The BBQ from the night before had outstanding
appetizers. Folks enjoyed: crab cakes, onion soup, okra, and loaded
French fries. We were a bit full but
managed to enjoy the BBQ main course.
I haven’t mentioned yet, but a drink package was also part
of our cruise package. Sorry to say
that due to my dietary restrictions, I’m living life alcohol free but the others
are enjoying this perk.
Today Allan bought me an early birthday present of really
nice binoculars. We have wanted a new
pair for some time now. This summer I
had cataract surgery. So now I am able
to use binoculars without glasses and it is an incredible viewing experience.
As we approached Juneau we viewed multiple whale
sightings and magnificent mountains, some with glaciers. We could see the whales blow and viewed their backs which, seemed to float along off in the distance. At one point I saw a humpback tail as it
dove. I did not see any of them breech. Allan got some great pictures but I'm sorry I didn't with my i-phone.
We arrived in Juneau on this sunny Alaska day at about 3:00 pm. Today we have an excursion to the Mendenhall
glacier planned. We were instructed to
gather in the Bliss Theater. This was
their staging area for several excursions.
Groups disembarked the ship and proceeded to waiting buses labeled for
various excursions. As we approached the
gangplank we displayed our ids and they were scanned and a photo appeared on
the employee’s screen. Once we were cleared we headed to the bus lines.
Our driver, Ken, a Tsimshian native Alaskan, provided a very fun and informative tour as we passed through
town and traveled about. Juneau is the
only state capital in the US where there are only three ways to enter
town. By sea, by plane or by birth
canal! No roads lead in or out of
town. It is nestled on a narrow strip of
land between the ocean channel and steep mountains. You can see how small it is by viewing the map above of downtown Juneau.
At the glacier we were able to walk a short trail to Mendenhall
Lake and view the Mendenhall glacier and nearby Nugget Falls. The views were breathtaking especially through
my new binoculars.
Using my trusty cell phone I took a few photos. I noticed that people around me were on their
phones. I had service also, so being the
good daughter that I am, I called my mother and shocked her since I
hadn’t thought that I would be able to check in until we were back in
Seattle. Newsflash --- She’s not happy
with the Red Sox but she is pleased with the Patriots.
Then I posted my first pictures from Alaska on Facebook.
Our stop was short and we didn’t have time to make the
1-mile or so walk over to the base of Nugget Falls and back. We did stop in the visitor’s center and watch
the park's introductory movie. I also
picked up a postcard for Abby, our granddaughter. Not sure when it will get mailed. I will have to get a stamp first and find a
post office.
We got back on the bus and rode back to town passing ranch
style homes (one of which was Ken’s), Juneau's one fast food restaurant,
McDonald’s, a large grocery store, Costco, TrueValue, and the like. There are 32,000 residents, 2 public high
schools and one alternative high school.
Their students travel by ferry to Skagway and Ketchikan to participate
in extra curricular events such as football, basketball, orchestra, and
chorus. Sometimes they host tournaments
and participants fly in from afar and sometimes they fly to Anchorage for
events.
Back in town we took the Mount Roberts Tramway. It has a 1,800 foot ascent. The ride was quick and we had a clear view of
the harbor of Juneau.. At the top we
walked about a bit but once again our time was limited so we didn’t stay
long. For the adventurous ones it is
possible to hike up and down the Mount or catch the tram just one way.
It was soon time to head back down the tram and catch the bus
back to the ship. The huge ship looked like a toy from way up there. Next stop Skagway, which is even further north.
No comments:
Post a Comment