We were on the move. When we arrived at Sitka and began to look for the bus that would take us to our destination, Baranof car rentals, I heard someone call my name. It was Wendy Miller from high school! She was actually on her way to Anchorage with her husband and baby. They will be living in the same town as Sasha! It really is a small world!

After obtaining the rental car, we headed for our B&B, which should have been just a B because there was no food included. We had a cute little one bedroom apartment, kitchen and bathroom.



On the day we arrived, Sitka was sunny and warm, but we were told that this may not last. It didn't, but we still enjoyed ourselves. Below is a picture of families on the beach in front of a dormant volcano that looks a lot like Mount Fuji.



We had heard something about the Baranof hot springs which were only accessible by plane or boat. We spent a lot of our time trying to get there, but after many phone calls and conversations, we did not make it. So aside from these calls, we spent our first day in Sitka driving around making a mental map. Here are some photos from that first drive.


We relaxed one day, waiting for calls on a possible hot springs trip and Sasha's housing prospects in Anchorage. That night, we hitchhiked into town in a mobile meth lab and threw back a couple cold ones. Sasha also fell in love for the night.





The following day, we went on a beautiful hike, having the trail mostly to ourselves.










When the trail ended at the road, we decided to take the coastal route back to the car. Even though we walked along the highway, we were impressed by the beauty of Sitka.








Now Alaska is cold, so I had no idea that it would have such beautiful flowers.



We took some time to shop and admire art by local artists.