By the time we finished our drive across the country, we were tired… dog tired. Our trip across the USA was amazing, but even the most beautiful spots in the country start to feel a little stale when you see a new one everyday. Looking back at the photos we took, we’re reminded of how many amazing places we were able to stop at, but in the moment everything had begun to blur together into one long interstate.

We spent the night before we boarded in Bellingham, WA exploring the city, and eating some of the best Mahi Mahi tacos we’d ever tasted at the Black Cat Bistro a few minutes away from the ferry terminal. In fact, they were so good, that we grabbed another round of them to go right before getting in line to board. The check in process had us both nervous, hoping that we had all the pieces of paperwork needed to board. Things went smoothly, and we soon found ourselves in the long line of cars driving into the car deck.

The rooms on board the ship were cozy. The door opened directly into the bunk space, so that one of us had to hold the door open while the other squeezed around our bags so that we could both stand inside. I wish we had taken more detailed pictures around the ship, but the view was our main focus, so the only shot I had of our room is what looks to be an accident, the camera facing Stephan’s bunk overhead, and a piece of the ships wall visible to the side. (see the first photo below)

Cell service onboard the ship was spotty, but that was ok. We spent our time in the lounge area at the front of the ship, working through the puzzles and the games we found there. The Kennicott had a movie theater onboard, but we never saw it open, probably thanks to Covid regulations. We met a fellow passenger while down in the car deck on one of the dog walk times, and enjoyed spending some time talking to her about her pup, and her plans once she reached Alaska. We did download some episodes of How I Met Your Mother when we hit an area of service, and they kept us entertained during the hours when we ran out of other things to do onboard, or when we couldn’t sleep thanks to the gentle turbulence of the waves.

The view from the ships three different floors was the main attraction of the trip. It changed daily as we get closer and closer to Alaska. We would bundle up and head outside after breakfast, leaning against the deck rails with our cups of coffee and watching for snow on the mountains nearby. On day three, we were excited to see snowcaps on the mountains, and the next morning we woke to fog so thick that we could barely see the land. It was magical, low dense clouds of grey blanketing the docks, and several small fishing ships appearing out of nowhere to circle nearby, pulling in nets, and lobster traps. During the sunny afternoons we sat out on the deck and Stephan played guitar, while I read the Harry Potter series for the first time. It was just the break from our time on the roads that we needed.