Inside Passage

1/10/08: How the days fly by when traveling. Turns out we’re on the water for 4 days, from Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington. Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined & half of its coastal cities are unreachable by conventional road, thus the Alaska Marine Highway System. This is public transportation, not a cruise line (forget the gym and shuffleboard) but safety and comfort abound. Aboard the Malaspina, we are gently rocked to sleep at night like babies in cradles. It is a tranquil voyage with forests, fjords and peaceful communities along the Inside Passage. Sitting in the front lounge, with 360 degree views and lolling along at 16 knots is incredibly relaxing; reading, playing BananaGram (like Scrabble w/no rules), listening to our IPODS and coloring (I bought a mandala coloring book) feels almost timeless. From Ketchikan to Prince Rupert as we make a crossing at Dixon Entrance, exposure to rolling waves of the Pacific and the rebound waves off the shores creates what is called a “confused sea”; walking like drunkards and hanging onto walls disrupts our serenity, but only for a couple of hours. Then the sea becomes flat as we sail through even narrower passage in British Columbia, Canada. Back to my book, “Mind of the Raven”. I think my spirit medicine is the raven, since I had a raven dream and bought a beautiful raven painting that I couldn’t walk away from (by the Canadian artist, Natalie Porteneau); now I notice them everywhere and pay attention. Au revoir! (sp)