Continuing my quest to explore the ferry services of the Pacific Northwest, I took a trip down to Tacoma and out towards Point Defiance.  Ruston is the location for another of the Washington State Ferries terminals.  This service crosses to their south end of Vashon Island.  I knew about the ferry to Vashon from Fauntleroy but I didn’t initially realize that there was a second connection to the Island.  It is a short crossing and, while I was there, only one ferry was used to run a shuttle back and forth.

The ferry terminal is right next to the entrance to the marina.  The jetty provides access to allow me to photograph the other side of the ferry to that which is visible from the shoreline.  The ferry in use is of the same class that runs the service from Port Townsend to Coupeville.  It was big enough to clear the line of cars each time it came in while I was there.  Maybe busier weekends have more of a waiting time, though.

It is not hard to see across to the other terminal.  I was able to track the ferry is it made the crossing in each direction.  It was not a particularly bright day when I got there but I was happy to add another ferry to the collection.  However, as I was contemplating moving on, the sun started to come out.  The light colors of the hull certainly look a lot better on a sunny day so I figured I would wait for it to come back once again.  Unfortunately, as it started back across in lovely sun, a cloud was moving in over me.  Sure enough, the ferry was back in shade by the time it got close in.  Oh well, not the most important thing to worry about.