Here we took our trip from road to sea. It took a little bit of back tracking through Canada but it was well worth it to get to the "panhandle" of Alaska.
Day Eleven: Tok, AK to Haines, AK
We spent a good portion of the day retracing our steps back through Canada. It wasn't until after Haines Junction, YT where we started to hit some new territory. From Haines Junction, we started heading south. It wasn't long before the sun had set and we were a little concerned we wouldn't make it to the U.S. border entry in time but we got there with an hour to spare. It was unfortunate that this part of the drive was in the dark because there seemed to be some stunning landscapes surrounding us.
After getting back into Alaska, there was still a fair drive until we reached Haines, AK. Winding roads in the dark always bring surprises. At one point it looked like there was a dog running on the highway. I thought that was a bit odd as we were pretty far from the nearest town but I was impressed by this dog's ambition. As we got a little closer, I realized that this was quite a large dog. Now, it was the size of the dog that impressed me. A little closer yet and it became apparent that this wasn't a dog but a small bear. Not very impressive - there are bears everywhere in Alaska.
Day Twelve: Haines, AK to Juneau, AK
We had the luxury of free time before we had to hop on the ferry. Driving around Haines, we saw a strange mural with a disturbing looking bear which I assume was our travel buddy from the night before. Had an average breakfast and looked at some bald eagles crapping patriotism over everyone. With a few more hours to kill, we slipped out of town and continued to look at the coastal scenery. Ended up trespassing and driving up a steep private road only to find a very disapproving man chase us down in an ATV. Further down the road we found some spots lacking in angry landowners that we were able to wander about.
The ferry ride was a quick trip. It's odd to think that the capital of the state has no road access. Fortunately their ferry system is quite comprehensive. It needs to be as it's really the only way to get into a lot of these coastal communities. The sun had set by the time we got into Juneau, so we would have to wait until morning to have a look around.
Day Thirteen: Juneau, AK to Prince Rupert, BC
We were at the will of our ferry's schedule so we had to budget our time accordingly. Juneau was a nice little community although it is very much catered towards tourists. Many cruise ships dock here. I'm not sure what it is about tourist towns but the abundance of jewellery shops always strikes me as odd. We walked around downtown and looked at a few shops then grabbed some king crab legs to eat. That may have been the most rushed meal I've had because we nearly had to leave after getting our food to get to the ferry.
We got on the ferry in the evening and had our first stop at Petersburg, AK. It was a quick stop here but gave us enough time to take Lissie out for a quick play. After Petersburg, our next stop would be Ketchikan, AK. It wasn't until morning when we got there so we had scouted out a good spot on the floor of the ferry to crash.
The ferry would stop for a good part of the day in Ketchikan, so we were able to check it and its surroundings out. Totem Bight State Park is just outside of the town and it was worth the stop. Perfect way to kill a few hours and spend our last day in Alaska. One more stretch on the ferry before being dropped off in Prince Rupert.